Here’s why part of this popular Whatcom trail is closed
UPDATE: The slide has been cleared and the trail has reopened, according to Whatcom County on Tuesday, March 9.
Another landslide has blocked the Hertz Trail at Lake Whatcom Park and temporarily closed the popular lakeside route.
“An active slide and debris on the trail” forced closure at the 1.25-mile mark, the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department said in an email.
“Park staff will monitor the situation daily and cleanup will begin when it is safe. The trail will remain closed until further notice. For your safety, do not pass trail closed signs,” the county said.
“It’s in an area of unstable slopes,” Christ Thomsen, parks operation manager, told The Bellingham Herald in a previous Herald article.
A landslide most recently blocked the trail on Jan. 20 and took a little more than a week to clear.
Hertz Trail is a 3.1-mile out-and-back route for walking and biking, east of Bellingham along the shore of Lake Whatcom.
It follows the former Bellingham & Eastern Railway at the base of 3,000-foot Stewart Mountain, and offers views of Lake Whatcom and Lookout Mountain.
Waterfalls gush down the hillsides in winter and spring and a few old-growth trees can be seen along the way.
This story was originally published March 4, 2021 at 12:40 PM.
