Driving the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway – Washington

Also known as State Route 542, the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway is a scenic route way up in Northern Washington State, near the Canadian border that leads into the Cascade Mountains, by following along the Nooksack River. On this route, you’ll pass by one of the most photographed viewpoints in the USA – Picture Lake.

No joke, this was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited – once at the top – the scenery at Mt. Baker is absolutely stunning, but the actual drive there is mostly covered in trees. Let’s get started!

Mt Baker Scenic Byway at a Glance:

• The road is 35 miles from its junction with Kendall, Washington to its terminus at Artist Point.
• Paved the entire way, with tight, steep switchbacks near the end
• This is essentially a dead end road. There are no connecting routes out of here, as road dead ends at Artists Point. Several signs along the way that remind you as you approach the start of State Route 542.

When to drive the Mt.Baker Scenic Byway

For the most part, the road is open year-round, as there is a ski resort near the end of the road. However, the last 2.5 miles that lead up to the road’s terminus at Artists Point, is gated off and closed from late July – October due to snowfall. We were here on July 30 and the road to Artist Point was still closed!

My advice though, is to drive this on a clear, sunny day during late summer or early fall for the best views. If you want the calm water on Picture Lake to see the reflection, you’ll want to visit in the morning or at sunset, otherwise there’s more of a chance of the winds kicking up and ruining the reflection shot. Even if you are here a little too early in the season to drive to Artist Point at the end, the Heather Meadows area and Picture Lake viewpoint are both well-worth it.

If the weather is rainy and overcast, I wouldn’t bother driving all the way here, as the views are likely to socked in with clouds and fog.

Where to stay when visiting the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway

The nearest town with the most lodging options is Bellingham, Washington, which was where we stayed. We spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Bellingham and had a great stay, but there are tons of lodging options in Bellingham.

Driving the entire Mt. Baker Scenic Byway is about 120 miles round trip from Bellingham

The tiny towns along the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway don’t have much of anything in terms of lodging, unless you are camping. You will find some cabins here and there but in terms of traditional motels and hotel, you won’t find much.

Crowds along the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway:

We visited on a weekday morning and we had nearly the whole place to ourselves. However, the road wasn’t completely open to Artist Point yet, so perhaps that tempered the crowds a bit. But again, remember that this is a remote area of the USA and it’s just never going to get as crowds as, say, driving through Yellowstone National Park!

Stops along the Mt. Baker Scenic Byway

The one thing about this route is that for a scenic drive, there just aren’t a lot of pullouts along the way with scenic overlooks. You’re mostly driving through the forest the entire route, until the landscape opens up when you get closer to the end.

The small, rural towns along the way have a handful of amenities – Glacier and Maple Falls have some decent restaurants (we ate breakfast at Joe’s Coffee in Maple Falls). You’ll also be able to get gas in these small towns.

The last chance for gas is in Maple Falls – this is approximately 27 miles into the drive. After Maple Falls, you’ll be gaining lots of elevation, so it might be a good idea to fill up here.

The one major stop that you might want to check out is Nooksack Falls. You’ll have to travel just a short distance down an unpaved forest road, but any vehicle can make it. There’s no long hike involved; it’s just a short walk from the parking area to the falls.

For more information on Nooksack Falls, read my post here.

Picture Lake

Said to be one of the most photographed viewpoints in the USA, Picture Lake features a stunning view of Mt. Shukshan on the lake – and if you’re lucky and visit on a calm day, you will see a reflection.

There’s also a trail that goes almost all the way around the lake, so if you’re up for an easy stroll, this might be something you’d want to do.

The road by the Picture Lake area turns into a one-way loop that passes by the ski area chalet, ski resort lodging and parking. As we were visiting in the summer, none of this was open.

Heather Meadows

Continuing past Picture Lake on the loop, you’ll find the turn off to continue on State Route 542 heading towards Heather Meadows. You’ll definitely want to stop here!

During our visit, the visitor center was closed, so we couldn’t get any information on trails or hikes in the area (or go shopping for souvenirs! Ha!). There is a pit toilet here as well.

From the parking lot, there is a short, paved nature trail that leads to a lake overlook, so that’s what we did. My sister and I were traveling with my dog, and dogs are allowed on all the trails. This wheelchair/stroller-accessible trail has lots of interpretive signs along the way to explain what you’re looking at. I would absolutely love to come back here and hike more of the trails because this area is stunning.

Additionally, if Artist Point is closed to vehicles, you can hike up there (or snowshoe if visiting in winter).

But the best part is the scenery! AHH! I mean, PINCH ME! It was absolutely beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe it but truly stunning. Here are a bunch of pics so you can see for yourself:

Is driving the Mt. Baker Byway worth it?

Yes – with a few caveats – if you are somewhat nearby and the weather is nice – even if Artist Point isn’t open yet! I’ve tried to visit the Mt. Baker area several times throughout the past few years, and every time I’ve been skunked out – always due to weather. When I’ve been here in the past, I’ve had terrible luck with the weather – cloudy, foggy, rainy – that I didn’t think it was worth it to go all the way out this way (remember – it’s not by anything else!) to have obstructed views. For this trip, we decided to go here because the weather was perfect (we made the decision only one day before coming here to be 100% sure we’d get a good day). Because on a clear, sunny day, the scenery absolutely stunning!

Mt Baker Scenic Byway – Final Thoughts

Although this is a very beautiful area of the United States, it’s remote, far from basically anything, and the road leads to a dead end. This likely isn’t going to be a spot you’ll just come across on your travels – you have to make it a point to come here.

Pros:

• Absolutely stunning scenery when you make it up to Picture Lake/Heather Meadows/Artist Point
• Much of the road is open year round
• You can ski here in the winter and it’s not as crowded as other PNW ski resorts.

Cons

• This is a long, dead-end road.
• The final 2.5 miles to Artist Point have a tiny, tiny window of when it’s open. This area gets a ton of snow, and even on July 30th, it was still closed
• Not much in terms of traditional lodging around the area. You’ll have to stay in Bellingham.
• Remote area – you need to make a point to come here as it’s far away from anything.