Highway in Washington
State Route 542
(
SR 542
) is a 57.24-mile-long (92.12 km)
state highway
in the
U.S. state
of
Washington
, serving
Mount Baker
in
Whatcom County
. SR 542 travels east as the Mount Baker Highway from an interchange with
Interstate 5
(I-5) in
Bellingham
through the
Nooksack River
valley to the
Mt. Baker Ski Area
at
Austin Pass
. It serves as the main highway to Mount Baker and the communities of
Deming
,
Kendall
, and
Maple Falls
along the Nooksack River. The highway was constructed in 1893 by Whatcom County as a
wagon road
between Bellingham and Maple Falls and was added to the state highway system as a branch of
State Road 1
in 1925. The branch was transferred to
Primary State Highway 1
(PSH 1) during its creation in 1937 and became SR 542 during the
1964 highway renumbering
.
Route description
[
edit
]
SR 542 begins as Sunset Drive and the Mount Baker Highway at a
partial cloverleaf interchange
with
I-5
to the northeast of downtown
Bellingham
.
[3]
The highway travels northeast through suburban neighborhoods along Squalicum Creek and passes
Squalicum High School
as it leaves the city of Bellingham. SR 542 continues northeast through rural
Whatcom County
, crossing the
Nooksack River
and intersecting
SR 9
at a
roundabout
. The
concurrent
SR 9 and SR 542 travel southeast through the community of
Deming
along a
BNSF
rail line and passes
Mount Baker Senior High School
.
[4]
SR 542 leaves SR 9 east of Deming and turns north along the North Fork of the Nooksack River and the eastern slope of
Sumas Mountain
to
Kendall
, where it serves as the southern terminus of
SR 547
. The Mount Baker Highway turns east and continues along the Nooksack River North Fork into the
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
at
Glacier
in the foothills of
Mount Baker
.
[5]
SR 542 turns south and serves the
Mt. Baker Ski Area
on the northeast side of the mountain before splitting into a
one-way pair
around Picture Lake.
[6]
[7]
The Mount Baker Highway continues through
Austin Pass
and ends at Artist Point, located at 5,210 feet (1,588.01 m) above
sea level
on Kulshan Ridge.
[1]
[8]
Every year, the
Washington State Department of Transportation
(WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of
annual average daily traffic
(AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2011, WSDOT calculated that the busiest section of SR 542 was the I-5 interchange in Bellingham, serving 38,000 vehicles, while the least busy section of SR 542 was the one-way pair around Picture Lake in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, serving 230 vehicles.
[9]
The Mount Baker Highway is designated as a
National Forest Scenic Byway
and serves as the eastern section of the
Ski to Sea Race
between Mount Baker and
Maple Falls
, a 90-mile (140 km)
Memorial Day
race with seven legs hosting seven events.
[10]
[11]
[12]
The eastern terminus of SR 542, at Artist Point on Kulshan Ridge, is only open in the summer between July and October due to extreme weather conditions.
[13]
[14]
[15]
History
[
edit
]
The Mount Baker Highway was constructed by
Whatcom County
in 1893 as a
wagon road
traveling northeast from
Bellingham
along the
Nooksack River
through
Deming
and
Kendall
to
Maple Falls
.
[16]
[17]
[18]
The wagon road was extended from Maple Falls through
Glacier
to the
Mt. Baker Ski Area
at Heather Meadows began 1921 and ended in 1926.
[19]
[20]
[21]
The Mount Baker Highway was added to the state highway system in 1925 as the
Austin Pass
branch of
State Road 1
and was extended to its current terminus at Artist Point in 1931.
[22]
[23]
[24]
The highway was closed seasonally between Glacier and Artist Point until the filming of
The Call of the Wild
in 1934 and 1935 prompted interest in the
Mount Baker
area.
[25]
[26]
The
Department of Highways
began clearing the highway of snow during the winter of 1934 for the film and continued annually between Glacier and Heather Meadows;
[27]
[28]
however, the highway was not cleared during
World War II
due to gasoline shortages.
[16]
The highway was designated as the Austin Pass branch of
PSH 1
during the creation of the
primary and secondary state highways
in 1937 and
renumbered
to SR 542 in 1964.
[29]
[30]
[31]
The entire route, between Bellingham and Austin Pass, was designated as part of the
Washington State Scenic and Recreational Highways
program in 1987 and a
National Forest Scenic Byway
on November 1, 1988.
[32]
[33]
A rock wall collapse on October 12, 2020, closed access to the Artist Point section of SR 542 for ten months while repairs were made. The rock wall was rebuilt by WSDOT and the section was reopened in August 2021.
[34]
Major intersections
[
edit
]
The entire highway is in
Whatcom County
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Staff (2012).
"State Highway Log: Planning Report 2012, SR 2 to SR 971"
(PDF)
.
Washington State Department of Transportation
. pp. 1709?1721.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on February 10, 2017
. Retrieved
February 20,
2013
.
- ^
"47.17.795: State route No. 542"
.
Revised Code of Washington
.
Washington State Legislature
. 1970.
Archived
from the original on October 3, 2006
. Retrieved
February 20,
2013
.
- ^
"SR 5 - Exit 255: Junction SR 542/Sunset Dr"
(PDF)
. Washington State Department of Transportation. September 15, 2004.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
2011 Washington State Rail System
(PDF)
(Map). Washington State Department of Transportation. January 2012. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on June 12, 2013
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
"Vicinity Map: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest"
(PDF)
.
United States Forest Service
. April 8, 2008.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on October 15, 2011
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
Mt. Baker 2012?13 Trail Map
(PDF)
(Map).
Mt. Baker Ski Area
. 2012. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on December 3, 2012
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
"SR 542: Junction SR 542 CO MTBAKR"
(PDF)
. Washington State Department of Transportation. April 28, 2006.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
Google
(February 20, 2013).
"State Route 542"
(Map).
Google Maps
. Google
. Retrieved
February 20,
2013
.
- ^
Staff (2011).
"2011 Annual Traffic Report"
(PDF)
. Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 206?207.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on June 13, 2013
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
Mount Baker Highway (Route 542): Map
(Map).
United States Department of Transportation
,
Federal Highway Administration
.
Archived
from the original on March 22, 2007
. Retrieved
March 10,
2013
.
- ^
Moore, David Leon (May 26, 2010).
"Grueling outdoor adventure race blends sportsmanship with competitiveness"
.
USA Today
.
Archived
from the original on February 24, 2013
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
2012 Ski to Sea Race Course
(PDF)
(Map).
Ski to Sea Race
. 2012.
Archived
from the original on September 2, 2013
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
"Artist Point - history of opening and closing dates"
. Washington State Department of Transportation.
Archived
from the original on August 14, 2013
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
"Artist Point - Frequently Asked Questions"
. Washington State Department of Transportation.
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2013
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
Terpening, Dennis (October 15, 2012).
"Crews to close road to Artist Point at Mount Baker"
. Washington State Department of Transportation.
Archived
from the original on October 19, 2012
. Retrieved
February 21,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"History and timeline of the road to Artist Point"
. Washington State Department of Transportation.
Archived
from the original on August 14, 2013
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
Washington (Whatcom County): Sumas Quadrangle
(JPG)
(Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. August 1908.
Archived
from the original on March 13, 2011
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
Washington (Whatcom County): Van Zandt Quadrangle
(JPG)
(Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1919.
Archived
from the original on March 13, 2011
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
Heller
, p. 7.
- ^
The Mountaineer, Vol. XVIII, No. 7
.
Mountaineers Books
. June 1926. p. 6.
- ^
Washington: Mt. Baker District
(JPG)
(Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. May 1915.
Archived
from the original on March 13, 2011
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
Washington State Legislature (February 18, 1925). "Chapter 26: An Act relating to and establishing, classifying, naming and fixing the routes of certain state highways".
Session Laws of the State of Washington
(1925 ed.).
Olympia, Washington
: Washington State Legislature. p. 59
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
Section 1. A primary state highway, to be known as State Road No. 1 or the Pacific Highway, is established as follows: From a junction in the city of Bellingham; thence by the most feasible route in an easterly direction to Austin Pass in Whatcom County.
- ^
Rand McNally Junior Road Map of Washington
(Map).
Rand McNally
. 1926.
Archived
from the original on December 20, 2014
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
Heller
, p. 31.
- ^
"Mount Baker Gale Defied Film 'Call of the Wild'
".
The Seattle Times
. January 3, 1935.
- ^
"Even Mt. Baker Blizzard Can't Stop Cameras".
The Seattle Times
. January 21, 1935.
- ^
American Ski Annual
.
United States Ski and Snowboard Association
. 1935. p. 78.
- ^
Heller
, p. 34.
- ^
Washington State Legislature (March 17, 1937). "Chapter 190: Establishment of Primary State Highways".
Session Laws of the State of Washington
(1937 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 933.
Archived
from the original on October 1, 2013
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
SECTION 1. A primary state highway to be known as Primary State Highway No. 1, or the Pacific Highway, is hereby established according to description as follows: Also beginning at Bellingham on Primary State Highway No. 1, as herein described, thence in an easterly direction by the most feasible route to a point in the vicinity of Austin Pass in Whatcom county.
- ^
Prahl, C. G. (December 1, 1965).
"Identification of State Highways"
(PDF)
.
Washington State Highway Commission
,
Department of Highways
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on October 30, 2008
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
Victoria, 1966
(JPG)
(Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1966.
Archived
from the original on October 16, 2012
. Retrieved
February 23,
2013
.
- ^
"47.39.020: Designation of portions of existing highways and ferry routes as part of system"
.
Revised Code of Washington
. Washington State Legislature. 2011 [1967].
Archived
from the original on January 2, 2014
. Retrieved
March 10,
2013
.
- ^
"Mount Baker Highway (Route 542): Official Designations"
. United States Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.
Archived
from the original on March 22, 2007
. Retrieved
March 10,
2013
.
- ^
Mittendorf, Robert (August 17, 2021).
"Hiking near Artist Point just got a whole lot easier with this road now open"
.
The Bellingham Herald
.
Archived
from the original on July 23, 2022
. Retrieved
September 6,
2021
.
Works cited
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]
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