State Road 3 in1924: Tunnels You Must See in Yakima Valley

As the story goes, State Road 3, was the road between Ellensburg and Yakima. A much-needed access way.

The route was very mountainous so road crews had to blast tunnels to get through to the other side. The tunnels were cut into the basalt cliffs by using Dynamite and then the access road was later paved in the year 1932.

A new route was made when traffic got too heavy for the narrow tunnels.

There were many changes throughout the years to allow drivers better roadway access which led to what eventually became Interstate 82. This highway bypasses the Yakima River Canyon. (You can read the full details here)

'Today, SR 821 continues to provide a more leisurely and scenic route, hosts an abundant group of wintering Bald Eagles, and provides access to great fly fishing on the Yakima River. The tunnels of the old route fall further into disrepair and slowly are crumbling away.— at Yakima River Canyon.' According to Joshua Snyder.

Photographer Joshua Snyder captured some amazing photos and displayed them on his Facebook Post.

It appears some graffiti was done to some of the tunnel walls which is interesting but definitely deters from the natural beauty of the rock tunnels.

I find it interesting to see a bit of history from so long ago and imagine what things may have been like way back then.

It might be worth a road trip to go see it yourself. At any rate, I wanted to share the story of Joshua and the wonderful photos.

Tap the app chat feature on the Key mobile app and let me know if you have ever seen this old highway with your own eyes.