Larrabee State Park - Bellingham, Washington - Offering Year Round Activities for the Whole Family

Larrabee State Park is a 2,683-acre camping and recreation park on Samish Bay near Bellingham in northwest Washington State. The state park features two freshwater lakes, coves and tidelands. The history of the park dates back to October 1915 when the Larrabee family donated 20 acres of land to the state to be converted into a state park. The park is officially named after Charles Xavier Larrabee. Larrabee State Park became the area's first state park.

Larrabee State Park offers excellent camping accommodations. The park has 51 tent sites, 26 utility sites, eight primitive sites, a single dump station and eight ADA showers. The biggest camp sites offer over 60 feet of space. For large groups of up to 40 tent campers there is a space available by reservation. The space includes a picnic shelter with tables and a fire ring.

The park is known for its abundance of Chuckanut sandstone. There are tide pools that can be explored located on Chuckanut Bay and Samish Bay. There are also two fresh water lakes that add recreation and beauty to the area.

There are several activities to keep visitors busy. A mixture of both land and water activities are available to people of all ages. The park offers 15 miles of hiking trails and 13 miles of biking trails. Water activities include freshwater and saltwater fishing, diving, clamming and crabbing. Also at visitors discretions are an outdoor amphitheater, opportunities for beachcombing, bird watching, sail boarding, wildlife viewing and mountain biking.

Larrabee State Park is home to several dozen mammals, birds and sea life. The diverse area is home to mammals that include bobcats, chipmunks, deer, elk and coyotes. Several bird species such as chukars, doves, eagles, and woodpeckers can be seen throughout the park while sea life such as crabs, clams, salmon, steelhead and whales fill the waters.

The park is densely forested with trees and woodland vegetation. It includes marshlands, wetlands, streams, lakes and Chuckanut Mountain.

The standard campsite fee for Larrabee State Park is $19 per night. Full utility sites cost $26, partial utility sites are $25 and primitive sites run $12 a night. The maximum people allowed per campsite are 8 people. Check in time to Larrabee State Park is 2:30 pm and check-out time is 1 pm. Quiet hours are enforced from 10 pm to 6:30 am.

The physical address to the park is 245 Chukanut Drive Bellingham, Washington 98229. To get to Larrabee State Park take exit #250, and turn right onto Fairhaven Pkwy. Go to second stoplight. Turn left on SR 11/Chuckanut Dr. Stay left at next stoplight and drive six miles to park entrance.

From I-5 northbound take exit #231. Turn right onto SR 11/Chuckanut Dr., and drive north 14 miles to park entrance.

For smaller vehicles wishing to take a slower more scenic route the Chuckanut Drive is open year round for travelers. Chuckanut Drive is windy and narrow in parts and is not suitable for larger RV's. There are several shops and Bed and Breakfasts along the drive.