Washington State Route 821

State Route 821 marker
State Route 821
Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway
Map
SR 821 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-82
Maintained by WSDOT
Length25.21 mi[1] (40.57 km)
Existed1973–present
Tourist
routes
Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end I-82 / US 97 near Selah
Major intersections SR 823 near Selah
North end I-82 / US 97 near Ellensburg
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountiesYakima, Kittitas
Highway system
US 730 SR 823

State Route 821 (SR 821) is a state highway in central Washington state. It runs for 25 miles (40 km) through the Yakima Canyon, following the meandering Yakima River between Selah and Ellensburg. Both ends of the highway are at interchanges with Interstate 82 (I-82) and U.S. Route 97 (US 97).

SR 821 was established in 1973 on the old alignment of US 97, which usurped previous state roads that were part of the Inland Empire Highway. The Yakima Canyon road was constructed in 1924 by the state government to replace a gravel road over the mountains to the west and became popular with tourists. The highway was designated as the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway by the state government in 1967 and bypassed five years later by a section of I-82 running uphill to the east.

  1. ^ Multimodal Planning Division (January 3, 2018). State Highway Log Planning Report 2017, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 1674–1676. Retrieved August 11, 2018.