State Route 542 to Artist Point opened around 3 p.m. Monday above Heather Meadows after crews made rapid progress clearing snow on roads and parking lots. The route is now open to all “non-oversized” vehicles, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) press release.
The parking lot at Terminal Lake, next to the U.S. Forest Service’s Heather Meadows Visitor Center, has been open to the public since July 1, said RB McKeon, a communications consultant for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
Warmer weather following an unseasonably cool early summer made the reopening process go faster, McKeon said.
The reopening of the road plays an important role in the area’s economic vitality. The Department of Transportation works hard to reopen the road as quickly as possible each year, she said.
“The road to Artist Point is one of the most scenic and beautiful drives in our state,” McKeon wrote in an email. “Not only do locals wait all year for the road to reopen, but people come from all over to experience this scenic drive, hike trails and take in the beauty of the surrounding area.”
McKeon also advised visitors that the area can get quite crowded in peak times, especially on weekends, and recommended that visitors who wish to avoid crowds arrive early or go on weekdays. Visitors are also allowed to walk or bike up the road to Artist Point from Heather Meadows, McKeon said.
A Washington State Department of Transportation bulldozer reaches the parking lot at Artist Point on June 15. (Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation)
Magenta Widner, a field ranger at the Glacier Public Service Center of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, said visitors should be aware that trails are still covered in snow.
McKeon agreed that trails still had snow on them, but “overall, this recent stretch of warm weather really melted things,” she wrote. She encouraged visitors to contact the Mt. Baker Ranger District or the Glacier Public Service Center for specific information about trail conditions.
Widner said the popular destination is typically open by late June or early July, making this year’s opening slightly later than usual, but McKeon said the road work was still within the typical timeline of six to eight weeks.
WSDOT crews typically begin clearing the road right after Memorial Day, and this year’s work began right on schedule, McKeon said. But late snow slowed the work compared to some previous years. In years with late or heavy snow, she said, crews must “work around Mother Nature’s schedule.”
In preparing for the road to be opened to the public, WSDOT also had to conduct inspections on a retaining wall on the road above Heather Meadows. The wall partially collapsed in October 2020 due to hillside erosion and temporary repairs were made last year. This year, the WSDOT has to ensure the repairs are still functioning.
“The wall inspection looks good,” McKeon said. “The temporary repairs that we did last year are holding.”
This story was updated at 4:29 p.m. Monday, July 11 after the road to Artist Point opened Monday afternoon.
