| Washington State Scenic and Recreational Highways | |
|---|---|
 Highway marker for the program | |
| System information | |
| Maintained by WSDOT | |
| Formed | April 27, 1967 [1] |
| Notes | Defined by RCW 47.39 |
| Highway names | |
| Interstates | Interstate nn (I-nn) |
| US Highways | U.S. Route nn (US nn) |
| State | State Route nn (SR nn) |
| System links | |
The Washington State Scenic and Recreational Highways program is a system of scenic routes in the U.S. state of Washington.
The passage of the Scenic and Recreational Highway Act of 1967, signed into law on April 27, 1967, established Washington's state scenic and recreational highway program. [1]
 |
 | Also designated as a National Scenic Byway |
|---|---|
 | Also designated as an All-American Road |
| § | Also designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway |
| Name | Length (mi) | Length (km) | Southern or western terminus | Northern or eastern terminus | Designated | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skagit Valley Agricultural Scenic Corridor | 18 | 29 | Starbird Road near Conway | Bow Hill Road near Bow | 2010 [22] | Follows I-5 through the Skagit Valley |
In addition to the state scenic highways system, several routes in Washington are designated as National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. [23]
A Pure Michigan Byway is the designation for a segment of the State Trunkline Highway System in the US state of Michigan that is a "scenic, recreational, or historic route that is representative of Michigan's natural and cultural heritage." The designation was created with the name Michigan Heritage Route by the state legislature on June 22, 1993, and since then six historic, seven recreational and seven scenic byways have been designated by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and another two have been proposed. These byways have been designated in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the state. The current name was adopted on December 30, 2014, and it references the Pure Michigan tourism marketing campaign.
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often less-traveled roads and promote tourism and economic development. The National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
State Route 20 (SR 20), also known as the North Cascades Highway, is a state highway that traverses the U.S. state of Washington. It is the state's longest highway, traveling 436 miles (702 km) across the northern areas of Washington, from U.S. Route 101 (US 101) at Discovery Bay on the Olympic Peninsula to US 2 near the Idaho state border in Newport. The highway travels across Whidbey Island, North Cascades National Park, the Okanagan Highland, the Kettle River Range, and the Selkirk Mountains. SR 20 connects several major north–south state highways, including Interstate 5 (I-5) in Burlington, US 97 through the Okanogan–Omak area, SR 21 in Republic, and US 395 from Kettle Falls to Colville.
State Route 410 is a 107.44-mile (172.91 km) long state highway that traverses Pierce, King, and Yakima counties in the US state of Washington. It begins at an interchange with SR 167 in Sumner and travels southeast across the Cascade Range to a junction with U.S. Route 12 (US 12) in Naches. While the western part of SR 410 is a freeway that serves built-up, urban areas, the remainder of the route is a surface road that traverses mostly rural areas as it passes through the mountains.
State Route 4 (SR 4) is a 62.27-mile-long (100.21 km) state highway, serving the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Washington. The highway, also known as Ocean Beach Highway, travels east along the Columbia River from U.S. Route 101 (US 101) at Johnston's Landing through Pacific, Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties to an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Kelso. SR 4 is designated as part of the Lewis and Clark Trail Scenic Byway, a state scenic byway, as well as part of the National Highway System.
State Route 11 (SR 11) is a 21.28-mile (34.25 km) long state highway that serves Skagit and Whatcom counties in the U.S. state of Washington. SR 11, known as Chuckanut Drive, begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) north of Burlington and continues northwest through several small towns and the Chuckanut Mountains to the Fairhaven district of Bellingham, where the highway turns east and ends again at I-5.
State Route 202 (SR 202) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving part of the Seattle metropolitan area. It runs southeasterly for 31 miles (50 km) in the Eastside region of King County, connecting Woodinville, Redmond, Fall City, and North Bend. The highway begins at SR 522 in Woodinville, intersects SR 520 in Redmond and SR 203 in Fall City, and terminates at Interstate 90 (I-90) in North Bend. The entire highway is designated as the Cascade Valleys Scenic Byway, a state scenic and recreational highway.
State Route 17 (SR 17) is a 136.67-mile-long (219.95 km) state highway serving the Columbia Plateau in the central region of the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels through mostly rural areas of Franklin. Adams, Grant, Douglas, and Okanogan counties and is designated as part of the National Highway System between Mesa and Moses Lake and as the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway between Othello and Coulee City for passing through the Grand Coulee. SR 17 begins in Mesa at an interchange with U.S. Route 395 (US 395) and travels north and intersects SR 26 near Othello before entering Moses Lake, where the highway intersects Interstate 90 (I-90) and travels as a partial expressway. SR 17 continues north, intersecting SR 28 in Soap Lake, through the Grand Coulee to a short concurrency with US 2 west of Coulee City. The highway turns northwest and crosses the Columbia River on the Columbia River Bridge at Bridgeport before ending at US 97 in Brewster at the southwestern edge of the Colville Indian Reservation.
State Route 27 (SR 27) is a 90-mile-long (145 km) state highway serving Whitman and Spokane counties, located in the eastern region of the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels generally north from U.S. Route 195 (US 195) through Pullman, Palouse, Tekoa, and Spokane Valley to SR 290 north of an interchange with Interstate 90 (I-90). SR 27 serves the Palouse region as part of the Palouse Scenic Byway and travels between US 195 to the west and US 95 to the east in Idaho, with several auxiliary routes connecting to the two other highways.
The Arkansas Scenic Byways Program is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) as scenic highways. The Arkansas General Assembly designates routes for scenic byway status upon successful nomination. For a highway to be declared scenic, a group interested in preserving the scenic, cultural, recreational, and historic qualities of the route must be created. Mayors of all communities along the route and county judges from each affected county must be included in the organization. Scenic highways are marked with a circular shield in addition to regular route markers.
State Route 124 (SR 124) is a state highway in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. It spans 45 miles (72 km) from Burbank in the west to Waitsburg in the east, intersecting U.S. Route 12 (US 12) at both ends. The highway generally follows the Snake and Touchet rivers and intersects SR 125 near Prescott.
U.S. Route 2 (US 2) is a component of the United States Numbered Highway System that connects the city of Everett in the U.S. state of Washington to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with a separate segment that runs from Rouses Point, New York, to Houlton, Maine. Within Washington, the highway travels on a 326.36-mile-long (525.23 km) route that connects the western and eastern regions of the state as a part of the state highway system and the National Highway System. US 2 forms parts of two National Scenic Byways, the Stevens Pass Greenway from Monroe to Cashmere and the Coulee Corridor Scenic Byway near Coulee City, and an All-American Road named the International Selkirk Loop within Newport.
The Dinosaur Diamond is a 486-mile (782 km) scenic and historic byway loop through the dinosaur fossil laden Uinta Basin of the U.S. states of Utah and Colorado. The byway comprises the following two National Scenic Byways:
The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987.
The High Desert Discovery Scenic Byway is a 127-mile-long (204 km) scenic highway in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It runs through the state's high desert country from the town of Burns to the unincorporated community of Fields. It was designated as an Oregon Scenic Byway in 2003. The highway is maintained by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). There are a number of points of interest along the route including several that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Many roads and highways in the United States are labeled scenic byways for having exceptional scenic, historical, archaeological, natural, cultural, or recreational significance. These scenic routes are usually formally designated by national, state, or local agencies in recognition of these qualities, and many are also preserved or managed with special legislation and funding beyond what is required for ordinary road maintenance.
The Palouse Scenic Byway is a Washington State Scenic and Recreational Highway in Whitman County, Washington that follows seven different highways in the Palouse region:
The Cascade Loop Scenic Byway is a 440-mile-long (710 km) National Scenic Byway and Washington State Scenic and Recreational Highway encircling the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington. It follows eight different numbered highways:
