A Lazy "Hike" - Whatcom Falls Park

What can I say? I'm swamped! Hopefully I'll have something more substantial next week. Until then, it's another urban "hike" in Whatcom Falls Park.

Whatcom Falls Park has a lot of trail, and you can mix and match paths to create dozens of different routes. This one is a bit over a mile and a half and takes you down a quiet corner of the park that I wanted to share.

Whatcom Falls Park

Bellingham Parks & Rec

Parking Permit: none needed

Distance: 1.65 mi

Elevation gain: minimal

I parked in the lower lot down Silver Beach Road. You can start by hiking to the stone bridge by the falls; just follow the sound of the water.

Unfortunately, recent drought conditions have left the falls a bit less than impressive...

Behold!

 I think this was the lowest I've ever seen the falls flow!

Continue on the main trail to the right. There are a few smaller falls that right now are just trickles of water. Lots of kids were swimming by them. A year or two ago, a guy drowned when he went over one of the small falls and the current pulled him and pinned him under. They always stress that swimming is dangerous in the creek. Right now there isn't much current to worry about though, just low water levels.

A set of stairs provide the only elevation you have to worry about.

At the top you'll hang a right on Whatcom Creek Trail. If you're here in the morning, keep an eye on the canopy, especially the knotty-looking fir at the next trail junction. There's a resident pair of owls that like to observe walkers around here.

Eventually you'll reach a funky 5-way junction. The shallow-right that's blocked off with a large rock leads to a somewhat interesting overlook, and the leftmost path is the continuation of the main trail.

Here's the overlook. The rock blocking the path is to prevent wayward cyclists from speeding too quickly this way, as it comes to an abrupt end.

Back in the day, there was a mill at what is now Bloedel Donovan Park. Timber was harvested from the hills around the lake, floated to the mill, processed, and then taken by rail to the waterfront via these tracks.

Eventually you'll reach a big junction. Left takes you on Railroad Trail which follows the aforementioned tracks. You can take it to Alabama Hill, down to Barkley Village, and through town all the way out to Memorial Park if you are ambitious enough. Most people walking will turn right to start looping back toward the parking lot. I go straight and follow the sign to Scudder Pond though for a quieter, less-traveled loop.

Pup sniffing the trail marker and considering making his own trail marker.

Head down until you see an unsigned-but-official looking trail to the right. If you can see the pond, you passed it (though you're still on a nice walk).

The trail will narrow and close in a bit, but there are few people that wander this way.

The baseboards of this little lookout are often underwater. It has been dry lately. The lake is at levels normally not seen until September; the heat has been evaporating the water that quickly.

There's a house on the pond with a stone chimney-looking thing; it's actually a bell tower and I want a house with a bell tower so bad -- this is an actual thing this house has!

White house has a bell tower!

 There are a lot of blackberries in the park, but it's so busy they're usually picked clean. The Scudder Pond Loop often has plenty, though!

You only actually get small glimpses of the pond. Most of the brush is packed in around you. It gives you shade and quiet, though.

You can also get a close look at the dam that maintains Lake Whatcom's water level and the flow through Whatcom Creek.

Back at the main trail, take a left on Railroad Trail and go across the bridge to take you back across the creek.

You can get another view of the dam, too.

Left takes you to Bloedel Donovan Park. There isn't much for trails there; it has a playground, swimming area, and boat launch. I go right instead to go back to the parking lot.

You'll past the other end of the train trestle.

The creek will slow and widen and become Derby Pond. It's a nice place to fish for kids. It's also good for feeding the ducks, though it was so hot out that only a couple were out.

The trail merges with a paved road. Going left will take you uphill to the upper parking lot off Electric Ave, which is an alternative starting point. Right leads you back to the lower lot.

There are some private residences here inside the park; I am not sure how they get their vehicles in and out since the road is blocked with locked barriers to non-park vehicles. Conceivably though, you could live here. I'm not sure why you'd want to, but you could.

There's also a fish hatchery that raises varieties of trout and other freshwater fish just off the parking lot.

I don't know what happened to this tank, but there were a lot of dead fish floating around in there....

They were just practicing their backstroke?

Fortunately the other tanks that had fish in them seemed to be in better shape.

And that's it. I'm busy with internships. I'll get around to a real hike sometime. But until my schedule opens up, this is what you get to deal with.