Barkley Trails
Barkley Trails
Barkley Trails
The Barkley Trails Discovery Tour shows how the City of Bellingham is managing stormwater runoff and reducing water pollution in this area. On this tour, you will enjoy the gentle grade and dry gravel trail through a natural area of forests and wetlands as well as interesting features along the way. This tour will introduce you to four different stormwater facilities: the largest stormwater pond in the city, a wet pond, and several bioswales.
The Barkley Trails Tour is great route for walking, jogging or riding a bike. Sites are located along or near the Railroad Trail. A loop is included in one part of the tour. Connect from Whatcom Falls Park, the Barkley Hill neighborhood, Roosevelt School, Barkley Village or downtown for a great trip around this part of the City.
This tour is best accessed by bus and neighborhood trails. There are many bike and pedestrian access points from neighborhoods and streets near the area. For this tour, public parking of all types is limited and access is generally unpaved. You can get east access from the parking lot at Bloedel Donovan Park and west access at Memorial Park on King Street. For safety and water quality, please keep dogs on a leash, bring extra bags, scoop every poop, and keep the bag until it can be put in the trash.
This tour is not accessible with a wheelchair.
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Cattails, shoreline trees, and water lilies abound in this pond that feeds Fever Creek. It’s a magnet for wildlife, water borne creatures, and birds.
The Barkley Trails Tour makes a great outing for all ages and is accessible on foot or by bike.
Neighborhood trails, like this one from Barkley Boulevard, connect to the Railroad Trail throughout the Roosevelt and Barkley Hills neighborhoods.
Cottonwoods are a common sight on the trail. Adapted to wet areas, they are also high-value trees providing shade, habitat, absorption of runoff, and stabilization of stream edges.
Watch for old railroad trestles as you walk between sites on the Railroad Trail. Railroads modified the landscape and changed the way water moves across the land.
This large pond was built to capture and treat all the stormwater that flows off Barkley Village. It is a private stormwater facility maintained by the owners. The fountains recirculate the water to prevent stagnation and keep the water full of oxygen.
