The pier at Bellingham’s Little Squalicum Park opens for public use after renovations

The pier at Little Squalicum Park has been on of the more recognizable pieces of Bellingham’s waterfront for decades, and now it’s finally open to the public.

Thursday, April 3, the city of Bellingham announced that the pier is now open for public use. Visitors can access the pier, which has stood on Bellingham Bay since 1912, any day of the week between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

In the news release, Mayor Kim Lund compared the pier to Fairhaven’s Taylor Dock and said the park could have a similar impact on the city’s waterfront.

“Bellingham is a unique place, and this is another amenity that sets us apart,” Lund said. “As we did with Taylor Dock, we are helping to transform our waterfront from a place with an industrial past into a vibrant hub for recreation and wildlife.”

Little Squalicum Pier opens to public

The announcement caps a process that began when the pier was gifted to the city in 2021 by the Lehigh Hanson/Heidelberg Cement Group. In June of 2024, the city announced it was taking suggestions from the public to name the pier, before selecting “Little Squalicum Pier,” after the park on which it stands, in August. The pier was built in 1912 by the Olympic Portland Cement Company so railcars could bring cement onto cargo vessels, although it hasn’t been used for that purpose since 1987.

In order to make the pier suitable for public use, the city added new guardrails, deck grating on the walkway. The city is working on adding solar- and wind-powered lights as well, and expects those to be installed this summer.

According to Nicole Oliver, director of Bellingham’s Parks and Recreation Department, the project began two decades before the city secured ownership of the pier. In an email to The Herald, Oliver said that the city obtained an access easement in 2002, before conducting a series of assessments in 2013, 2017 and 2018 to get a better sense of the pier’s condition and impact on the surrounding waters. According to Oliver, that work was done as groundwork for the city to negotiate the transfer of the pier with Lehigh. Once the transfer was complete and the city obtained the proper permits, construction started last October.

The pier, located in the Birchwood area, gives visitors a chance to walk over 1,200 feet into Bellingham Bay. According to the city, it is now the longest public pier in Washington.

“You can’t look at the pier without wondering what it’s like to be out there,” Oliver said in the news release. “Now, anyone can experience Bellingham Bay from a new perspective.”

The city will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday, April 26.

The opening of the pier comes amid a push by the city to improve Little Squalicum Park. In 2010, the city developed a “master plan” for potential improvements to the park, including making the pier accessible to the public. Last year, the city completed the 2.4 acre Little Squalicum Estuary, also discussed in the report.

How to access Little Squalicum Pier

Little Squalicum Pier is located off of Little Squalicum Park and can be accessed through the parking lot and trailhead at 640 Marine Drive, according to the city.

Visitors are allowed to bring dogs, although they must remain on leash. Jumping off of the pier is prohibited since it stands over relatively shallow water.

This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 1:57 PM.