SR 542

Mount Baker Highway traffic will continue to alternate except during five-day full closure

GLACIER – Emergency repairs to two sections of State Route 542 damaged by recent floods east of Glacier in northeast Whatcom County are expected to begin Monday, Jan. 19. Though eastbound and westbound traffic on the Mount Baker Highway will continue to alternate through most of construction, one section of repairs will require a five-day full closure of SR 542.

MAPLE FALLS – Emergency repairs are scheduled to begin Saturday, Jan. 17, on a culvert that usually allows Bruce Creek to flow beneath State Route 542 about 2 miles east of Maple Falls in Whatcom County. 

GLACIER – The final 2.7 miles of State Route 542/Mount Baker Highway, also known as the Road to Artist Point, closed for winter at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The highway remains open to the closure point at Heather Meadows (milepost 54). Winter recreationalists who use areas of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest beyond the closure point are encouraged to monitor conditions throughout the season.

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.