Here’s what’s now open at Hovander Homestead Park as flood repairs continue
MAY 6 UPDATE: Most of Hovander Homestead Park is now open, including all park areas, trails, bathrooms and parking areas. The playgrounds remain closed. The Fragrance Garden at nearby Tennant Lake is open, but the Boardwalk Trail remains closed.
Parts of Whatcom County’s popular Hovander Homestead Park are open, and the park should be fully open within a month as flood damage repairs and cleanup efforts continue.
Hovander’s boat launch parking lot, the Nooksack River Trail, and the dog off-leash areas are open, the county Parks and Recreation Department said in a statement Wednesday, April 20.
Restrooms remain closed, but portable toilets and hand-washing stations are in place.
“We should have most of the park open by Mother’s Day weekend and then be ready for Ski to Sea,” Parks and Recreation Department Director Michael McFarlane told the Whatcom County Council at an April 12 meeting.
Storms in November 2021 caused two rounds of flooding on the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, devastating communities from Maple Falls to Lummi Nation at the river delta.
Countywide damage totals have exceeded $150 million, according to Whatcom County officials.
Hovander Homestead Park, located near Ferndale along the Nooksack River, was submerged under several feet of water.
Damage estimates for the park are more than $345,000 — for roads, parking lots, playground areas and trails, said Christ Thomsen, park operations manager.
That figure doesn’t include repair to buildings damaged at the historic site, Thomsen told The Bellingham Herald.
He said some of the barn animals will be on display as usual from May to October, but for now the pens are holding mostly chickens and other fowl.
Damage to the barn and antique farm implements are still being assessed, he said.
A local Master Gardener program has been working to restore the flower gardens.
Hovander Homestead, built in 1898 by Swedish immigrant Hakan Hovander, is one of Whatcom County’s most beloved parks.
Their home and barn are maintained close to their natural state, and the 333-acre park features several miles of hiking trails along the riverfront.
Most of nearby Tennant Lake Park remains closed because of damage to its interpretive center and the boardwalk trail through the marsh.
That site is managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 12:26 PM.
