Sunset Pond trail connects neighborhoods while providing unique view of wetlands
A new trail around Sunset Pond opened this week, creating a loop through a previously inaccessible wetland and providing connections past the Irongate industrial area and the busy Sunset Drive commercial district for those who live in northern Bellingham neighborhoods.
Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Oliver said the full 1.2-mile hiking and biking path will transform Sunset Pond into a “Lake Padden of the north” with boardwalks and a trail that circles marsh habitat, according to previous Herald reporting.
Such a trail around Sunset Pond was envisioned more than 35 years ago as part of Bellingham’s first Greenways Levy, a voter-approved property tax that enabled construction of the citywide network of parks and trails.
“We’ve been working toward this for a long time, and it was worth every bit of it. Sunset Pond is a genuine nature escape right in the heart of North Bellingham — and it belongs to the whole city,” Oliver said Tuesday in a statement.
An opening celebration is planned for 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. Parking is available at the park 3424 James St. north of Woodstock Way, or on Irongate Road.
Work began last summer to turn the existing U-shaped trail around the 21.5-acre park into a full loop. It also provides links to the Squalicum Creek Trail, Irongate Road and the Railroad Trail in Barkley Village.
Those trail connections will provide a safer walking and biking route for residents of the Meridian, King Mountain and Irongate neighborhoods. It also provides easy trail access for residents of the high-density apartment buildings near Sunset Village, Oliver said.
Cost of the project was nearly $4 million, funded with $2 million in developer fees, $1.5 million from the Greenways levy and a $1 million state recreation grant.
On a tour of the new trail Wednesday, Oliver told The Herald that designing and building the new trail required careful thought.
“It’s one of the most challenging projects we’re ever done. It’s all ‘critical area,’ so it had to be treated sensitively. It’s really kind of challenging terrain,” Oliver said.
All parts of the trail are above the floodplain, and its gentle slopes and packed gravel surface allows it to meet recreational standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Steel bridges cross the marshy areas and steep slopes above the trails are reinforced with locally-mined boulders, parks project engineer Gina Austin told The Herald. Areas that were disturbed by construction were replanted with native flora, including sedum.
On the north side of the pond, visitors walk or bike through a forest of towering mature alders and cottonwoods.
“In the fall, when the leaves are all yellow, it’s like you’re in a golden tunnel,” Austin said.
Dogs must be on a leash when on the trails, but there’s an off-leash play area and dogs are allowed to splash in the water.
Boating and fishing are allowed in the pond, with a valid license. Common species include largemouth bass, bluegill, and yellow perch.
Birders report that the park is home to brown creepers, as well as several kinds of waterfowl, including hooded mergansers, pied grebes and ring-necked ducks.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
