Route Description
SR 20 begins at a wye-junction in Discovery Bay, Washington at U.S. Route 101 and goes north to Port Townsend. Just prior to entering the city, it connects to the northern terminus of SR-19. SR 20 then travels through the modern section Port Townsend to the ferry terminal at the Southern edge of historic downtown Port Townsend. The route then travels via the Port Townsend-Keystone route of the Washington State Ferries to Keystone on Whidbey Island.
Once on Whidbey Island SR 20 travels eastward along former tidal flats between Admiralty Inlet and Crocket Lake to the Northern Terminus of SR-525. The route turns north, supplanting SR 525, and travels through Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve to the town of Coupeville. While traveling near Coupeville, eastbound lanes are traveling westward, and vice-versa, often causing confusion when directing tourists. The route continues west to Fort Ebey, then travels along the western shore of Penn Cove, through the former town of San De Fuca, before turning northward to Oak Harbor. Once in Oak Harbor, SR-20 follows the route of Pioneer Way to its intersection with Oak Harbor St., at which point SR-20 turns onto Oak Harbor St. After less than one mile, SR-20 veers off of Oak Harbor St. onto its own right of way that it follows out of Oak Harbor. The route again travels in the wrong direction along the northern border with Whidbey Island NAS, in order to avoid the station's runways. The route then enters Deception Pass State Park and travels over Deception Pass and Canoe Pass over the Deception Pass Bridge (and Canoe Pass Bridge), to Fidalgo Island.
The route weaves through the rocky landscape of Fidalgo Island to Sharpes Corner, on the outskirts of Anacortes, where it meets the eastern terminus of SR 20 Spur, a four-lane expressway. SR 20 turns east onto the expressway, traveling though the Swinomish Reservation, over the former tidal flats of the Skagit Valley. It intersects SR 536 of which the route supplanted to this point. SR 20 veers slightly northward along a new portion of expressway, completed in 2009, which it follows to Burlington, where it intersects I-5. As SR 20 follows the city's streets to avoid downtown, it gains its nickname of "The North Cascades Highway". SR 20 follows a former railroad grade to Sedro-Woolley, where it is again routed around the downtown, and is overlaid with SR 9. On the north side of Sedro-Woolley, SR 9 departs the route, and SR 20 begins the slow climb through the Cascade Mountains to Washington Pass, via Concrete and the northern/eastern terminus of SR 530.
SR 20 travels through the cities of Winthrop and Twisp as it travels down the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains. Just south of Twisp, SR 20 meets SR 153, before turning eastward to Okanogan. Just south of Okanogan, SR 20 is overlaid with US 97. SR 20 stays with US 97 to the city of Tonasket, where it continues its eastward journey.
The Sherman Pass Scenic Byway portion of SR 20 begins at Republic, and extends 40 miles (64.4 km) east across the mountainous Kettle River Range, Colville National Forest, and the Columbia River to Kettle Falls. The scenic byway reaches Sherman Pass (el. 5575 ft/1699 m) – the highest mountain pass open all-year in Washington state – 18 miles east of Republic. The highway continues through Colville before reaching its final destination of Newport as US 2 approximately 1000 ft (330 m) from the Washington/Idaho State Line.
Read more about this topic: Washington State Route 20
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