Local Hiking Trails

Hi Barty,
Its not really close to Bellingham but I work for the North Cascades Park service and  one of the best hikes I've been on was up cascade pass. You might want to check it out.

There are other decent trails in that Chuckanut Ridge area--try Raptor Ridge, or Pine&Cedar Lakes. They're both mostly in the timber, but I guess with a heat wave coming on that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's some sweet stuff up by Baker, but that's not really "local." I haven't been to Galbraith Mountain yet, but I've heard good things, so that may be worth checking out too. There's a walking path that wanders through town called the Railroad Trail, which is not hiking but still a pleasant enough walk, and takes you by the Big Rock Garden (which is fun) and drops you off at Whatcom Falls Park (which I'm sure you've already visited). Again, not hiking, but a pleasant stroll nonetheless.

The Outdoor Center has maps and suggestions.  It's in the Viking Union on the first floor. 

My favorite book is Hiking Whatcom County by Ken Wilcox, who is a Huxley graduate. 

The Stimson Family Nature Reserve is just a few miles east of Bellingham, and the Sudden Valley WTA bus can get you there. No dogs, no bikes allowed in the reserve. Several miles of trails through some now rare lowland old growth Doug Fir, Cedar and Hemlock, with a stunning wetland area near the trailhead, including beavers and unusual flora if you are willing to sit still for awhile and observe.  Bird life, deer, racoon, coyote, perhaps a cougar, but they don't really want to meet you any more than you want to meet them. 

Up up up, beautifully designed and groomed trails. Take the Geneva Pond loop for another great wetland, the trail looping around the entire pond and back to main trail.  Then downhill loop back to the parking area/trailhead.  No restrooms last time I was there.

The Stimson family was an original logging family in Whatcom County; some of the trees are indeed old growth, and much of the forest is second-growth. After the elders passed, all seven of their adult children agreed to donate the hundreds of acres, in the Lake Whatcom Watershed, to the Whatcom Land Trust.  Can you imagine seven brothers and sisters agreeing on ANYthing, let alone donating millions of dollars worth of land in order to keep it OUT of development and protect the watershed.  Then the Land Trust provided access for County Parks to create the trail system.