Washington State Route 902

On Sunday, June 29, 2025, we drove Washington State Route 902 to Medical Lake and back. I'm not sure the waters have much healing power anymore, but there are still plenty of hospitals.

State route No. 902:

A state highway to be known as state route number 902 is established as follows:

Beginning at a junction with state route number 90, thence northwesterly, northerly, northeasterly, and easterly, via the town of Medical Lake, to a junction with state route number 90 at a point approximately three miles northeast of Four Lakes.

Highway 902 begins at this interchange with I-90 just south of Clear Lake.


We drive through sparse forest and pass a pond. The highway has no shoulder or guardrail. Highway 902 then climbs up into the farmland of Malloy Prairie, full of giant hay bales, before dipping back to the forested valley. This valley, full of small lakes, was carved by an ice-age flood. All the good farming soil got washed away, but now it has enough groundwater to support pine trees. 902 enters the city of Medical Lake and passes a giant state-run nursing home, then an eerie run-down barn. We stop at the Waterfront Park at the south end of the lake for a rest before heading into town. This photo is at the halfway point, in the middle of Medical Lake.


At the north end of town, we arrive at the beginning of the flood channel. Maybe this was the edge of the ice sheet and the water was flowing on top of the glacier to this point. Take a right to stay on 902. We cross a railroad then parallel it for a while. A new neighborhood climbs a hill. The land flattens out, but not many farms. We arrive back at I-90 in a mess of roundabouts. Zig-zag your way to the freeway.

902 is a nice, quiet drive to a nice, quiet town. No longer the tourist destination of 100 years ago, but they seem to be having fun.