Washington State Route 121

On Saturday, July 2, 2011, I drove Washington State Route 121 through fields and forests.

RCW 47.17.225
State route No. 121:

A state highway to be known as state route number 121 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 5 in the vicinity of Maytown, thence easterly, northerly, and westerly by way of Millersylvania state park to a junction with state route number 5 south of Tumwater.

SR 121 begins here, at a lovely new interchange with I-5. North on 121 here is, of course, east.


After proceeding slowly through Maytown, Highway 121 hangs a left and turns northward. The state route was laid over existing local roads, so it still functions that way and not as an individual highway. Shortly after turning north, we enter Millersylvania State Park, the highway's raison d'être. The thick forest is a noticable difference from the surrounding private land.


We leave the forest and continue north through fields for a couple more miles. The route then turns left again, heading west back to the freeway. Four miles north of where we left I-5, we're back again. Our drive of SR 121 is thus complete.

SR 121 used to run from US 12 at Rochester northeastward to SR 121's current southern end. Twenty years ago, the state moved it north to service the state park. And that's about all it does.