State Route 971 (SR 971) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. It runs for and primarily serves Lake Chelan State Park, with both of its termini at U.S. Route 97 Alternate (US 97A) southwest of Chelan. SR 971 has the highest highway number in the state. The highway traverses Navarre Coulee along the route of a 19th-century road that was later connected to Chelan in the 1910s. Both roads were paved in the 1960s and incorporated into SR 971 when it was established by the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

in 1991.

Route description

SR 971 begins at a junction with US 97A on the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

near the former town of Winesap, approximately north of Entiat. The highway travels northwest along Ficher Canyon and turns north to follow Navarre Coulee, which cuts through an arm of the Chelan Mountains at the eastern end of the

Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest The Okanogan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Okanogan County in north-central Washington, United States. The forest is bordered on the north by British Columbia, on the east by Colville National Forest, on the south by the ...

and near the Chelan State Wildlife Area. After passing several small farms, SR 971 climbs the Barrett Grade, which runs northeast and northwest in a narrower and heavily-forested part of the coulee. The highway then turns northeast in its descent towards Lake Chelan and rounds a

hairpin turn A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...

to the northwest before reaching South Lakeshore Road near Lake Chelan State Park. Adjacent to the state park entrance, SR 971 turns east onto South Lakeshore Road, which continues along Lake Chelan towards Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park. The highway travels east along the shore of Lake Chelan, passing small

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

s as well as homes on the lakefront and on the steep cliffs to the south. Near Bear Mountain, SR 971 passes several

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

s and terminates at a junction with US 97A west of the town of Chelan. SR 971 is the highest-numbered state highway in Washington. The highway is maintained by the

Washington State Department of Transportation The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT or WashDOT, both ) is a governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of transportation infrastructure in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. Establi ...

(WSDOT), who conduct an annual survey of traffic volume that is expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. Average daily traffic volumes on SR 971 in 2016 ranged from a minimum of 680 vehicles near the Barrett Grade to a maximum of 2,600 vehicles near its northern terminus.

History

An unpaved road along Navarre Coulee from the

to the summit overlooking Lake Chelan was built in the late 19th century. The Chelan County government began surveying a new road along the south shore of Lake Chelan in 1910 with the intent of connecting it to a new route over Navarre Coulee. The two roads would serve as an alternative to the existing Wenatchee– Chelan road via the steeper Knapp Coulee. The gravel road along Navarre Coulee and the lakeshore was rebuilt by the county government in 1947, with sections straightened and widened before being oiled. The road was paved over several stages in the 1960s, in part with funds from the state government. The state legislature established SR 971 on the corridor in 1991, allowing for WSDOT to take over maintenance of the road the following year. The state government funded a major resurfacing project in 1996 and the replacement of a fish

culvert A culvert is a structure that channels water past an obstacle or to a subterranean waterway. Typically embedded so as to be surrounded by soil, a culvert may be made from a pipe, reinforced concrete or other material. In the United Kingdom ...

on First Creek in 1999.

Major intersections

References

External links

*
Highways of Washington State
{{State highways in Washington related to US 97

971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) ...

Transportation in Chelan County, Washington