Washington State Route 110

On Saturday, February 19, 2011, I drove Washington State Route 110, from Forks out toward the coast and toward the coast again!

RCW 47.17.212
State route No. 110:

A state highway to be known as state route number 110 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 101 in the vicinity north of Forks, thence westerly to the Olympic national park boundary in the vicinity of La Push; also

Beginning at a junction with state route number 110 near the Quillayute river, thence westerly to the Olympic national park boundary in the vicinity of Moro.

Late on a cold, sunny Saturday afternoon, we headed out from US 101 near Forks, going west to the ocean. Unusual for an even-number Washington highway, Highway 110 mileposts go from east to west instead of west to east. Forks had 5" of snow the day before, but the roads were clear and dry when we set out.


Over the hills and through the woods, Highway 110 follows the Soleduck, Calawah, and Bogachiel Rivers as they all flow together. Shortly before the Soleduck and Bogachiel join to form the Quillayute River, we reach the junction with Mora Road, SR 110 spur (which isn't signed as such). It's just past the restaurant, on the right. Note that the correct spelling is "Mora," not "Moro," as the legislative code spells it.


We continue on the La Push branch through the timber farms and cross the Bogachiel River. Two miles from the Pacific Ocean, the highway ends. We reach the edge of Olympic National Park and thus the end of SR 110. To reach La Push and the ocean, you must continue ahead a mile through the dense forest of the park and another mile through the city of La Push, which is the Quileute Indian Reservation. Nice beaches out there, but very few rooms to rent for the night.


After watching the waves for a while, we headed back to the Mora Road junction to drive SR 110 spur.


The state put mileposts on Mora Road, but no other indication that this is a state highway. We cross the Soleduck River and continue west along the north bank of the Quillayute. A couple miles later, we reach the boundary of Olympic National Park again. SR 110 spur is at an end. We continued along the slushy road to Rialto Beach and watched those waves for a bit. Nice rocks off the coast. Sun's going down. Time to go find a motel...

At the US 101 and La Push ends of SR 110, signs have been erected declaring this highway the Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial Highway. The odd thing is that the resolution from last May describes the memorial highway as being "between the junction of state route number 101 and the junction of state route number 110 by and through the Quileute Indian Reservation in the community of La Push." Not only does SR 110 not go through the Indian reservation or La Push, it stops a mile short, thanks to the national park, so it's not really "by," either. The DOT had to put the La Push sign at the national park boundary.

Well, I thought it was odd, at least.