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Running trails in Bellingham, WA
Bellingham has 19 trails in the directory — 4 on crushed gravel or dirt, 2 boardwalk, 5 loops that return to the trailhead, 7 with a stated distance, 1 shaded, and 6 open 24 hours. 15 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 14,804 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Whatcom Falls Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 4,497 reviews
Expansive city park set amid hills with waterfalls, a fishing pond, gardens, trails & a playground.
Larrabee State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,653 reviews
Large camping park on Samish Bay with a beach, 2 freshwater lakes & miles of hiking & biking trails.
Lake Padden Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 2,433 reviews
This sizable lakeside green space offers sport courts & fields, boat access, fishing & trails.
Zuanich Point Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,514 reviews
Harborside park with picnic tables, a playground, paved paths & a bay-view rental facility.
Bellingham Boardwalk
4.8 ★★★★★ 928 reviews
Breezy park boasting a boardwalk and beach access, plus cafes and playgrounds.
Squalicum Creek Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 826 reviews
Community park next to a creek with walking trails, sports fields, a basketball court & playground.
Teddy Bear Cove - Chuckanut Mountain Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 519 reviews
A hiking trail through the forest leads to a wooded bluff & scenic beach of crushed clam shells.
Stimpson Family Nature Reserve
4.8 ★★★★★ 313 reviews
Well-kept trails winding through dense forests and wetlands for walks and running.
Fragrance Lake Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 308 reviews
Scenic waterside retreat with hiking paths leading to a lake and bay views.
North Chuckanut Mountain Trailhead
4.7 ★★★★★ 201 reviews
Trail entry point for challenging mountain hikes featuring scenic overlooks, waterways & ridges.
Arroyo Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 199 reviews
Scenic tract featuring waterfalls and trails (some for biking), over a creek.
Galbraith Mountain
4.8 ★★★★★ 127 reviews
Destination offering kid-friendly hiking, biking, and scenic views.
Chuckanut Mountain / Pine & Cedar Lakes County Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 128 reviews
Steep hike to alpine lakes nestled in a forested area that’s popular for camping.
New Waterfront Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 67 reviews
Scenic park with a playground, skatepark, plus a rocky beach, picnic area and a brewery.
Connelly Creek Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 24 reviews
Whatcom Falls Park - Woburn Street Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Bellingham
- Match the surface to your legs. Bellingham gives you a choice: 3 natural surface, 3 mixed, 2 boardwalk, and 1 crushed gravel. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More natural surface trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 5 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Bellingham is Galbraith Mountain at 22 mi. 2 trails are long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 6 trails in Bellingham are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 15 of the 19 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 2 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 14 have trailhead parking, 12 have restrooms, and 3 have a water fountain in Bellingham. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 1 shaded, 8 that runners describe as quiet, 10 dog-friendly, and 2 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Bellingham trails by type
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Boardwalk trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Bellingham
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.