Mt. Baker Highway named among ‘sketchiest’ mountain roads in the U.S. in new ranking

Drivers heading up to ski on Mount Baker might want to err on the side of caution, according to a new ranking from skiing news site SnowBrains. The publication polled 500 readers to come up with its list of the nine “sketchiest” (which, the article elaborates, means daunting and dangerous in this context) ski access roads in the country.

Mount Baker Highway took fourth place. Here’s why.

Mt. Baker Highway among ‘sketchiest’ ski roads

State Route 542 starts off of I-5 in northern Bellingham and runs through the eastern parts of Whatcom County. The drive winds through hills, mountains and forest, offering near-constant views of Mount Baker and neighboring mountains. So what makes it so sketchy to SnowBrains readers?

For starters, the ranking results describe the road “as rugged and legendary as the mountain itself.” SnowBrains also notes that as the highway approaches the Mt. Baker Ski Area, it “narrows and steepens, with sharp curves and switchbacks that demand full attention, especially in winter conditions.” A lack of guardrails at certain points, icy conditions during the winter, and the fallen rocks that sometimes block the road don’t help its cause either, according to SnowBrains.

It’s not just SnowBrains readers who find Mount Baker Highway daunting. According to a 2018 Whatcom County report on the adjacent area, people complained that the road is dangerous and doesn’t leave enough space for cars to pass. Bellingham Reddit users, meanwhile, note blind corners, along with cars driving too fast or too slow.

S.R. 542 was the only Washington road to make the list. The only roads that outranked it were Ski Apache in New Mexico, and Bogus Basin in Idaho. It was also outranked for sketchiness by Powder Mountain in Utah.

If you’re planning on driving the Mt. Baker Highway anytime soon, you can check the Washington State Department of Transportation website for current conditions.