Washington State Route 821

File:WA 821.jpg

SR 821 begins at an interchange with I-82, co-signed with US 97, northeast of Selah in northern Yakima County. The interchange also includes a connection to Firing Center Road, which continues east into the Yakima Training Center, a military installation that spans the mountainous area between Yakima and the Columbia River.{{cite web |date=July 2015 |title=Yakima County Community Wildfire Protection Plan |pages=82–83 |url=https://www.dnr.wa.gov/publications/rp_burn_cwpp_yakima_county.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Natural Resources |access-date=August 12, 2018}}{{cite web |date=March 29, 2018 |title=Corridor Sketch Summary – SR 821: I-82 Jct (Selah) to I-82 Jct (Ellensburg) |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2017/11/09/CSS371-SR821-i82JctSelah-i82JctEllensburg.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=August 12, 2018}} SR 821 makes a 90-degree turn to the northeast and intersects the northern terminus of SR 823, a short highway that travels south into downtown Selah. The highway continues north through farms near the community of Pomona and passes the Sundown M Ranch substance abuse treatment center near the mouth of Selah Creek at the Yakima River.{{cite news |last=Ferolito |first=Phil |date=February 27, 2018 |title=For 50 years, Sundown M Ranch has been helping people battle addictions |url=http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/lower_valley/for-years-sundown-m-ranch-has-been-helping-people-battle/article_e71e8f7a-1c53-11e8-b3b8-ffa756b5a388.html |work=Yakima Herald-Republic |access-date=August 12, 2018}} It then travels into the narrow Yakima River Canyon to the east of BNSF Railway's Yakima Valley Subdivision, which forms part of the main east–west railroad across south central Washington.{{google maps |title=State Route 821 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/46.6772254,-120.4801786/46.9262199,-120.4972259/@46.8018544,-120.6152183,11z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m9!4m8!1m5!3m4!1m2!1d-120.4614807!2d46.848605!3s0x5499e901443edddb:0xa6d9b74d41aa05a9!1m0!3e0 |access-date=August 12, 2018}}{{cite web |date=May 2006 |title=Statewide Rail Capacity and System Needs Study: Task 1.1.A – Washington State's Freight Rail System |page=8 |url=https://wstc.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Rail-TM1-1-A-WashStateFreightRailsys.pdf |publisher=Washington State Transportation Commission |access-date=August 12, 2018}}

Near the south end of the Yakima River Canyon, which cuts across the Umtanum Ridge, SR 821 crosses into Kittitas County. The two-lane highway generally runs along the bottom of the canyon, to the east of the river and railroad and paralleled to the east by I-82. At its south end, the highway passes downhill from an earlier alignment that was tunneled under a section of the ridge.{{cite news |last=Meyers |first=Donald W. |date=August 11, 2017 |title=Road cut through Yakima River Canyon improves travel |url=http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/it-happened-here-road-cut-through-yakima-river-canyon-improves/article_112f0a56-7e34-11e7-bdd4-d3e413b6d1db.html |work=Yakima Herald-Republic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811163108/http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/it-happened-here-road-cut-through-yakima-river-canyon-improves/article_112f0a56-7e34-11e7-bdd4-d3e413b6d1db.html |archive-date=August 11, 2017 |access-date=August 12, 2018}} At Roza Dam, the railroad crosses over to the west side of the river while SR 821 stays uphill from the river, cutting through part of the ridge. The highway continues north, following the cliffs along the meandering river and opposite the railroad and the Wenas Wildlife Area to the west.{{cite map |date=May 1, 2018 |title=Wenas Cooperative Road Management Area Map |url=https://www.dnr.wa.gov/geo/wenas.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Natural Resources |access-date=August 12, 2018}} It passes through {{convert|9,000|acre|ha}} of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management, which includes several campgrounds, boat launches, and four recreational areas.{{cite web |title=Yakima River Canyon Campgrounds |url=https://www.blm.gov/visit/yakima-river-canyon-campgrounds |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=August 12, 2018}}{{cite news |last=Engstrom |first=Tim |date=May 25, 2004 |title=The Bridges of Kittitas County: Umtanum footbridge |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/the-bridges-of-kittitas-county-umtanum-footbridgecrossing-was-revamped-in/article_4fdabdd1-895b-5188-b8b1-a6cde146cd01.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 12, 2018}}{{cite web |date=July 2018 |title=Washington State's Scenic Byways & Road Trips |pages=86–87 |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2018/07/17/scenic-byways-travel-planner.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=August 14, 2018 |archive-date=July 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715195433/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2018/07/17/scenic-byways-travel-planner.pdf |url-status=dead }} The area also has several cattle ranches and farms centered around the Burbank Valley.{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Mike |date=January 30, 2012 |title=Eaton family cattle drive offers glimpse into Old West |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/top_story/eaton-family-cattle-drive-offers-glimpse-into-old-west/article_46f7e8e0-4b83-11e1-a80f-0019bb2963f4.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 12, 2018}} Midway through the valley, SR 821 passes the Canyon River Ranch, an isolated rest area with shops, restaurants, and cabins that is planned to grow into a resort.{{cite news |last=Gallagher |first=Michael |date=June 12, 2014 |title=Canyon River Ranch providing scenery, meals and music |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/business/canyon-river-ranch-providing-scenery-meals-and-music/article_7cf580e8-f265-11e3-8604-001a4bcf887a.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 12, 2018}}{{cite news |last=Holappa |first=Karl |date=May 10, 2018 |title=Developers continue plans for resort in Yakima River Canyon |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/business/developers-continue-plans-for-resort-in-yakima-river-canyon/article_e176ebe5-a041-5cf7-8957-7a681560d108.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 12, 2018}}

Further north of the ranch is the parking lot for the Umtanum Creek Recreation Area, with a network of hiking trails connected via a footbridge over the Yakima River.{{cite web |title=Yakima River Canyon |url=https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/spo_yakimarivercan_brochure.pdf |publisher=Bureau of Land Management |access-date=August 12, 2018}} After completing a series of hairpin turns along the narrowest section of the valley, SR 821 is rejoined by the railroad and enters the wide Kittitas Valley near several vineyards. The highway turns east at Helen McCabe State Park onto Thrall Road and crosses Wilson Creek before terminating at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-82 and US 97.{{cite web |date=October 25, 2007 |title=SR 82 – Exit 3: Junction SR 821/Thrall Road |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR082/082X003.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=August 12, 2018}} From the junction, Canyon Road continues north along the railroad to an interchange with I-90 and into downtown Ellensburg.

SR 821 is designated as the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway by the state government, recognizing its natural beauty and recreational opportunities. The byway is visited by 1.1 million drivers annually, of which a third visit recreational areas and campgrounds along the route.{{cite news |last=Moreno |first=Julia |date=August 20, 2016 |title=Tourism in Yakima River Canyon increased |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/ellensburg/tourism-in-yakima-river-canyon-increased/article_100c9990-cfb8-58fb-a39e-fbc1ab387d9b.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 14, 2018}} The canyon was formed approximately 10 million years ago through the erosion of rocks formed by basalt lava flows.{{cite web |year=2014 |title=Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/F30675D8-67A8-4785-AB16-42D0D71B815E/0/YakRivCanyonScenicBywayPlan_2014.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=August 12, 2018}} The byway passes through shrub-steppe habitats that are home to trout, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and a variety of visiting or permanent bird species. An interpretive center for the byway was planned to be constructed at Helen McCabe State Park at the north entrance of the byway, using funding from the county government and the Federal Highway Administration, but was cancelled in 2015.{{cite news |last=Klauss |first=Nicole |date=February 21, 2014 |title=Funding for interpretive center at Helen McCabe State Park reviewed |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/members/funding-for-interpretive-center-at-helen-mccabe-state-park-reviewed/article_103d6e7c-9b2e-11e3-a089-0019bb2963f4.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 12, 2018}}{{cite news |date=March 18, 2015 |title=Kittitas County cancels Yakima River Canyon Center project, returns funds |url=https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/kittitas-county-cancels-yakima-river-canyon-center-project-returns-funds/article_9ef0e716-2400-5837-9d64-a25e43b1549b.html |work=Yakima Herald-Republic |access-date=August 12, 2018}}

SR 821 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on the state's highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic. The highway's daily vehicle counts range from a minimum of 1,100 vehicles at its northern terminus to a maximum of 5,100 at its southern terminus.{{cite report |year=2017 |title=2016 Annual Traffic Report |page=214 |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/pdf/Annual_Traffic_Report_2016.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=August 12, 2018 |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812180326/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/pdf/Annual_Traffic_Report_2016.pdf |url-status=dead }} SR 821 generally consists of two lanes with a width of {{convert|11|ft|m}}, with occasional shoulders, and a posted speed limit of {{convert|50|mph|kph}}. Sections of the highway are closed for day-long events that are held annually, including a cattle drive in January or February,{{cite news |last=Bemis |first=Shanai |date=February 12, 2018 |title=Annual cattle drive moves cows through Yakima Canyon |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/annual-cattle-drive-moves-cows-through-yakima-canyon/article_bc49ca78-ca95-5305-9a32-a434e9d43706.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 16, 2018}} a marathon and bicycle tour in the spring, and a heritage tractor run in the summer.{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Mike |date=September 11, 2008 |title=Old farming ways come to life this weekend in Ellensburg |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/old-farming-ways-come-to-life-this-weekend-in-ellensburg/article_bf131eba-0108-5f62-b26c-0b4111a44206.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 17, 2018}}

File:Yakima River Canyon highway paved in 1924 Washington State.jpg after concrete paving in 1924]]

The Yakima River Canyon was historically avoided by Native Americans and later American settlers, who preferred wagon trails along nearby ridges and creeks.{{rp|42}} One of the main routes across the Umtanum Ridge was a toll road constructed in the 1880s by Jacob Durr through the Wenas Valley and Shushuskin Canyon, west of the canyon route. The toll road was bypassed by the Northern Pacific Railway in 1885, using a route along the west side of the river that was rejected for road construction due to a lack of space.{{cite map |year=1901 |title=Washington |pages=410–411 |work=Cram's Standard American Railway System Atlas of the World |publisher=George F. Cram Company |oclc=58932862 |url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~213320~5500961 |via=David Rumsey Historical Map Collection |access-date=August 13, 2018}}

A road link between Ellensburg and Yakima remained a priority for the state government, who appropriated funds in 1909 to survey the area for a potential state highway.{{cite book |date=March 4, 1909 |title=Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1909 |chapter=Chapter 51: Providing for Survey of Certain State Roads |pages=94–96 |chapter-url=http://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1909c51.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date=July 3, 2018}} It was named as part of the planned Inland Empire Highway in 1913, forming a major trunk route through the Yakima Valley and Inland Northwest,{{cite news |date=May 31, 1912 |title=Good Roads Association Outlines Great Highways |page=3 |work=Kennewick Courier |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21019457/good_roads_trunk_highways/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=July 3, 2018}} and a route along the east side of the river was surveyed in the early 1920s by state highway engineers.

Construction on the graded highway, using a surface of crushed rocks, through the Yakima Canyon began in 1920 and was completed on September 12, 1924.{{cite news |date=August 15, 1924 |title=Yakima Canyon Road Is Nearly Completed |page=13 |work=The Seattle Times}} It cost approximately $1 million to construct (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|1000000|1924}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} and included several tunnels cut through the lava basalt cliffs using dynamite that were later abandoned.{{cite news |date=January 6, 1924 |title=Yakima Highway Is Wonder |page=4 |work=The Seattle Times}}{{cite book |date=October 1924 |title=Tenth Biennial Report of the State Highway Engineer |page=18 |publisher=Washington State Highway Commission |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dYPVAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA194 |via=Google Books |access-date=August 16, 2018}}{{cite news |date=January 1, 2000 |title=A Century in Yakima—Remembering 100 Years |page=A1 |work=Yakima Herald-Republic}} The highway was signed as part of State Road 3 and incorporated into the Yellowstone Trail, a national auto trail,{{cite map |year=1925 |title=Rand McNally Official 1925 Auto Trails Map of Washington and Oregon |scale=1:1,077,120 |publisher=Rand McNally |url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~2161~200067 |via=David Rumsey Historical Map Collection |access-date=August 13, 2018}} and later the federal numbered highway system created in 1926. Under the federal system, the Ellensburg–Yakima section formed part of US 97, the main north–south route through central Washington and Oregon.{{cite map |author1= Bureau of Public Roads |author2= American Association of State Highway Officials |date= November 11, 1926 |title= United States System of Highways Adopted for Uniform Marking by the American Association of State Highway Officials |url= https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_States_System_of_Highways_Adopted_for_Uniform_Marking_by_the_American_Association_of_State_Highway_Officials.jpg |scale= 1:7,000,000 |location= Washington, DC |publisher= United States Geological Survey |oclc= 32889555 |access-date= November 7, 2013 |via= Wikimedia Commons |name-list-style= amp}} The highway was paved with concrete in 1932 and renumbered as Primary State Highway 3 (PSH 3) in 1937.{{cite web |last=Kershner |first=Jim |date=October 9, 2013 |title=Inland Empire Highway |url=http://historylink.org/File/10644 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=August 13, 2018}} The canyon highway's tunnels were bypassed by a new alignment built closer to the river in 1963, after traffic volumes had outgrown the narrow tunnels.

I-82 was completed east of the canyon over Manastash Ridge in November 1971, bypassing the congested highway through the Yakima River Canyon.{{cite news |last=Foster |first=Barbara W. |date=November 21, 1971 |title=A new route to Yakima |page=12 |work=The Seattle Times}}{{cite news |last=Olds |first=Virginia |date=May 27, 1970 |title=I-82 crosses virgin country southward from Ellensburg |page=1 |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l2NOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MkwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7147%2C3429986 |via=Google News Archive |access-date=August 13, 2018}} The canyon route had been designated as the state's first scenic byway in 1967, following the enactment of the system,{{cite news |last=Garrett |first=Harold |date=November 1971 |title=Joint Development of the Yakima Canyon |pages=6–7 |work=Washington Highway News |publisher=Washington State Department of Highways |oclc=29654162 |url=https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll1/id/5860/ |via=WSDOT Library Digital Collections |access-date=September 7, 2018}} and was provisionally numbered and signed as State Route 821.{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Mike |date=March 26, 2011 |title=Sense of place: Yakima River Canyon |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/top_story/sense-of-place-yakima-river-canyon/article_ccdf0b7a-5730-11e0-876f-001cc4c002e0.html |work=The Daily Record |location=Ellensburg, Washington |access-date=August 14, 2018}}{{cite news |date=December 8, 1971 |title=Yakima Canyon Route Becomes Quiet, Scenic |page=35 |work=Tri-City Herald}} A lower speed limit of {{convert|45|mph|kph}} was also set on the highway to discourage use by trucks and encourage scenic touring.{{cite news |date=October 19, 1971 |title=New Name, Speed Limit For U.S. 97 |page=15 |work=The Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21207987/sr_821_designation/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=August 13, 2018}} In 1973, US 97 was rerouted onto I-82 between Ellensburg and Yakima, while the old alignment through the canyon became SR 821.{{cite book |date=April 25, 1973 |title=Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1973 1st extraordinary session |chapter=Chapter 151: State Highways—Route Designations |pages=1095–1098 |chapter-url=http://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1973ex1c151.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date=August 13, 2018}} Until the completion of the Thrall Road interchange in the 1980s, SR 821 continued further north to Tjossem Road, where it turned east and crossed I-82.{{cite map |year=1978 |title=Ellensburg South Quadrangle, Washington—Kittitas Co. |url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/Browse/WA/WA_Ellensburg%20South_241015_1958_24000.jpg |scale=1:24,000 |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=August 13, 2018}} The encroachment of residential development from the north forced the Bureau of Land Management and The Nature Conservancy to buy additional properties in the canyon for preservation in the 1990s.{{cite news |last=Herrington |first=Gregg |date=January 26, 1996 |title=Keeping a scenic byway looking good |page=A2 |work=The Columbian |location=Vancouver, Washington |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23351152.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817125013/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23351152.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |access-date=August 17, 2018}}

Beginning in 1996, the state government embarked on a targeted anti-drunk driving campaign along SR 821, which had been the site of over 115 collisions between 1992 and 1995, of which 25 were alcohol-related.{{cite news |last=Brandt |first=Aviva L. |date=May 26, 1996 |title=Crackdown on 'killer' highway |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19960526/2331426/crackdown-on-killer-highway----alcohol-related-crashes-high-in-yakima-canyon |access-date=August 13, 2018}} The first year of the campaign was hailed as a success, with two consecutive summer months without a recorded collision and 2,200 police stops for driving violations.{{cite news |date=September 24, 1996 |title=Dateline Washington |page=A3 |work=The Columbian |location=Vancouver, Washington |agency=Associated Press}} Eight separate sections of the highway were closed for several weeks in July 1998 due to rockslides and washouts brought by {{convert|3|in|cm}} of rainfall on July 3.{{cite news |last1=Rose |first1=Joseph |last2=Wasson |first2=David |date=July 4, 1998 |title=Wild weather wreaks havoc |work=Yakima Herald-Republic |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18478772.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817124913/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18478772.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |access-date=August 16, 2018}} The repair cost $750,000 and used funds from the Federal Highway Administration, acquired via an emergency proclamation signed by Governor Gary Locke.{{cite news |last=Lester |first=David |date=July 16, 1998 |title=Gov. Gary Locke signs emergency measure for road repair |work=Yakima Herald-Republic |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18478569.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817124920/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18478569.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |access-date=August 16, 2018}}{{cite news |date=July 31, 1998 |title=Yakima River Canyon beckons recreationalists |work=Yakima Herald-Republic |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18478305.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817124924/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-18478305.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |access-date=August 16, 2018}}

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{{Reflist}}

{{Attached KML}}

• [https://www.angelfire.com/wa2/hwysofwastate/sr821.html Highways of Washington State]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141018185828/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/LocalPrograms/ScenicByways/YakimaRiver.htm WSDOT: Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway]

{{State highways in Washington related to I-82}}

821

Category:Transportation in Kittitas County, Washington

Category:Transportation in Yakima County, Washington

821

Category:Yakima River

Category:U.S. Route 97