Groceries, Gas and Supplies on the Mt. Baker Highway
The last gas station on SR 542 closes Sundays, and there's no full grocery store past Bellingham. Here's what's actually open, mile by mile, and when.
The last gas station before the mountain is Maple Fuels–Shell in Maple Falls, at mile marker 28 on SR 542, and it is closed on Sundays. There is no full-size grocery store anywhere on the highway past Bellingham. The closest one to Glacier is 45 to 60 minutes back down the valley. Plan your fuel and food before you leave I-5.
Everything below is what's actually there, mile by mile, so you can build a stop into the drive instead of finding out the hard way at an empty pump.
What's on SR 542, mile by mile
| Location | Approx. mile marker | What's there | Hours (2025–26 season, verify before you go) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellingham | MP 0 | Full grocery chains, big-box stores, gas on every corner | Standard retail hours |
| Nugents Corner | ~MP 10 | Nugents Corner Market & Hardware | Hours not published; call ahead |
| Deming | ~MP 15 | Welcome Store (deli, liquor); Nooksack Market Center (cheapest gas on the corridor) | Welcome Store 6 a.m.–10 p.m. daily; Nooksack Market Center 6 a.m.–midnight |
| Kendall | ~MP 22 | Starvin' Sam's #15 Valero, with Hot Stuff Pizza | ~5 a.m.–11 p.m. |
| Maple Falls | ~MP 28 | Maple Fuels–Shell (last fuel), Crossroads Grocery, a laundromat, the Mt. Baker Visitor Center | Maple Fuels–Shell 6 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon–Sat, closed Sundays; Crossroads Grocery 7 a.m.–10 p.m. daily |
| Glacier | MP 34 | Graham's Store (small store with an ATM) | Store 8 a.m.–8 p.m. |
Past Glacier there is nothing. The highway continues another 18 miles to Artist Point with no services of any kind.
The one fact that changes how you should plan
If your trip lands on a Sunday and you're running low past Maple Falls, you have already passed your last chance to buy gas on this highway. Maple Fuels–Shell, at 7797 Silver Lake Rd, is the final fuel stop before the mountain, and it does not open on Sundays. There is no backup pump between there and the ski area. Fill up in Deming or Kendall if you're arriving on a Sunday, or top off the night before.
Nooksack Market Center in Deming, at 5048 Mt Baker Hwy, is generally the cheapest gas on the corridor, so it's worth the stop even if your tank isn't empty yet.
Where to actually do a grocery run
There is no supermarket-scale grocery store on SR 542 east of Bellingham. What exists instead is a string of small stores, each adequate for a top-up and none of them a substitute for a real shopping trip:
- Crossroads Grocery, 7802 Silver Lake Rd, Maple Falls — open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, the most complete option on the upper corridor.
- Welcome Store, 5565 Mt Baker Hwy, Deming — deli and liquor, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Graham's Store, 9989 Mt Baker Hwy, Glacier — small, but it has an ATM, and it's the only store in the last town before the mountain.
- Nugents Corner Market & Hardware, 3705 Mt Baker Hwy — useful if you're stopping early in the drive.
If you're staying in cabins near Maple Falls, the practical move is to do your main shopping in Bellingham before you turn onto SR 542, then treat Crossroads Grocery as your backup for anything you forgot — not your primary source for a week of meals. Our Maple Falls visitor's guide covers the rest of what's in town beyond the grocery run.
Everson, a short detour off the direct highway route, has Everson Market at 210 E Main St, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a deli, meat counter and bakery, plus Nooksack Valley Drug for a pharmacy. Some older listings still show this as Dodson's IGA; that store appears to have closed or rebranded, so call ahead if you're routing through Everson specifically for it.
Other stops worth knowing, even though they're not groceries
A few more corridor businesses are worth knowing about, even though none of them solves a grocery run:
- North Fork Brewery ("The Beer Shrine"), 6186 Mt Baker Hwy, Deming — a brewery, pizzeria and, unusually, a wedding chapel. It's a genuine local landmark and a reasonable place to eat on the way up if you left Bellingham without breakfast.
- Mt. Baker Visitor Center, 7509 Mt Baker Hwy, Maple Falls, (360) 599-1518 — public Wi-Fi and local information. Worth a stop if you need a signal to confirm a reservation or check road conditions before continuing up the highway, since coverage gets thin from here on.
- Starvin' Sam's in Kendall runs Hot Stuff Pizza out of the same building as the Valero station, so it doubles as a hot-food stop, not just a gas pump.
Liquor is worth planning for separately. The Welcome Store in Deming carries it alongside its deli counter, but selection on the corridor is limited — if you want something specific, buy it in Bellingham.
What Glacier itself does not have
Glacier is the last settlement before the ski area, and it is genuinely small. There is no pharmacy, no urgent care and no full grocery store in town. Graham's Store covers basics and has an ATM, but for anything beyond snacks, sunscreen or a forgotten toothbrush, you're looking at a 45- to 60-minute drive back to Bellingham. Guests who assume Glacier is a full-service town are usually the ones who end up making that drive at 8 p.m. Our Glacier visitor's guide covers what the town does have, in more detail than the grocery angle alone.
Deming, on the way up, is worth treating as more than a pass-through — our guide to Deming and Nugents Corner covers what else is worth stopping for there beyond the gas and grocery stops already mentioned above.
Two practical rules for a cabin trip
Buy perishables and anything specific — a particular cut of meat, a specialty ingredient, formula for a baby — in Bellingham. The stores on the corridor are convenience-format, not destination grocery stores, and their inventory reflects that.
Check your fuel gauge at Deming, not at Glacier. Kendall and Deming both have gas; past Maple Falls, you're committed until you're heading back down. That's roughly 30 miles with no fuel option once you leave the Maple Fuels–Shell lot, so a quarter tank at Maple Falls is a reasonable point to decide whether you actually need to stop.
Before you drive the corridor in shoulder season or winter, it's worth a quick check of WSDOT's real-time alerts for SR 542 — this stretch has had closures from storm damage in recent years, and a closed highway matters more than a closed grocery store. The Glacier Public Service Center, the joint USFS ranger station and visitor point in Glacier, is also worth calling at (360) 599-2714 if you need current conditions and can't get a signal to check online.
FAQ
Is there a Costco or Trader Joe's near Mt. Baker?
No. The nearest large-format grocery and warehouse stores are in Bellingham, 45 to 60 minutes from Glacier.
Can I buy propane or firewood on the highway?
No single stop on the corridor is a reliable source for either, so check with your cabin host directly rather than assuming a store along the way will have it.
Where's the closest pharmacy to Glacier?
Nooksack Valley Drug in Everson is the closest confirmed option; Bellingham has full pharmacy chains if that's out of your way.
Is Maple Falls or Glacier a better base for supplies?
Maple Falls, by a wide margin — it has both Crossroads Grocery and Maple Fuels–Shell, while Glacier has only Graham's Store.
What happens if I need fuel on a Sunday past Maple Falls?
There isn't a fix. Fuel up before Sunday, or before you reach Maple Falls, since Maple Fuels–Shell is closed that day and there's no other station beyond it.
Is there a liquor store on the highway?
The Welcome Store in Deming sells liquor alongside its deli. Selection is limited compared to Bellingham, so buy anything specific before you head up the corridor.
Written by the team at Stay at Mt Baker, who manage cabins in Glacier, Maple Falls, Mt. Baker Rim, Glacier Springs, Snowline, Snowater and Silver Lake. Last checked: August 2026.