10 things to do in Bellingham, WA

So, you’re trying to decide where exactly to go on your vacation in the Pacific Northwest! There are many choices of destination, with a wide variety depending how you like to spend your time on vacation. Seattle has lots of attractions such as the Space Needle, sports games, restaurants, and night life. If you’re looking for a more touristy spot with great whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and mountain biking, Leavenworth is a great choice. For a slower pace and lots of beautiful coastal rainforest, check out the Olympic Peninsula.

While we may be biased, if you are looking for a combination of all the above (minus the Space Needle and sports games, of course), along with some of the best mountain biking trails in the country, Bellingham, Washington is the best places to visit in the Pacific Northwest! We have extensive trail systems such as Galbraith and Chuckanut mountains, beautiful trails and beaches along Bellingham Bay to explore, and a Craft Brewery on every corner… well, maybe that’s an exaggeration.

So, you’ve heard enough and decided on visiting Bellingham, but that leaves you with one question: how to narrow down the long list of things to do in Bellingham, WA?

We’re here to help. Here are our picks of the 10 best things to do in Bellingham:

A sunset in the North Cascades, just outside of Bellingham, Washington.

1) Go on a mountain bike ride at Galbraith Mountain.

We’re especially biased here, but it would be impossible to write a list of things to do in Bellingham, Washington, without starting off with mountain biking. Since around 2017, the world has been catching on to the 100+ miles of world-class trails we have right outside our backdoor. From smooth, approachable beginner trails and gravel riding, to pro-level jump lines like Blue Steel (built by Transition Bikes and WMBC), Galbraith Mountain has all kinds of trails that any level of rider can enjoy. Head down Chuckanut Drive to Larrabee State Park (Chuckanut Mountain), to ride one of our longest continual descents in town via 1,600 feet of incredible advanced mountain bike trails such as Double Black and Double Down. Prefer to have a local MTB guide pick the trails for you? Check out our tours, and we’ll show you some of the best trails in Bellingham!

In our highly biased opinion, Bellingham is best experienced by bike!

A mountain bike ride along Galbraith Mountain’s world-class trails!

2. Explore Whatcom Falls Park.

This beautiful park located just miles from downtown Bellingham features picturesque waterfalls, hiking and biking trails, and picnic areas, making it a perfect spot for casual exploration after your mountain bike ride. Want to know our top local’s tip? Rent an e-bike from Sun-E-Land Bikes located at the Waterfront, ride the two miles up to Whatcom Falls, and when you get back to drop off your bike, you’ll be right next to Selkie Scoop for an ice cream, and Kulshan's Trackside for a beer! And on that note…

3. Sample local craft beer:

You’ve probably heard by now, but Bellingham has some of the highest number of breweries per capita in the U.S. Each of our breweries have their own style and niche, from ones with a friendly neighborhood feel like Otherlands and Stones Throw, to a more upscale/sophisticated feeling like Aslan Depot, to the aforementioned huge outdoor beer garden of Trackside. A couple of our other favorites include the newest brewery in town El Sueñito, where you can sip a delicious pint while munching a Tamale, along with the beachside brewery Beach Cat, a short 25 minute drive to Birch Bay, Washington.

Sunset over Bellingham Bay (part of the Salish Sea), taken from Taylor Dock. Taylor Dock didn’t make our list, but a stroll there is very worthy of your time!

4. Discover the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention.

Learn about the history of electricity and explore interactive exhibits showcasing electrical inventions and scientific discoveries. It’s both fun and exciting for kids, and way more interesting for adults than most would expect. According to the museum itself, “Today, SPARK is a place where visitors can get charged about science and discovery while surrounded by one of the most significant and complete collections of its kind in the world. The Museum’s collection contains a wealth of unique and rare artifacts dating from the earliest days of scientific electrical experiments in the 1600’s through the 1940’s and the Golden Age of Radio.”

5. Visit Artist Point

The famed Artist Point may require a 1.5 hour drive from Bellingham, but you won’t even realize the time when by. Mount Baker Highway (rt. 542) is one of the most beautiful roads in the state (which is saying something), and only gets more majestic as you draw towards its dead-end, Artist Point. Artist Point, located just outside of the boundaries of Mount Baker Ski Area, offers a sweeping panoramic vistas of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, endless alpine meadows, and cascading waterfalls.

Typically opening up in July, the best time to visit Artist Point is late summer to early fall, once the snow has melted from the many trails that branch out from the parking lot, such as Ptarmigan Ridge, Chain Lakes, and Lake Ann trails. If you’re a photographer, make sure your SD card has plenty of room, because every direction you look will blow your mind.

A photo of Mount Shuksan, taken from Picture Lake, which is located a few miles down from Artist Point along route 542.

6. Go whale watching:

This may be #6 on our list, but it is nearly a non-negotiable when it come to planning your outdoor activities in Bellingham, WA. Hop on a whale watching boat with San Juan Cruises, which embarks right out of downtown Fairhaven (a secondary, historic downtown in Bellingham), and you’ll spend the day zipping around the San Juan Islands, taking in views of Mount Baker, the Olympic Mountains, and spotting magnificent whales such as orcas, humpbacks, and gray whales. There is nowhere else in the country where you can have this type of experience, so it’s impossible to overstate.

An Orca leaping out of the water in the Salish Sea.

8. Visit the Whatcom Museum

While most of our recommendations in this list of 10 things to do in Bellingham, WA revolve around outdoor activities, this one is the exception, and for good reason! Here at Dig Deep we believe in Travel over Tourism, and any good traveler knows they need to dive below the surface a little to really gain a sense-of-place in the location they are visiting. The Whatcom Museum has been located in the insanely cool building of Old City Hall, just blocks from downtown Bellingham, since 1941, and is one of the best places in town to dig a little deeper. Learn about the history of Bellingham, WA, including the original industry and culture of settlers, the ancestral tribes such as the Lummi, and the local ecological history, all while taking in views of Bellingham Bay and Lummi Island.

9. Go for a beach stroll

Bellingham has lots of bay coastline with trails and beaches, just minutes from downtown. Locust Beach is just a 5 minute drive from Downtown Bellingham, and is the perfect place to take in the sunset. There is a lot of space along the beach, so if you are looking for space from people, just keep walking! Another local favorite is Teddy Bear Cove, which only requires a short (but steep) hike down 3-4 switchbacks to arrive at a beautiful, protected cove along Bellingham Bay.

Sunset over Lummi Island and Bellingham Bay.

10. Visit Edison, Washington

Like art, a slow pace of life, a quaint towns? Just 25 minutes (35 if you take the scenic route along Chuckanut Drive) south of Bellingham, lies the cutest little town you can wrap your head around, in the midst of beautiful, peaceful farmland. Check out the art galleries, and head over to Terramar Brewstillery for delicious pizza, craft beer and spirits.

While it’s impossible to wrap up everything there is to do when it comes outdoor activities in Bellingham, as well as the beer and food options to top off a great day, we hope these top picks help guide you through a visit well spent in this little gem of the Pacific Northwest called Bellingham!

*** Love Bellingham, and want to support trail building, maintenance, and kids camps? WMBC is our local nonprofit that does of that and more, and donations go a long way. Check them out and donate here: WMBC ***