Here are the best places for sledding in Whatcom County

When snow flies across the Whatcom County lowlands, hillsides everywhere fill with children slipping and sliding in the time-honored winter tradition of sledding.

Places such as the Mount Baker wilderness offer snow sports all season long, but the white stuff falls only sporadically across the lower elevations of Western Washington – and that’s when the sleds emerge from garages, closets and basements and kids trudge through unplowed streets to the nearest hill.

There’s always a steep driveway or gentle slope nearby, but some areas are so popular that they draw dozens of thrill-seekers riding traditional wooden toboggans and sleds with wooden decks and steel rails, or fiberglass discs and flat-bottomed plastic rectangles.

“Ha! Like I’d give away the perfect spot,” said Jessica Keho in response to a social media inquiry.

But other area residents were quick to offer their favorite sledding hills.

“Broadway Park – the hills on the side go down into the park instead of going out onto a road,” said Jenna Schrengohst of Blaine in a social media thread.

“The hill at the former Lynden Middle School always draws kids when it snows,” said Dave Brumbaugh of Lynden on a social media thread.

Here are a few other popular places to sled in the Whatcom county lowlands:

▪  Squalicum Creek Park at 1001 Squalicum Way is a favorite in the Birchwood neighborhood.

▪  Lynden City Park at 8460 Depot Road just north of downtown has an incline that has been a local favorite of sledders for years, although the 2006 addition of the Million Smiles Playground shortened the ride a bit.

▪  Maritime Heritage Park at 500 W. Holly St. has a long hill with a gentle slope near the fish hatchery that draws sledders from the Lettered Streets, Columbia and surrounding neighborhoods near downtown.

▪  Fairhaven Park at 107 Chuckanut Drive North and Fairhaven Middle School at 110 Parkridge Road feature hills that have been favored by generations of Bellinghamsters.

Mount Baker area

If there’s no snow in the lowlands, Mount Baker-Snoqualime National Forest offers countless places to drop a sled and go.

Among the most popular sites are the area around Picture Lake and the slopes near the large parking lot near where the Mount Baker Highway is gated in winter, at the trailhead for Bagley Lakes.

Parking in the national forest requires a Northwest Forest Pass or day-use pass, available from the Glacial Public Service Station, which is open weekends in winter. Other areas may require a state Discover Pass or Sno-Park permit.