90% of all Bellingham residents live near a park. Here’s how to find city’s popular parks

If you’re looking to get outside as the weather warms up, you’ll have plenty of options, according to the most recent data from the Trust for Public Land. The nationwide land preservation nonprofit looked at over 15,000 cities across the country and determined that Bellingham gives its residents as much access to public parks as almost anywhere else in America.

Nearly all of Bellingham lives near a park

90% of Bellingham residents live within a ten-minute walk, or roughly half a mile, of a park according to the trust’s database, well over the national median of 55%.

Eastern Bellingham, by Lake Whatcom, and downtown, near Bellingham Bay, have particularly strong park access. Northern Bellingham, meanwhile, has less access to parks than the rest of the city.

Park access in Bellingham is relatively equitable, according to the TPL. 89% of low-income residents and 87% of middle-income residents live near a park, compared to 90% of their high-income counterparts.

Interestingly, with just under 3,000 acres of park space, only 16% of Bellingham’s land is used for parks. That puts it barely above the national median of 15%.

How accessible are popular parks in Bellingham?

TPL tracks how many people live within ten minutes of each individual park. Here’s how some of Bellingham’s most popular parks stack up.

• Located just beyond campus, the Sehome Hill Arboretum is just a quick walk away from many of Western Washington University’s nearly 15,000 students. According to TPL, 12,138 people live within half a mile of it.

• Whatcom Falls Park, which runs through much of the eastern half of the city, has 7,231 people living less than ten minutes away.

• Boulevard Park, located on the water between downtown and Fairhaven, has 4,538 people living within a ten minute walk of its borders.

• Maritime Heritage Park, listed by the TPL as the Interurban Greenway, is within 10 minutes of 19,895 Bellingham residents.

• Elizabeth Park, known for hosting a series of free concerts each summer, has 3,728 residents nearby.
• Fairhaven Park, at over 100 acres, is easily accessible to 3,451 Bellingham residents.

• While it’s not one specific park, the Whatcom Creek Trail is located within half a mile of 11,061 people.

• Bloedel Donovan Park gives visitors easy access to Lake Whatcom, but just 938 people live within half a mile of it.

• Similarly, Zuanich Point Park is popular for its views of the waterfront, but only 244 people live within a ten minute walk.

You can find a complete list of Bellingham parks and their amenities on the city’s website.

Parks of Whatcom County

Bellingham’s park access isn’t just higher than the national median, it compares favorably to its neighbors in the nature-heavy Pacific Northwest, too.

Staying in Whatcom County, Lynden has a comparable 87% of residents with easy access to a park, although when you expand to the greater Lynden area that number drops to 60%. In Blaine, 73% of people live near a park, while TPL database considers Birch Bay to be sorely lacking park space – just 28% of residents live near a park.

Other parks in WA

Bellingham also outranks its neighbors to the south, with both Mount Vernon and Anacortes earning scores in the 60s. 77% of Everett residents live within half a mile of a park.

Seattle earned a 99%, the sixth-highest score among the 100 biggest cities in the U.S. Tacoma, meanwhile, earned a 76% and Olympia was just behind with a 74%. Over in the Tri-Cities region, 80% of Richland residents live near a park, compared to 62% of Pasco residents and 56% of Kennewick residents.