Washington State Route 508

On Sunday, July 16, 2017, we drove Washington State Route 508, through the wilds of Lewis County.

RCW 47.17.675
State route No. 508:

A state highway to be known as state route number 508 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 5 south of Chehalis, thence easterly by way of Onalaska to a junction with state route number 7 at Morton.

Just outside Napavine, on the edge of Newaukum Prairie, our highway begins here at this junction with I-5.


We head across the Newaukum Prairie and up the valley of the South Fork Newaukum River. Forests and farmland, so familiar. We arrive at the timber town Onalaska. Old barns and lumber yards. Horses and cattle. Angus bulls for sale. Hay bales. At the lower end of the Shoestring Valley, we cross the river on a bridge inside a bridge. (The 70-year-old structure is scheduled to be replaced.) Shortly thereafter, we reach the halfway point of the highway, pictured above.


After Cinebar, the valley narrows. Highway 508 twists and turns across Bear Canyon and up the narrow, green Tilton River valley. Isabelle takes a nap. Christina gives her a head massage. The valley widens again, slightly, and we're back to farmland. Morton. We roll through old town on Main Avenue and reach the end of Highway 508 at this junction with SR 7.

I'm not sure why this road is still a state highway, since is just parallels US 12, but it was a pleasant drive through the countryside.