Very beautiful views, calm spot when no one is around. Can get crowded during nicer times of the…read moreyear. No bathroom almost pooped myself but overall a lovely experience.

The perfect spot for beautiful views of the bay and relaxation. The trail to/from the water is…read morenarrow and steep at times. There are some steps along the path, which makes the hike a little bit easier. This is an ideal spot to lay under the stars and snuggle up with someone. There's some light pollution from the city, but it doesn't take much from the starry night experience. This is rumored to be a nude beach area. I believe that it may have been at some point, but isn't considered to be one now. There are two beach areas. No bathrooms. As usual, parking at the trailhead is a risk. You may return to your car to find a shattered window. Don't leave anything visible.

Being a few weeks removed from my day here helps me appreciate this lil' park for what it is. You…read moresee, I did not have the most five-star experience here, but that's unique to my visit. I'll spare the details as they're not relevant to the park, but it involved my very active dog and a very expensive camera lens. So what can I say about Obstruction Pass that is relevant? Well, it's a tiny little park. But almost everyone I spoke to about my time on Orcas said they actually like it more than its big neighbor Moran, to the north. Situated on the southern tip of the eastern point of Orcas Island, it only occupies 80 acres. But among that 80 acres is a bit of precious beachfront; some of the only public beach space on the island of private developments and no trespassing signs. These are San Juan island beaches, so you'll find millions of rounded pebbles, not sand, lest you imagine frolicking barefoot down the beach. To reach the beach, you have to hike. There's a shorter trail than sort of hugs the seashore, and a longer one that goes over land and abuts private property. I took the wooded longer one to the north on the way in, then the beach-hugger on the way out. It's a short hike, not too strenuous, but it's certainly not ADA approved and it will take you a little time to reach the waters. The park features the trail, beach, a small campground, and restrooms. You access the beach down a couple of staircases, and the thick woods above provide lots of shade. I was here in the dead of winter, but even then I shared the beach with a very loud family, and a couple of other parties. Dogs must be leashed at all times. Be careful on those rocks. If you're, say, carrying a full camera and tripod rig and slip, you'll bounce all the way down the rocks into the water. Probably. And then, after your dog damaged your lens before, and you ended up falling into the water, you'll just pack up and get back to your car and call it a day.

Situated at one tip of Orcas Island, Obstruction Pass State Park is home to campers and…read moreshort-duration hikers. This is a great (less than) a mile hike to the beach and back with a pretty PNW view. Its not as big and majestic as Moren State Park, but its a great feeler for Orcas Island, and because of the size, you will notice more people around, when there are people around. We did this as a group of 6, quick in and out on our first day here. We saw a boat parked out on the water and a little house situated by the water. We didn't see many hikers here when we went on a late Saturday afternoon, but we saw a number of campers. *Porta potty's were available

The beach park section of Larrabee park is gorgeous. There's ample parking, then a decent that's…read moreabout a 45 second walk to a grassy lawn and a beautiful stage built in the early 1900s. There were people performing music on the stage and park goers enjoying on the grass. Just to the left of the stage there's a path to the beach. Another 2-3 minute descent brings you to a trail going left and right. The path to the left is a short trail to a rock you can sit on and climb down to get to the water. Further that way there's another beach. The path to the right leads to a nice beach with a great view and a shade tree. There were some bugs in the washed up kelp, but nothing too bothersome imho. We had a stand up paddleboard so we used the path on the right after the stage area. I would recommend anyone bringing gear down (scuba, kayaks, paddleboards) to use this beach. Larger crafts can use the boat ramp just north of this beach, and you can drive right up to that ramp (north of the stage and parking area). It was a beautiful park and a great place to picnic, enjoy the water, and view the sunset!

First Washington State Park! 1918! It has held up well through the decades. Boat ramp is tricky to…read morefind but is a good place to hang and launch watercraft of all Sorts. Camping is okay.

One of the more under rated parks in Bellingham. I came here and observed the tidal pool and marine…read moreenvironments. I found some of the coolest sea anemones, barnacles, star fish, and so many little critters. This park is also super close to Fairhaven and the perfect place to launch kayaks

I love this park, it's been one of my favorite places since we moved to Bellingham. The park itself…read morehas few amenities (it does have a restroom!), bur iron provides some of the absolute best sunset views and is the ideal place to take photos of inbound trains (like Amtrak). The last few times we've visited the park, there have been people doing polar dips too, so if that's you're thing, this is a great place to do it. Check this spot out!

On Guemes Island in the Pacific Northwest just a few short nautical miles from Canada's coast lies…read morethe "Indian Village". A blast from the past type of place! Where time stands still because of it's remoteness! This is a small community of beach homes and cabins right on Puget Sound located on the West side of this beautiful little island. It's positioned looking at Cypress Island and ready to entertain you with really beautiful sunsets. This cool little isle lies in midst of the San Juan Islands where you'll see Bald Eagles, deer, coyote, seals, porpoises, orcas, salmon and when clear, the bluest skies anywhere! Like fishing? This place will put a smile on your face and some awesome fare on your table! Bird watcher? Bring your camera and binoculars all sorts of fowl coolness here! Long walks along the Sound in the fresh cool air here are exhilarating!!! Star gazer? Milky Way is not just a candy bar, it's visible! Want smore fun! Nothing like beach bonfires shooting stars, marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers! A show and dessert! Nice! Residents and visitors here also love collecting these rocks called agates! What are they? They're semi-precious gem stones that come in all shapes, sizes, colors, clarity, and brightness! Google image them, cool stuff! Logistics- The only way on and off Guemes Island is a small ferry that carries about 20 cars. This island is about 70 miles Northwest of Seattle. The weather from May through October is optimum! Really late sunsets May-July. A great place to unplug and weeelax!!! As locations go, I have a few destinations that I call happy places and this is certainly near the top of my list!!! I could go on and on.... :-)))

Beautiful views and walk along Bellingham bay!…read more * Pirate ship playground! Medium sized. Combined for young and older kids. * LONG paved and bridge walkway path along the water. About 1/2+ mile one way. *Woods Cafe left of playground. * small beach area to right of playground. *plenty of parking * plenty of benches and picnic areas * clean toilets available. * mini beach inlets to find refuge.

Very beautiful view and a cool little playground for my daughter and a LOT of little stones to be…read morethrown.

A delightful park with off leash area for dogs. There are…read moreplenty of logs to sit on, sticks to throw, and blackberries for the picking. Perfect location to enjoy the sunset or sunrise as it doesn't seem to get very busy. Be sure to bring your doggy poo bags and please do dispose of them properly. There do not appear to be any nearby restroom facilities. I could be wrong. Not much else to say. It's a park with a beach that is dog friendly.

Little Squalicum Park, located at the end of Squalicum Parkway, features a long beach and a large…read moredog-friendly area that make it one of the best places in town to bring your pooch. We love to bike down here on a warm day, find a spot in the shade, and watch the waves lap up against the shore. And our dog loves that he can run and run and run and run and run and get very very very very muddy at the beach!

I was not expecting to be as impressed as I was by this brand new pier at Little Squalicum Beach…read more For decades, I've visited this rustic little beach park with family or friends, always gazing out at the long-dilapidated former shipping pier. Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, and they've transformed this creosote-scented landmark into a place of beauty. We were lucky to be there on a warm, sunny day. We walked out to the end and took it all in. From views of Lummi and Orcas Islands to the west, Mt. Baker to the east, and even some humongous-looking crabs wandering the shallow depths beneath the bridge, it was a delightful (and free!) way to spend some time in nature.

Really really cool experience the ONLY drawback is there isn't really a beach very rocky but man…read morewas that cool!! A LOT of wildlife in the water that you can see from the pier. SO rad would definitely recommend and will definitely be back someday