Lake Whatcom, Washington, United States

5Barb K 5:00 PM Aug 5, 2018

Lake Whatcom Driving Tour
Drive over Alabama Hill to the Silver Beach area. Lake Whatcom Blvd does not circle Lake Whatcom. As you drive toward the lake be sure to look at the view. Turn left and follow Lake Whatcom Blvd along the lake to the dead end. Stop occasionally to enjoy the views. Turn around and follow the road all the way around the lake. You will drive past Bloedel Donovan Park. Drive on the residential streets to continue close to the Lake. Drive through the Geneva area, past Sudden Valley and keep going. The road eventually turns to the right toward Hwy 9. Instead, turn left to go to the dead end. Return and drive toward Hwy 9. At Hwy 9, turn right for Skagit County. Turn left for Acme and the Mt Baker Hwy. At the Mt Baker Hwy turn left to return toward Bellingham. Or turn right to drive toward Mt Baker to see more communities. You will find restaurants along the way.

4ForTheWeekend 5:00 PM Jul 15, 2013

Bloedel Donovan Park on Lake Whatcom
We decided to make a day trip from Vancouver BC to see what was over in the Whatcom Falls area. I don't know Bellingham very well, but our fave stops are Cornwall Park (lovely treed park with a small network of walking/biking trails, grassy picnic spots, and a couple of playgrounds) and Fairhaven (Such a cute town!). We really enjoy walking/biking the Interurban Trail from downtown Bellingham to Boulevard Park and along the water to Fairhaven. Beautiful ocean views! Anyways, we drove to Whatcom Falls Park and the kids played at both playground before we explored the trails. It was a hot day -- perfect for hanging out in the woods and going for a swim! We'd passed Bloedel Donovan Park on the lake as we were driving to the falls, so we decided to head back there for a dip. About a block or so before the park (at 1480 Electric Ave), there's a sub sandwich place located inside a convenience store. It's called Da Vinci's Classic Subs and they make the most DELICIOUS Philly steak subs! I ordered one for my husband (and stupidly got myself a lower-fat ham sub with no cheese), and as I watched them grill the beef and assemble the sandwich, I decided that I was going to have to try at least one bite. Luckily we were still in the parking lot when I had my taste of the Philly sub because once I'd put it in my mouth, there was no stopping me! My husband ended up having to go buy his own sandwich! haha (The kids got to eat the less-exciting ham sub.) Finally I'm getting to my description of Bloedel Donovan.. The park was occupied by a mixed crowd: families with kids, young skateboarders, gangstas, buff beach volleyball players.. It was great for people-watching. There's a good-sized playground that's nicely shaded by some trees and a grassy area with two beach volleyball courts. The man-made 'beach' is just a thin strip, but the bottom of the lake is sandy and has a slow grade, so it's a nice spot for kids to swim. The water wasn't exactly clear, but it wasn't murky either. It was about 25C that day and the water was still slightly chilly in the late afternoon, so I doubt it ever gets very warm. I wasn't expecting a decent change-room, and there wasn't one (there's only a bathroom with a bench outside of the stalls), so you might want to come already wearing your swimsuit. The only real down-side to this park was the amount of goose droppings all over the ground (luckily the droppings were dried up). I guess geese take over the place when the people aren't around. It was definitely a fun trip! The Philly sub might've been the best part -- so don't miss out!! (I asked for a few added toppings, such as tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber.)