Artist Point clearing begins. Here’s when you can lace up your hiking boots
Summer hiking in the North Cascades could be delayed this year because of heavier than normal snowfall, coupled with chilly spring weather that slowed snowmelt and brought late-season snow.
Crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation began clearing Mount Baker Highway from its winter closure to Artist Point this week, but an opening date is uncertain, said WSDOT spokeswoman RB McKeon.
“Because of the cooler weather and recent snow, the depth at the gate is about 15 feet and we know it will be deeper at higher elevations,” McKeon told The Bellingham Herald.
“Therefore, we anticipate that it will take longer than normal to clear — since crews just started this week and haven’t been able to assess the full roadway, we don’t yet have an estimate for reopening,” McKeon said in an email.
Artist Point, at an altitude of some 5,000 feet, offers a 360-degree view that includes Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan and the high Cascades peaks.
It’s also the starting point for several summer hiking trails and a popular Whatcom County tourist destination.
Mount Baker Highway, also called state Highway 542, is closed annually near the Mt. Baker Ski Area after the first significant snowfall in autumn.
Clearing efforts — which require heavy snow-blowers, skip loaders and dump trucks — usually take six to eight weeks.
Some 647 inches of snow fell through April 24 at the ski area in the 2021-2022 winter season, which was marked by a moderate La Niña, a cyclical weather pattern that usually means colder, wetter winters for the Pacific Northwest.
Snowpack in the North Cascades measured at 151% of normal, according to measurements published Friday, June 3, by the National Water and Climate Center in Portland, Oregon.
Heavy snow remains in the mountains across Washington state: Snowpack was at 325% in the central Puget Sound region, at 187% in the south Puget Sound region, which includes Mount Rainier, and at 215% in the Olympics.
This year, engineers will need to examine repairs made to a crumbling rock wall on the Mount Baker Highway just past the Heather Meadows Visitor Center, McKeon said.
After that, crews can begin removing snow on the final 1.8 miles of road to the parking area at Artist Point, which is part of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.
