Local News

The Associated Press

The forecast of snow at Mount Baker prompted the state Transportation Department to close the road to Artist Point on Tuesday for the season.

It has been cleared only 84 days since snow plows opened access on July 24 to the last three miles of Highway 542 past the Mount Baker Ski Resort.

Artist Point is typically the last mountain road in Washington to open and the first to be closed for the season. It’s serves the parking lot for the Forest Service’s Heather Meadows visitor center and a number of trails above the 5,000-foot elevation.

Transportation Department spokesman Dustin Terpening says the area is heavily used by hikers, and that supports businesses along the Mount Baker Highway.