On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, we took the long and winding road up to Mt Baker: Washington State Route 542.
A state highway to be known as state route number 542 is established as follows:Beginning at a junction with state route number 5 at Bellingham, thence easterly to a point in the vicinity of Austin Pass in Whatcom county.
Here Highway 542 begins, at an interchange with I-5 in Bellingham. This is the Mt Baker Highway.
Escape the city! The farmland and forests start soon enough. After a while we cross the Nooksack River and are suddenly at a junction with SR 9, the northward portion. Nugents Corner has been rounded.
Mt Baker looms ahead. We pass through Deming. A sign reminds drivers that this is not a mountain pass! And then we're at another roundabout junction with SR 9, the southward version.
The highway follows the North Fork Nooksack River into the mountains. A few farms in the forest. We arrive at Kendall and SR 547. When WSDOT added the roundabout, they moved Highway 542 from the east side of the Kendall Chapel to the west side. The old route is now a curve of grassy gravel.
After a few more towns, the forest and mountains get serious. Am I getting older or is this road getting bumpier? Mt Shuksan appears between the trees. Hairpin after hairpin. If you don't believe the "15", believe the "10". Heather Meadows feels like the end of the road, but Highway 542 keeps going. Narrower and twistier. No guardrails in sight. Stay on the road, stay in your lane, and know your vehicle's capabilities. And then a huge parking lot marks the end of the road. Welcome to Artist Point (in the vicinity of Austin Pass).
Time to go for a hike.
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