Made the drive to Artist Point yet this year? This weekend is your final opportunity
Though the first snow flakes have yet to stick to the road, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced that this will be the final weekend to enjoy the Road to Artist Point in 2020.
And just in case you were wondering — no, you can’t blame COVID for this one.
The final 2.7 miles of the Mount Baker Highway between Heather Meadows and the Artist Point parking area usually doesn’t close for the winter until enough snow falls on the road to force its closure. But this year, a crumbling wall creating a potential safety hazard to travelers and the slopes below and is forcing WSDOT’s hand to close the road Monday, Oct. 12, according to a news release Wednesday, Oct. 7.
The wall, which was built in the 1930s, is located at approximately milepost 55.6 and sits above the Heather Meadows Visitor Center, Chain Lakes Loop trailhead and Austin Pass Picnic area. But erosion below and behind the wall is creating a risk of collapse, the release states.
Because of that, WSDOT will close the road to Artist Point Monday as well as areas below the road to reduce the risk of an uncontrolled collapse over the winter, the release said. A section of the wall also will be removed in the short term to keep it from falling on the road or areas below.
None of the ski runs at Mt. Baker Ski Area will be impacted by the closure of the road this winter, WSDOT spokesperson Jordan Longacre told The Bellingham Herald, but the ski area has assisted in roping off some “out of bounds” areas where people have skied or gone on back country adventures in the past as a precaution against potential falling rock or debris.
WSDOT suggests anyone using areas along closed winter highways check conditions with the Northwest Avalanche Center of Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest before their trip.
Though Oct. 12 is a bit early for closing the Road to Artist Point, the road has closed in September three times since 2003, according to WSDOT records. Even last year the road closed Oct. 7, while the latest the road has stayed open in the past 17 years is Nov. 1 in 2015.
The road typically opens in June or July, once snowpack melts enough to allow WSDOT crews to plow the narrow final 2.7 miles of highway and the Artist Point parking lot. The road got a late, unofficial opening this year due to COVID-19, as WSDOT did not plow the road because the majority of U.S. Forest Service trails and facilities were closed due to the pandemic.
WSDOT will wait until next spring or summer when the snow melts to further evaluate the condition of the wall and slopes and determine longer-term options fixes, according to the release.
This story was originally published October 7, 2020 at 4:44 PM.
