BPR

Welcome! Bellingham Parks & Recreation Go to cob.org/recreation for information regarding: Trail guide * Park fees * Dog off-leash areas * Rules and regulations Mission statement: Support a healthy community by providing high quality parks and recrea on services. Bellingham is located in northwest Washington on the shore of Bellingham Bay. The inland urban area is framed by the slopes of Stewart, Lookout, and Chuckanut Mountains, at the edge of the Cascade foothills with Mount Baker in the background. Bellingham is acclaimed with incredible natural beauty and residents have a long legacy of placing high value on the environment. Nestled between the mountains and the sea in northwest Washington State, Bellingham is at the center of a uniquely picturesque area offering a rich variety of recrea onal, cultural, educa onal and economic ac vi es. Topography ranges from sea level to about 500 feet on the hilltops around Bellingham. Eleva on increases to 3,050 feet at the top of Stewart Mountain, and eventually to 10,785 at the top of Mount Baker. The landform is generally flat to rolling within the urban growth area, though the plateau edge overlooking Bellingham Bay can drop off abruptly in slopes ranging from 40% to 75%. Bellingham has a mild mari me climate. Mean temperatures vary from a high of 73 degrees in July to a low of 31 degrees Fahrenheit in January. Average annual precipita on is about 35 inches. Approximately 80% of the precipita on occurs from October through March with less than 6% falling during the summer months. Maps provided in this guide include neighborhood parks, community parks, special use sites, open spaces and trails. Neighborhood parks include both ac ve and passive recrea on ac vi es and serve those living within a half- mile walk along a designated pedestrian route, sidewalk or trail. Neighborhood parks accommodate a wide variety of ages and user groups including youth, adults, seniors and special needs popula ons. Community parks are generally larger than neighborhood parks and are intended to serve a broader range of ac vi es and users. They allow for group ac vi es and offer other recrea on opportuni es, such as lighted programmed sports facili es not generally found at the neighborhood level. Due to their larger size, they o en serve both as a neighborhood park func on as well as having expanded and unique ac vi es. Special use sites cover a broad range of parks and recrea on facili es and may include cultural facili es, indoor facili es, or other unique sites. These may include arboretums, cemeteries, plazas, sports stadiums, or golf courses. Open space sites are generally lands set aside for preserva on of significant natural resources, unique landscapes, or visually aesthe c or buffer func ons. Examples include sites with steep slopes, old or second- growth forests, wetlands, stream corridors, delands, meadows, agricultural lands, shorelines (salt or fresh water), storm water features, and/or watershed or aquifer recharge zones. Open space areas may be undeveloped or may include trails, educa onal exhibits, parking, picnic facili es or other similar ac vi es where public access is not incompa ble with preserva on goals. Trails in parks are generally limited to non-motorized off -road linear pathways. Trails are intended to form a network throughout the planning area, linking neighborhoods, parks, schools, open spaces, civic facili es and commercial centers. Page 1

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