U.S. Route 101 in Washington
section of U.S. Numbered Highway in Washington (state), United States

U.S. Route 101 (US 101) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs along the West Coast from Los Angeles, California to Tumwater, Washington. Within the state of Washington, US 101 connects cities on the coast of the Pacific Ocean and encircles the Olympic Peninsula around the Olympic Mountains. It also serves as the main access for Olympic National Park, several state parks, and other scenic and recreational areas.
The highway enters from Oregon on the Astoria–Megler Bridge over the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon. From there, it runs for 366 miles (589 km) north through Ilwaco, Raymond, Aberdeen, Hoquiam, and Forks before turning east towards Port Angeles. US 101 turns south near Discovery Bay and continues along the Hood Canal through Shelton towards Olympia, where it becomes a freeway and terminates at Interstate 5 (I-5) in Tumwater.
Route description
US 101 is the westernmost route of the United States Numbered Highway System, traveling along the Pacific Coast from Los Angeles, California, to Oregon and Washington. Its northern terminus is in Tumwater, Washington, but its northernmost point is in Port Angeles. A section of the highway in Clallam County is signed east–west, while the rest is north–south, albeit turned around 180 degrees on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula. US 101 is designated as part of two state scenic highways: the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, which covers the entire route within Washington; and part of the Lewis and Clark Trail, which travels along the Columbia and Snake rivers.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “U.S. Route 101 in Washington” is section of U.S. Numbered Highway in Washington (state), United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Route, Washington and section, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “section of U.S. Numbered Highway in Washington (state), United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 11, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q833064. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “U.S. Route 101 in Washington”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow U.S. Route 101 in Washington primary sources, U.S. Route 101 in Washington archive and Route research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “U.S. Route 101 in Washington”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “U.S. Route 101 in Washington” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.