SR 542 travels east as the Mount Baker Highway from an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Bellingham through the Nooksack River valley to the Mt.

[6][7] The Mount Baker Highway continues through Austin Pass and ends at Artist Point, located at 5,210 feet (1,588.01 m) above sea level on Kulshan Ridge.

[10][11][12] The eastern terminus of SR 542, at Artist Point on Kulshan Ridge, is only open in the summer between July and October due to extreme weather conditions.

[13][14][15] The Mount Baker Highway was constructed by Whatcom County in 1893 as a wagon road traveling northeast from Bellingham along the Nooksack River through Deming and Kendall to Maple Falls.

[22][23][24] The highway was closed seasonally between Glacier and Artist Point until the filming of The Call of the Wild in 1934 and 1935 prompted interest in the Mount Baker area.

[32][33] A rock wall collapse on October 12, 2020, closed access to the Artist Point section of SR 542 for ten months while repairs were made.