Tracking the train tracks - South Bay Trail

South Bay Trail is a popular pedestrian connector between Downtown Bellingham and the Historic Fairhaven District. The trail runs along old railroad grade, making it a level and easy walk. It's highly popular with joggers and cyclists as well.

Safety Note: This trail crosses active railroad tracks. Listen and look for trains and use common sense when crossing!

South Bay Trail
Bellingham Parks & Recreation
Parking permit: None needed
Distance: 2 miles one-way

Truthfully, I started this hike by parking in the turnouts off of State Street, which is in the middle of the trail. You can find parking there and in Boulevard Park, or at the south end near the Chrysalis Inn on 10th St. I'll try and arrange my guide from south to north, but first a few photos near where I parked at the turn-outs:

I don't recall the name of this sculpture, but I know it was there when I lived in Bellingham the first time when I was like 4 years old, so it's been here a while:

This was an old....pottery works, maybe? I forget exactly.

And lastly, looking down into Boulevard Park. We'll come back here in a bit.

We'll start at the Chrysalis Inn. If you're here on lunch, their restaurant, Keenan's, is not altogether absurdly priced. I ate there once and had an apple-and-brie sandwich with cucumber gazpacho soup, which on a hot summer day was divine.

But, I digress. Our trail starts at the dock at the intersection of 10th St and Taylor Ave. Here, you can overlook the harbor at Fairhaven.

Scenic

You can see Lummi Island, as well as the flat Eliza Island a bit closer. There is also Portage Island and the Lummi Reservation visible across the bay.

Fun fact: the fence is curved at the top there to prevent people from climbing over and throwing themselves onto the tracks below. That's...that's a "fun" fact, right?

The grade is steep, so regular landings allow people in wheelchairs and people pushing heavy strollers to stop for breaks.

The dock turns and follows the shore northward. At the end is a small beach that's pretty decent for kids to play on.

Back on land, someone decorated the path with festive baubles for the holiday season!

Another small bridge takes you into the main part of Boulevard Park, where you can stop for a warm drink at Wood's Coffee. They even have a walk-up window so if you have a pup with you (as I usually do), you can still get your caffeine fix!

One thing about being on the waterfront this close to Fairhaven is that you get plenty of artists. Often someone will be painting or playing music. I passed a guitarist who did an amazing cover of Alex Clare's "Too Close". Unfortunately I didn't have any cash on me to drop in the beckoning hat he had laid out on the ground.

He had serious talent, though

Note to buskers: Square credit card readers are a thing; get on it!

You can see the coffee shop poking out there on the point of land. It's the most scenic coffeehouse in town, in my opinion. Good luck finding a place to sit inside on a busy day though; it's regularly packed, especially on a cold day like this was.

Most of the shoreline is rocky, but just past the coffee shop there's a bit of sandy beach. This was actually artificially installed within the last couple years. Another great place to take the kids!

The north end of the park has a small stage where free concerts are periodically held in the summer. On this day, a lone musician was bellowing away on a didgeridoo.

There is also a stair bridge that leads over the tracks. If you parked on the turn-outs off of State St (as I did), this is your best way between the parking up there and the park.

I saw three cormorants, a blue heron, and a seagull just chilling on some pilings at the north end of the park. The dock here is blocked off for safety reasons; future goals involve putting in a boardwalk here that will run to a planned park at the end of Cornwall Ave.

At the end of the park, cross the tracks and continue along South Bay Trail. There is a gate arm and lights that were installed after a few pedestrians got mowed down by trains. Still, use caution when crossing!

The trail more or less follows the tracks into downtown.

Tugboat towing a floating crane piqued my interest.

There are a few historical markers along the trail, including this one marking where the old towns of Fairhaven and Whatcom once joined. (Modern-day Bellingham is a fusion of 4 old towns: Bellingham, Sehome, Whatcom, and Fairhaven.)

I found more festive decorations here!

From the trail, you can see a bit of the landfill at the end of Cornwall Ave. This is the planned site of the future park. They are working on cleaning up the landfill and the nearby defunct Georgia-Pacific mill with the goal of creating a new park and commercial space.

The trail crosses Wharf Street as it heads into downtown. An old train wheel marks where the trail crosses over an old train trestle.

The Hub Bike Shop and The Wailing Goat Espresso stand mark the end of the trail. You won't miss it. The bike shop is part functional shop, part art exhibit.

The trail ends in an alley about a block from the Bellingham Farmer's Market and the main downtown core, though today a few cars were blocking said alley. It was getting late for me so I turned around here.

South Bay Trail blends well into the rest of the urban trail network. On the south end near Chrysalis Inn, a gravel path leads you into Fairhaven and connects with the Interurban Trail. On the north end, it is an easy walk to Maritime Heritage Park and the Whatcom Creek trails.