State Route 547 (SR 547) is a Washington state highway located in

Whatcom County Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Cou ...

, south of the Canada–US border. The long route runs northwest from in Kendall to in

Sumas Sumas () is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 1,307 as of the 2010 census. Sumas is located adjacent to the Canada–U.S. border and borders the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia. The Sumas-Huntingd ...

. The highway was originally created in 1984, but a road extending from Kendall to Sumas has been on maps since 1966 along the Sumas–

Glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

route of the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experience ...

Route description

State Route 547 begins at a junction with in Kendall, located northwest of

Mount Baker Mount Baker (Lummi: '; nok, Kw’eq Smaenit or '), also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is a active glacier-covered andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington in the United States. Mount ...

. At the intersection, the highway is named Kendall Road and turns north towards the Canada–US border. After passing Kendall Elementary School, the route crosses Kendall Creek to enter Balford. SR 547 turns northwest and passes the former Baker's Edge Golf Course, Peaceful Valley and Columbia before turning west and becoming Reese Hill Road as it traverses the north foothills of

Sumas Mountain Sumas Mountain is a mountain located in Whatcom County, Washington, Whatcom County, Washington (state), Washington, 15 miles northeast of Bellingham, Washington, Bellingham and southwest of Vedder Mountain. Located in the Skagit Range, the moun ...

. The highway turns north to become Hillview Road and later Sumas Road before curving west towards

as Rock Road and Front Street before crossing the

Sumas River The Sumas River is a river in the Fraser Lowland and a tributary of the Fraser River river system, system, coursing across the Canada–United States border, international border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province o ...

into Sumas. The roadway ends at an intersection with , about south of the Canada–US border.

History

The general route of SR 547 follows the route of the now-defunct

–

branch of the

. By the 1980s, the Sumas–Kendall Road was being used as a tourist route for Canadian residents to reach the

Mount Baker Ski Area Mt. Baker Ski Area is a ski resort in the northwest United States, located in Whatcom County, Washington, at the end of State Route 542. The base elevation is at , while the peak of the resort is at . It is about south of the 49th parallel, th ...

and surrounding recreation areas. The road had deteriorated, but the Whatcom County stated they were unable to afford repairs. The county government proposed a trade with 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 ...

, who would release SR 540 to Whatcom County and take over maintenance of Sumas–Kendall Road. In 1984, the state legislature approved the transfer of SR 540 to the county and the creation of a new state highway on Sumas–Kendall Road, which was numbered SR 547.

Major intersections

References

External links

Highways of Washington State
{{State highways in Washington related to I-5 547 Transportation in Whatcom County, Washington