Hiking In Bellingham, WA

The City of Subdued Excitement

Hiking in Bellingham, WA is a popular and favorite exercise and sport around town! I absolutely love to hike.

Bellingham, WA is loaded with trails popular for hiking, biking, or running. Popular because of the beautiful scenary.

The Chuckanut Mountain Trails are my favorite. They were actually the first ones that challenged my husband and I after we moved up here. The 8,000 acres of land and trails are publicly owned and maintained by the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department. The Chuckanut mountain trails have many trailheads that lead to different areas and lakes. Most of them interact together along the way. You can be on one trail and find the option to get onto another trail. The hikes range from moderate to quite strenuous!

Go I-5 north or south to Highway 11, which is Chuckanut Drive. You will find the bay on one side and many trail heads posted along the way. The Oyster Dome Trail is right across from the Oyster Bar Restaurant at mile post 10.1.

The Interurban Trail is popular for walking, jogging, and cycling. My husband and I have rode it various times on our bikes. We rather enjoy the 3.1 miles (5 K) of trail down to the secluded Teddy Bear Cove beach area on the shores the bay.

The trail-heads are located at Fairhaven Parkway and 20th Street, at Highline Road, and Larrabee State Park off Chuckanut Drive.

Fragrance Lake is one of my personal favorites. I guess because it was our first "real hike" after moving up here. I've been up there 5 or 6 times since!

The Oyster Dome Trail being the most strenuous trail I've been on, but the most rewarding, too!

Hertz Trail and Lake Whatcom Trail's are in my neck of the woods. It's an easy 3.1 mile trail along the shores of Lake Whatcom. It, too, is wheelchair accessible. The trail-head begins at the end of North Shore Drive and meanders slowly along the shoreline of Lake Whatcom.

Lake Padden is a very popular hang out for cyclists, as well as walkers and runners. The 2.6 mile trail circles around the lake for an easy stroll. The lake also has a couple more challenging trails; great for equestrians and off-leash exercise for your dogs. Get off I-5 to the Lake Padden exit or off Samish Way going south.

The Stimpson Family Reserve Trail is quite simple, but a very unique 2.8 mile loop! This one is family friendly, but no pets, no horses or bikes allowed.

Whatcom Falls Park in the heart of Bellingham, has various and moderate trails, as well as a bunch of waterfalls to enjoy.

Galbraith Mountain is very popular,too. Galbraith is known, loved and mostly used by mountain bikers, but they are courteous to hikers as well. They say it is miles upon miles of the best hiking and mountain biking in the country! Galbraith Mountain is also known as by Lookout Mountain. The views on Galbraith are incredible and gives spectacular views of Bellingham Bay, The San Juan Islands, The Canadian Coastal Range, The North Cascades and the majestic Mt. Baker.

Access to Galbraith, learn the history of Lookout and the credit's for keeping up of the miles and miles of trails on the mountain go to WHIMPS, and check out their website.

These are all "just a few" of the trails you can go hiking in Bellingham, Washington. Most all of these trails are leashed-pet friendly and the proper disposal of waste is always encouraged if you take your dogs.

Before you go hiking in Bellingham, you may want to consider taking Wilderness Survival Gear with you if you don't know the area real well and plan to go all day or overnight. Get the quality survival gear you need - be prepared.

Do you need a map to go hiking in Bellingham? You can get one here from the Bellingham Parks Dept! Just scroll down our maps of Bellingham page and you can go in and download one from the parks department! Click here for hiking trail maps.

If you have gone on any of these trails while hiking in Bellingham, you can include your own experience, too, or come back here and tell us about your hiking experience on my bloggers page! We would love to read about your hiking experience!

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Check Your Foot Gear "Before" You Go Hiking In Bellingham

The weather in Bellingham is perfect for hiking year around in. However, if you are new to hiking it could be a mistake to buy hiking boots for the trip. Eric Seaborg, author of Hiking and Backpacking, recommends a sturdy pair of walking shoes instead. Avoid runniing shoes for they don't offer enough ankle support.

However, if you love the sport and plan to hike often, more than a couple times a year, buy a good pair of hiking boots or shoes. The heavier and more expensive hiking boots are worn by avid hiking enthusiasts who walk 8 to 10 miles at a time.

Reduce friction and blisters by layering your socks if you choose to wear boots. Wear a thin polyester liner sock to keep your skin dry. Then, cover that sock with a heavier padded sock made of acrylic, wool, or stretch nylon.

Always test your boots before buying them. The heel of your foot should not slip up and down more than half an inch walking upwards.

When walking downwards, your toes shouldn't slide forward and hit the front of the boot.

Always check to see if there is enough room to wiggle your toes. With the boot unlaced, there should be enough room to slip one finger behind the heel.

Great Places To Hike
Bellingham, WA

Heliotrope Ridge
Lake Ann
Ptarmagin Ridge
Skyline Divide
Yellow Aster Butte
Chain Lakes Loop
Cougar Divide
Damfino Lakes Trail
Fragrance Lake Trail
Stimpson Nature Preserve