GLACIER – Grab the camera and hiking boots! The final 2.7 miles of State Route 542/Mount Baker Highway, also known as the Road to Artist Point, will open for the summer season at 8 a.m. Friday, June 21. The scenic highway is opening a week earlier than 2023.
Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews have worked in tandem to cut through up to 30-feet of snow covering the road. Removing this snow requires repetitive, challenging, bumpy and skilled maneuvering of the bulldozer and snowblower.
When the roadway is reopened, travelers should still expect WSDOT maintenance and U.S. Forest Service crews along SR 542 as they complete road repairs and install signs. Services at Artist Point, such as restrooms and garbage disposals, are still limited.
Each year, crews remove snow and ice from the highway up to the Heather Meadows area throughout the winter. However, the last 2.7 miles has narrow, sharp curves, steep slopes and closes annually to vehicle traffic for safety. After the highway closes for winter, a portion of it becomes part of the
After it reopens each spring, more than 650 vehicles per day travel to Artist Point. Close to 40,000 people visit its Glacier Public Service Center throughout the year to get required permits and check weather conditions ahead of their outdoor adventures.
People can find real-time updates for the road to Artist Point on the WSDOT Mount Baker Highway Mountain Pass page, the WSDOT Travel Map and X/formerly Twitter @wsdot_north.