Washington State Route 169

On Saturday, January 7, 2012, I drove Washington State Route 169 from Enumclaw to Renton, with a brief stop at my parents' to help take down their Christmas tree...

RCW 47.17.340
State route No. 169

A state highway to be known as state route number 169 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 164 at Enumclaw, thence northwesterly by way of Summit to a junction with state route number 900 in the vicinity of Renton.

Enumclaw, Enumclaw, glorious Enumclaw. The town on the plateau that feels like a valley. SR 169 begins here at an intersection with SR 164. Have a walk around town, buy some bread from the bakery.


We depart Enumclaw, due north through the farmland. We pass a cluster of mansions with great views of Mt. Rainier, then dive down to the Green River Gorge. Across a very high bridge and up the hill on the other side, then we're quickly at ever-growing Black Diamond. Enumclaw Black Diamond Road turns into Maple Valley Black Diamond Road and soon we're here at the city of Maple Valley. This is Four Corners and a junction with SR 516.


We then drive through the city of Maple Valley, then down the hill into Maple Valley. ("What?" you ask, and I point to the drafters of King County's urban growth boundary.) We cross under SR 18 without a junction and head down the Cedar River on Renton Maple Valley Road. A mere half hour before sunset, we arrive in Renton at I-405.


Underneath the interstate, we quickly approach the end of SR 169, this junction with SR 900. Welcome to Renton!

For all the times I've driven on this highway since my youth, there were still several sections that were unfamiliar. From the exurbs to the suburbs, hurrah!

Washington State Route 168

On Saturday, January 7, 2012, I wanted to drive Washington State Route 168, but it wasn't built yet. What a shame, really, because it sounds like such a nice drive!

RCW 47.17.335
State route No. 168:

A state highway to be known as state route number 168 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 410 in the vicinity of the junction of the Greenwater and White rivers, thence easterly to a junction with state route number 410 in the vicinity north of Cliffdell.

SR 168 was codified in 1970, but the state hasn't even thought about building it, from what I can tell. It was meant to be a shortcut over Naches Pass (or a tunnel under the pass), so commercial vehicles could use Highway 410, which goes through Mount Rainier National Park. It would be a good alternate to I-90, I'd think. Instead of building SR 168, we're in the midst of widening I-90 over the mountains. Too many eggs in one basket?

Washington State Route 167

On January 7, 2012, we drove the length of Washington State Route 167 from Tacoma to Renton, mostly the Valley Freeway...

RCW 47.17.330
State route No. 167:

A state highway to be known as state route number 167 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 5 in the vicinity of Tacoma, thence easterly by way of the vicinity of Puyallup and Sumner, thence northerly by way of the vicinity of Auburn and Kent to a junction with state route number 900 in the vicinity of Renton.

East of downtown Tacoma, over by the Puyallup River, SR 167 begins in this mess of construction beneath I-5. WSDOT is in the process of widening I-5 over the river. ...Even though we'll be going north on SR 167, we're facing south here as we cross under east-west I-5. Just so you know.


We circle past the cemetary and the casino and begin the long straightaway called River Road, adjacent to the south side of the Puyallup River. This used to be part of Highway 410. I'm not quite sure why it still isn't. We're headed ESE, but officially north on SR 167. When we get to Puyallup, we turn north across the river on Meridian and quickly come to this junction with SR 161. The two highways come from north and south on Meridian Ave and join together east on a freeway.


Now we're rolling! A mile after the freeway starts, SR 161 exits southward. This is also a junction with SR 512, since those two highways are one and the same through downtown Puyallup.


Another mile later, in Sumner, we come to the junction with the truncated SR 410. Time to turn finally turn north!


SR 167 leaves the Puyallup River and heads up the White River north to Auburn. Turn back six score years and you'd be going up the Stuck River to Slaughter, but the town was renamed in 1893 and the White River was redirected in 1906 from flowing north to Seattle to flowing south to Tacoma. So here we are, in Auburn, at the junction with SR 18. Covington, North Bend, Spokane!


So the old White River valley is now the Green River valley. Welcome to Kent, née Titusville. SR 516 here will take you into town and also up the hill to Des Moines. (Pronounce the final S!)


We speed along northward to Renton. Wait, what's this? Speed limit 45? Isn't this a freeway? Junction with I-405. Seattle or Bellevue? We choose neither and go straight.


The freeway ends. Welcome to Renton. We cross Grady Way, the railroad tracks, and the old location of the Black River (which was the outlet of Lake Washington till 1916). We then arrive at the junction with SR 900, Sunset Boulevard, the old Sunset Highway from Seattle to Spokane. Our drive is over, right?


Not quite. A block later, we come to the end of SR 167, at an intersection with the westbound lanes of SR 900.

So there you are: Washington State Route 167. An old familiar freeway to me. Maybe someday, WSDOT will scrape together some funds to finish the freeway from Tacoma to Puyallup...

Washington State Route 166

On Monday, December 26, 2011, we drove the short length of Washington State Route 166, to Port Orchard.

RCW 47.17.328
State route No. 166:

A state highway to be known as state route number 166 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 16 in the vicinity west of Port Orchard, thence northeasterly to the eastern Port Orchard city limits as they exist on June 10, 2010.

Down on the shores of Sinclair Inlet, a bit east of Gorst along SR 16, Highway 166 begins.


The highway gradually slows down as we wind along the water, passing many docks and marinas. Welcome to Port Orchard! See their classic, old-fashioned city hall. A block from the water is the old downtown, decked out for the holidays. This happens to be the halfway point of SR 166, and so a photo is taken.


Just past Blackjack Creek, Highway 166 leaves Sinclair Inlet and heads up the hill. We spin off a roundabout heading due east. After a string of fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, and cut-rate auto parts, we reach the "End 166" sign. 800' or so later, we reach the end of the highway, at the eastern city limit of Port Orchard. The 800' was added last legislative session because the city had previously expanded and expected the state to maintain the road, but WSDOT was only maintaining to the old city limit, and Kitsap County, who had been maintaining the 800' beforehand, wasn't going to maintain a road within the city limits. Apparently that section of road got very beat up over a few years. It still has more potholes than the sections on either side.

For a highway that exists on the books only because Port Orchard was not willing to take responsibility for the landslide-prone road when the state moved SR 160 from this route to another route further south, twenty years ago, it's a rather nice drive. Especially the landslide-prone section along the water.

Washington State Route 165

On Saturday, December 10, 2011, we drove Washington State Route 165, from the Mountain to town. Thanks to an inversion layer the past few days, much of the snow has melted...

RCW 47.17.325
State route No. 165:

A state highway to be known as state route number 165 is established as follows:

Beginning at the northwest entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park, thence northerly to a junction with state route number 410 at Buckley.

So here we are at the boundary of Mount Rainier National Park at the Mowich Lake entrance, where SR 165 begins. It's a dirt road. It's the only state highway in Washington that's still gravel. We should feel thankful it's the only one! The national park closed the gate a month ago, but that's most of a mile up the hill behind us here. It's time to crank up the Christmas music and hit the road -- but watch out for potholes, ice sheets, deep snow, and oncoming traffic!


The clouds roll up the hillside, fog wrapping the trees. After ten miles or so, the pavement begins. A mile after that, we meet the Carbon River Road, which goes to the real northwest entrance of the national park, whereupon we get a yellow line down the middle of the road. Fancy! Cross the one-lane Fairfax Bridge and continue down the valley. Zip by Carbonado, slow down for old-railroad-town Wilkeson, and be surprised by the community of Burnett. Up a little hill and you're at the junction pictured above, where SR 165 meets SR 162. Familiar? Turn right to stay on 165.


After a bend, we're on the Buckley Straight, paralleling the old railroad route into Buckley. A mile and a bit later, we turn left off the straight, cross the Foothills Trail (old railroad grade), and are quickly at the junction with SR 410. Highway 165 is at an end. This road seems very busy compared to where we were, just a half hour ago...

Next time there's clear weather, I suggest you head up Highway 165 for some lovely views of the Mountain. If you don't have a high-clearance vehicle or don't want to clean the bottom of your car with snow and ice, you might want to wait six months or so and let it melt out. I have a feeling it will get deeper before then, though.

Washington State Route 164

On Saturday, December 10, 2011, we took advantage of the unseasonably dry weather and drove the length of Washington SR 164, also known as the Auburn-Enumclaw Road.

RCW 47.17.320
State route No. 164:

A state highway to be known as state route number 164 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 18 in the vicinity of Auburn, thence southeasterly to a junction with state route number 410 at Enumclaw.

So here SR 164 begins in Obbin, under the railroad tracks, at a junction with SR 18.


Highway 164 leaves Auburn and heads up the hill southeast of town, a narrow ridge between the Green River and White River valleys. The ridge is so flat, however, that it feels like you're still on a valley bottom. Through this stretch, we pop in and out of the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation. Casino! White River Ampitheater! Closed-up fireworks stands! After a few miles, the fields take over from the trees and we break out into the wide prairie surrounding Enumclaw. Cows! Sheep! And then we enter town and arrive at this junction with SR 169.


Enumclaw is a nice town, but it smells a bit country. At the eastern edge of the city, SR 164 ends at a junction with SR 410.

Fifteen miles goes pretty quick, even on a two-lane road through a rural corner of the most populous county in the state.

Washington State Route 163

On Sunday, November 20, 2011, we drove Washington State Route 163 through Tacoma and across the sea.

RCW 47.17.317
State route No. 163:

A state highway to be known as state route number 163 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 16 in Tacoma, thence northerly to the Point Defiance ferry terminal; also

From the state ferry terminal at Point Defiance via the state ferry system northerly to the state ferry terminal at Tahlequah.

In the West End of Tacoma, SR 163 begins at an interchange with SR 16. Welcome to Pearl Street. Highway 16 is directly above us when Chunlin took this photo, by the way, but if you hurry, you can still turn left and head for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.


Gradually downhill, we head due north. After about a mile and a half, we're at the halfway point of our drive.


Down the hill we go, still on Pearl Street. For five blocks (not that you'd notice), Highway 163 is in the town of Ruston instead of Tacoma. With the Pt Defiance Zoo and park on our left and a go-kart track on the right, we pay our ferry fee and park the car. The dock is in sight, as is the MV Rhododendron, across the water.


The Rhododendron ferry docks on our side and disgorges a load of traffic. We then descend the final incline and board the ferry, far to the right on a very narrow aisle. While I'm busy taking photos of Mt Rainier across the Tacoma Yacht Club, we depart. Above is the photo northward. Across Dalco Passage, Vashon Island awaits.


A short ride later, we arrive at Tahlequah, at the southern tip of Vashon Island. SR 163 is at an end. Tahlequah is, of course, named after the principle grain of the Cherokee in Tennessee, or maybe it meant "temple mound" ... no one seems to know. "Tellico"/"Tahlequah" was a common placename for the Cherokee, such that Great Tellico was their major center in Tennessee and Tahlequah, Oklahoma, was the first capital of the Cherokee Nation in the Indian Territory. Why this tiny community on Puget Sound is named as such, I can't quite say.

With Highway 163 completed, we are now free to roam the island as we so desire. Traveling from the urban to the rural takes just a short ferry ride...