Whatcom Falls

Tuesday April 19, 2011

Bellingham has many parks intertwined in the city. Whatcom Falls Park is in the heart of the city. We could hear the roar of the water where we parked. The paved path leads to a stone bridge built in 1939 funded by the WPA, made from local Chuckanut sandstone. The bridge spans across Whatcom Creek. Whatcom Creek runs from Lake Whatcom out to Bellingham Bay, which has a change of 250’ in grade. Although that is a big drop to the bay, it is a very gradual quick-moving creek with several small waterfalls. From the bridge, you have a picturesque view of overlooking the main waterfall, Whatcom Falls. It’s a 25’ height fall, one of the top in the area, partly because it is so accessible.

 

Dirt and gravel paths continue along the creek. I walked up some muddy paths with Chance to see the Hatchery Falls, near the fish pond. 

 Chance and I then headed west, toward the remaining waterfalls in Whatcom Falls Park, closer to the bay. I saw a large metal box spanning across the creek. Once I was home I realized it was the Olympic Pipeline that had ruptured in the summer of 1999. It had leaked 237,000 gallons of gasoline into the creek. The massive amount of fuel somehow ignited and resulted in explosion and massive fireball which killed 1 young man and 2 boys and burned a significant amount of forest land. I didn’t notice any damage at the time, so I guess the park has filled in well over the past 10 years. Chance and I continued to the Whirlpool Falls, which are only 10’ in height but the nearby cliffs make the water 30’ below. I hear it is a favorite location for swimming. It was here where I let go of Chance’s leash go to snap a few pictures. She was so excited to run freely, that she almost fell over a steep rock and went for a swim. My heart was racing almost as badly as at the Grand Canyon. Thankfully she realized she couldn’t climb up the steep rocks, so she came back to me. 

Chance and I continued west through the park trails toward the Middle Whatcom Falls. We could not see them well from atop the hill and through the trees. I think I enjoy Lake Padden more because there are many off-leash trails nearby. Whatcom Falls Park is bordered by a lot more residences, making the trails more populated than Lake Padden.