Highway 542 closure is here. Goodbye Mount Baker hiking, hello winter sports
Last weekend’s snow in the North Cascades prompted Wednesday’s seasonal closure of the road to Artist Point, signalling the start of winter sports in the Mount Baker area.
The final 2.7 miles of Highway 542, providing access to Artist Point, closed for the winter at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) said in a statement.
Mount Baker Highway remains open to the seasonal closure point near Heather Meadows, just past the Mt. Baker Ski Area.
Winter recreation on foot is allowed past the road closure point, WSDOT said. Permits and weather information is available at the Glacier Public Service Center, just east of the mountain village of Glacier.
WSDOT will clear the Mount Baker Highway of snow and ice to the closure point through winter.
Updated traffic information is available online, along with details about mountain passes.
