WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – A seasonal closure in Whatcom County was announced earlier on Wednesday morning with little warning.

WSDOT closed the last 2.7 miles of SR 542, or the Mount Baker Highway, at 10:30 a.m. today.

The announcement signals the end of road access to Artist Point, a popular hiking spot and lookout during the warmer months.

This comes as seasonal closure that occurs usually sometime in the autumn as the first mountain snow begins to fall.

Last weekend saw the first winter snows roll into the North Cascades, when the National Weather Service predicted up to 12 inches of snow falling on Mount Baker.

The final stretch of the Mount Baker Highway will not reopen until likely June if weather patterns follow previous trends.