Visitors will have full access to Bellingham’s newest beach starting this week
Boulevard Park has a new rocky shoreline to explore, after a project to reinforce the coastline and create more public access to the water.
Construction barricades will come down Thursday, March 5, after a full closure of the South Bay Trail for paving Wednesday, March 4, a city of Bellingham official told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Visitors to the park and those who hike and bike the South Bay Trail that runs through the park have had to detour around the construction since October as crews repaired damage from storms that battered the waterfront in November 2021.
The new beach south of the Woods Coffee location resembles the shoreline that was built north of the coffee shop in 2013.
Large rocks were removed from the waterfront and a sloping gravel beach was added, making the trail seem like it’s a closer to the water and allowing easier access for kayakers. Construction was originally planned in early 2025, but it was delayed until late last year.
Boulevard Park draws more than 420,000 people each year and offers sweeping views of Bellingham Bay and the waterfront from Fairhaven to the Lummi Peninsula.
Cost of the project was $835,355, paid with a $500,000 state grant and the rest with Greenways levy funds, according to previous Herald reporting.
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
