Whatcom Falls Park
Markus posing in front of Whatcom Falls at Whatcom Falls Park
About Whatcom Falls Park
Type: Trail
Length: 1 km
Traffic: Low to Moderate
Route Type: Loop
Markus standing in front of the beautiful stone bridge at Whatcom Falls Park
On a recent trip into Washington, we were recommended to take a scenic route to Lake Whatcom. Instead of going straight down the I-5 from Vancouver, we would curl into Bellingham and then go south along Lake Whatcom. We figured that we needed to make a stop for Markus anyways, so we scheduled one before the lake (since houses are built along the lake, there are little to no places to stop) and ended up at Whatcom Falls Park.
Our time at Whatcom Falls Park was short, but it was also a pleasant one. Not having driven too far off of the main city of Bellingham, the park was full of surprises. The main attraction of Whatcom Falls Park is, you guessed it, a waterfall. Though it's not the biggest of falls, I still couldn't believe that a park within walking distance of the city has a waterfall in it.
When you first get to the park, there's a large parking lot with ample parking. From here, there are washrooms and a children's playground on one side of the lot and the trailhead is on the other side. The trailhead is the beginning of the Whatcom Creek Trail Loop, which starts off near the waterfall, around a trail and back at the parking lot. The walk that we did was a variation of this trail where we cut the Whatcom Creek Trail Loop roughly in half.
The full Whatcom Creek Trail Loop is a 6.4km hike, but you can shorten it. The hike itself is fairly easy, though there can be some uneven areas. At the beginning of the hike, you'll immediately come across a beautiful stone and brick bridge walkway. Guess what? At this point, you're already by the waterfall. From the bridge, you can look out to your right and the there it is. If you keep following the trail, you can actually go around and stand at the top of the waterfall as well, which was neat.
From here, we've mapped out the path that we took to get back to the parking lot. Keep in mind that this isn't the full Whatcom Creek Trail Loop, but we were just looking for a quick stop so this was enough for us. All in all, this took maybe 20 minutes or so, so if you're looking for a longer hike, then I'd recommend looking at the full trail.
It wasn't too busy when we were here, but I did find there to be people running and exercising along the path. It seems to be a common thing that people do here, which makes sense since this trail run is so accessible. We also didn't come across other dogs, though, since it's so close to the city, I would imagine it could get fairly busy during peak hours.
Best of all, it was easy to get to this location and to the waterfall itself. We stopped here as a quick stopover to stretch our legs and it was exactly what we were looking for! On the way out, consider passing by Lake Whatcom, which is a great scenic drive, though keep in mind that there aren't really places to stop along the way.
What we liked
There was ample parking and there are public washrooms in the beginning.
The waterfalls were nice and close.
The bridge was beautifully made as well.
What we didn’t like
There's nothing we really disliked, but it is fairly close to the city, so there was a different feel to the trail.
Our Recommendation for Reactive Dogs
For reactive dogs, this was a good stop for us - short and exactly what we were looking for. There weren't other dogs, which obviously helps in our case, but we weren't there for long. We also felt that the paths were wide so it's great for passing by other dogs. There are plenty of areas to bring your dog off to the side if necessary. Aside from that, the waterfall doesn’t huge and being in the city, you wouldn’t think it would be, but it was just the right stop for us.
If you’re looking for something a little bit longer than the 1 km walk, it is possible to extend the walk beyond what we described here.
The parking lot to the Whatcom Creek Trail Loop trailhead is along Silver Beach Rd. just before the Bellingham Hatchery indicated above.
Disclaimer
Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.
Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.
