Mount Baker’s scenic Artist Point will be closed to motor vehicle traffic for the remainder of the year.
The Washington State Department of Transportation closed the gate at the Bagley Lakes Trailhead, which leads to Artist Point, due to concerns about snow and ice. WSDOT closed the final 2.7 miles of highway as part of an annual closure that is aimed at promoting traveler safety.
The area will still be accessible to hikers, bikers, skiers and snowboarders, but WSDOT warned that travelers who use the highway after the Bagley Lakes Trailhead gate do so at their own risk.
A WSDOT press release claimed that clearing the road every year would be dangerous and not cost-effective due to stretches of the road being both narrow and containing sharp turns that would when iced be a danger to work crews.
WSDOT will assess the road next spring. A re-open date will depend largely on snow falls this winter and weather conditions in the spring.
