Most cities would build a neighborhood around a place like this. Bellingham just dropped two hundred and forty acres of waterfalls, big trees, and trails right in the middle of town and called it a city park. Whatcom Falls is the kind of everyday wild that makes people fall for this place.

The falls and the bridge

The centerpiece is exactly what the name promises — a series of waterfalls on Whatcom Creek, crossed by a handsome stone bridge built by the WPA in the 1930s. It is one of the most photographed spots in the city for good reason. Below it, the creek drops through a rocky gorge in a run of smaller cascades you can follow on foot.

The swimming hole, and more

Come summer, the pools below the falls become the unofficial neighborhood swimming hole — bring a towel and join the locals. There is also a fish hatchery you can walk through, a stocked fishing pond for kids, a dog-friendly beach, and miles of forested trail that connect into other greenways. You can lose an afternoon here without trying.

Getting there

It sits on the east side of town, an easy few minutes from downtown and walkable from the Sunnyland and Roosevelt neighborhoods. There is a main lot off Silver Beach Road, but the park has several entrances — half the fun is finding your own way in.