In Conversation: The Importance of Highway 2

Local business owners and community leaders discuss the importance of Highway 2 for the communities that live along its majestic contours.

In December 2025, record flooding hit the Skykomish River Valley. The ensuing closure of Highway 2 impacted the communities along the highway, including many small businesses. The highway is now open, and the local businesses and residents in the Sky Valley — Snohomish, Monroe, Sultan, Gold Bar, Startup, Index, and Skykomish — are coming back stronger than ever.

In early January 2026, we visited some local businesses and community leaders to learn about the resilience of their communities and the many reasons Highway 2 is vital to the Sky Valley economy.

Beth Thorpe - Owner, Tree Line Vacation Rentals (Gold Bar)

Highway 2 is the lifeline. This is the only way we're connected to each other, our community, with the valley. It's the only way travelers can be connected to everything that we have to offer. Without it, none of us would be here. So, it's crucial.

Josh Soult - Owner/Chef, Lewis & Main (Monroe)

So the importance of highway two is massive, to get the extra money from the Seattleites that travel to Leavenworth from here, or even the Everett people that come that way, or anybody that's coming from the northern part of I-5. You have some great farms out here and it, it really does need some world class look-at; it's some good stuff. I think it's great. I think the more people, the merrier, to an extent. Let's develop together and let's move the town forward together.

Debbie Copple - Director, Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce (Sultan)

Highway 2 is the lifeblood of our businesses. But right now, what you could do to help us the most is just take a trip. Come on out, have a coffee, get a meal, spend the night, do a little gift shopping. The bookstore's open, the gift shop's open. The ski hill is open.

City of Monroe Mayor Patsy Cuddaback

Monroe is a base camp on the way to adventure. It’s on the way to the eastern part of the state for hiking and skiing. Monroe is a perfect place to stop before you head over the mountains...With Highway 2 being open earlier than expected, we want people to come back. We want people to know Monroe is not just a place to pass through, but a destination.

Pictured: Executive Somers (left) and Mayor Cudaback (right) with Josh Soult (center), owner and chef of Lewis & Main in Historic Downtown Monroe.
Stevens Pass Snowboard Shop

Bo & Christie Price, Tony Richards - Owners, Stevens Pass Snowboard Shop (Gold Bar)

Bo: I've been here since 1999. Flooding was something that kind of came out of nowhere. We didn't really plan on it. We've had flooding in the past, but nothing that's undermined the highway like that. So when that happened, (it) just takes the wind out of you.

Christie: We have guys that depend on us and they're raising families.

Tony: (The flooding) definitely affected the business and affected all businesses around here. Without the highway open or even access to the mountain for the people that are going to snowboard, we wouldn't operate. It's those people that keep (our) doors open.

Pictured: Tony Richards (left) and Bo Price (right)

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers

This part of the world is just gorgeous. It's beautiful. It's really striking how beautiful and wonderful the nature is here. Our small towns too. They’re all different and they're all amazing. There are lots of opportunities here...we really want people to come out to Monroe and the Sky Valley. It’s important to understand that supporting the small businesses here puts that money into the community. We want visitors and people in Snohomish County to know that cities like Monroe are open for business.

Pictured: Mayor Cudaback (left, foreground) and Executive Somers (left, background) chatting it up with Main Street Books Monroe owner, Emily Newman (right), and the store's cat, Miranda.

The Sky Valley is open and ready for visitors like you. To learn more, visit discoversnohomishcounty.com/highway2campaign

Nick Shekeryk

Nick Shekeryk

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