Aching to hit the slopes at Mt. Baker Ski Area? The latest on an opening date
UPDATE (Dec. 20): WSDOT announced Saturday, Dec. 20 that the Mount Baker Highway closure east of Glacier will be lifted at 6 a.m. Sunday, opening access to Mt. Baker Ski Area. The original article appears below.
Great news, skiers and snowboarders. Mt. Baker Ski Area now has enough snow to open. The bad news? The only road that takes you there is closed.
Mount Baker Highway — State Route 542 — has been closed since Dec. 12 following last week’s atmospheric river that pummeled the region with storms, leading to slides full of mud, debris, rocks, logs, and branches, according to David Rasbach with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The road will remain closed east of Glacier at milepost 35 until further notice, and WSDOT did not give an estimate for when the road will be cleared. Rasbach said a lot of the debris caused by the slides has been cleared, but it has been determined that the road and a culvert will need additional repairs. The full scope of the damage is not known, and geotechnical and hydraulic engineers are still evaluating the area.
Once the damage has been fully assessed, a contractor will be brought in and a timeline for repairs can be determined.
“We understand this closure prevents people from reaching beloved winter recreational areas at the Mt. Baker Ski Area and in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and we did not make this decision lightly. The closure was made in the interest of safety, and we ask everyone to respect the well-marked closure points. This is an active work zone, and the safety of travelers and our crews is of utmost importance,” Rasbach told The Herald.
“I got some good news and some not-so-good news,” said Sam Llobet, director of mountain operations in a video posted to the Mount Baker Ski Area website Thursday afternoon. “Winter is back. It’s snowing heavily at the ski area. Set-up is going well. Patrol is out on the hill. Duncan is cutting fries. The ski area is ready to roll. The not-so-good news is the highway is gonna stay closed at least until tomorrow, Friday [Dec. 19].”
According to the website, the mountain will be open for Passholder Day on Saturday, Dec. 20, but only if the WSDOT is able to re-open the highway.
In the Thursday afternoon video, Llobet asked people to be respectful and not drive around the closures, allowing crews to finish clearing the roads quicker so everyone can make it to the ski area.
“It’s challenging for us up here. We really do want to roll. As I said, the staff has been working very, very hard day in and day out. We are ready to go once the highway opens,” Llobet said.
Mount Baker Ski Area opened Nov. 20 last year and has been ready to go this year since mid-November as staff waited to get enough snow.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM.
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