Pup-friendly Shopping and Snacks - Rotary Trailhead to Fairhaven

I noticed recently that the Rotary Trailhead for the Interurban Trail has reopened. It was closed for a large portion of last year due to a big creek re-routing project. Now that it's reopened, I decided to go on one of my favorite walks with the dog.

The Interurban Trail stretches from Fairhaven all the way to Larrabee State Park, so the trail itself is quite long. From the Rotary Trailhead off Old Fairhaven Parkway though, it's only about a mile to Fairhaven. From there you can go west and take the Lower Padden Trails or north to a connector to South Bay Trail. Or you can just stop in Fairhaven and turn around to go home.

Parking is at the Rotary Trailhead, a well-marked parking lot on Old Fairhaven Parkway just west of 20th street.

Rotary Trailhead to Fairhaven

Bellingham Parks and Rec

Parking permit: none needed

Distance: 2 miles

The recent work was very evident. The pedestrian bridge has been replaced; the original was about 15 feet or so further east.

The work involved widening the culvert under Old Fairhaven Parkway. It was barely evident the creek ran through here before, as a segment of it was underground in this area..

Now, it's much more obvious.

Across the bridge you'll come to Julia Ave. Hang right to head toward Fairhaven.

More views of the recent work.

Looking back at the trailhead

This section of trail was closed in addition to the trailhead itself.

Away from the new work, you can see the old culverts that route the creek under the trail. I'm unsure if there are plans to do anything with these.

A sign points you toward Fairhaven Park (south) and Padden Creek Trails.

The trail takes you under 12th Street Bridge before you reach the streets of Fairhaven.

More culverts

Eventually you reach 10th street. You can go downhill to the Lower Padden Trails or you can go straight along 10th Street to run into the connection to South Bay Trail.

This is a great area to take a dog. The Lower Padden Trails lead to an off-leash dog park. South Bay Trail has a Woods Coffee shop with a walk-up window so you can get your caffeine fix with your pooch.

In Fairhaven itself, there is the Whatcom Humane Society shop as well as Village Books, a pet-friendly bookstore.

At the end of this block, on the corner of Mill and 11th, is the bookstore.

There is also Fairhaven Fish and Chips at the corner of Harris and 10th. It's the double-decker red bus. Pet's aren't allowed in the inside seating areas, but most of the space is outdoors so you can walk up with your pooch and grab a bite to eat. They also serve ice cream. They are open weird hours, but you can swing by and see if you can get your hands on some fried food.

In fact, after a quick errand to the bank, that's where we went on this walk. Ozzy waited rather impatiently as the food was prepared.

I barely got him to sit still for a pic.

Heading back, I took a detour through Fairhaven Park. There is a playground and waterpark here, as well as picnic shelters and lots of field space. This also could serve as an alternate trailhead, though if the parking at the rotary trailhead is full it likely means parking here is full, too.

They also have a stone labyrinth.

"It's for people who like walking around in circles", another walker told her friend as they went by. Of course, she made the comment because her friend had wondered aloud why I was walking in circles.

Oh yes, I went off the trail and walked it. I will always walk it, to the annoyance of anyone I am with.

Detail of the center, with pup

So that's my favorite Fairhaven-area walk. From the rotary trailhead to the fish and chips and back was about two miles, but I often will walk it all the way to Boulevard Park.

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.

A Walk in the Dog Park - Fairhaven Dog Park

So here's the latest news: I have to do a walk a week.

I haven't discussed it on this blog, but I'm going through a divorce. My husband left me, so I started to see a counselor. She has, among other things, prescribed me to walk a minimum of once a week. Specifically, she wants me to walk every trail in the city!

This bodes well for this blog, which I started after I picked up a Whatcom County hiking guide and was disappointed in it and felt I could do better (and then started posting about hikes in other counties).

Last week I walked between Zuanich Point Park and Tom Glenn Commons, which I've already written about before. So this week I decided to go on a short walk someplace that's normally out of my way. It was a short walk, just over a mile, to the Fairhaven Dog Park. This is a nice local dog park where you can let your pooch roam off-leash.

There's parking on 4th street to get to the well-marked trailhead.

Fairhaven Dog Park

Bellingham Parks & Recreation

Parking permit: none needed

Distance: 1.3 miles

Elevation gain: none

There's not much to this little place. From the parking, you quickly enter the off-leash zone. It's a short trail to the main park area.

The dog is enjoying the off-leash adventure

There's a decent sized field where the trail loops around. It's a great place to play fetch and run your dogs if they are into that sort of thing. We saw a handful of other dogs throughout our venture.

The park and trail run past the wastewater treatment plant. Fortunately it's not to odorous.

The dog doesn't care for big fields. He feels sticking to the path is what is proper.

Fall color is still lingering.

There's a lagoon with bird watching opportunities past the off-leash part.

Wastewater treatment tanks

The lagoon is a nesting spot for great blue herons. We didn't see any today though. Just seagulls and crows.

The trail ends in the employee parking lot for the wastewater treatment plant. From here you can take paths and walk along the ferry terminal docks. I just turned around and headed back.

At the trailhead, I crossed the street and took a short jaunt down the trail that leads toward Fairhaven park. These trails connect with South Bay Trail and the Interurban Trail, so you can extend the walk pretty much as far as you like.

I didn't venture far; I just wanted to see the area I had done some volunteer work in for Earth Day several years back. I don't come down here much.

Some recent trail work.

I found some of the trees I helped plant. They seem to be doing well!

I helped plant this.

On my return trip I found one of the historical markers that dot the Fairhaven area.

The QR code was not linking to an active listing, unfortunately. I don't know if they stopped the QR program or if it's just a temporary glitch. Someday I want to blog a walking tour and include all the markers, but that's a time-consuming ordeal I haven't taken on yet. Some appropriately dreary day I will do it, though.

That's all I have for now. I'll have another walk for next week though, or else I'm in trouble with my therapist.