Fire and other damage affect access at two Whatcom County parks
One of two areas in Whatcom County parks opened Friday after a wildfire and damage to steps providing access to a popular beach, a Parks and Recreation Department official said.
All trails at Lake Whatcom Park were open Friday as firefighters worked to finish dousing a small fire that was reported Thursday, Parks Operations Manager Christ Thomsen told The Bellingham Herald.
But beach access at Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve was still restricted Friday, Thomsen said in an email.
Thomsen said that access to Lake Whatcom Park had been limited because about “half of the parking lot at the trailhead was closed during fire-suppression activities.” But the park never closed and all trails were open.
That fire, called the Access 2 fire, was listed as controlled on Friday by the state Department of Natural Resources.
In a Thursday afternoon post on Facebook, the Whatcom County Department said “a small, contained fire (was) in an old log beneath two cherry trees.”
The cause of the fire wasn’t listed.
At 4,853 acres, Lake Whatcom Park offers several trails in the hills above the lake and along its north shore, following an old logging railroad line.
At Point Whitehorn, however, beach access was limited indefinitely, Thomsen said.
“The stairs at Point Whitehorn sustained structural damage due to wood rot caused by age, environmental conditions, and prolonged exposure to the elements. Parks staff are currently assessing the damage and developing a plan for repair or replacement,” he said. “While this is a high priority project, we do not yet have a definitive timeline for reopening or a cost estimate. For public safety, we ask that trail users respect the closure and avoid using the stairway.”
The 54-acre park features about a 1-mile trail through forest to the rocky and pebbly beach, and offers a sweeping view of the San Juan Islands across the Salish Sea. The trail to the stairs is open and features several vista points.
