Locust Beach Locust Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225

"Of all the beautiful places to explore around Bellingham and in Whatcom County, this is my favorite. It’s an underrated area because people expect it to be muddy like most other Sand flats, or they visit at a high tide and don’t get to see the beach at its maximum. Truly a magical place, never seen anything like it. (Craft Island in Skagit is the only comparison I know of). Seattle and Vancouver haven’t had anything like this for more than 100 years. The longest beach walk around, the flat nearly most of the Northwest of Bellingham Bay. When you get to the beach off the trail, always go toward the Nooksack, the further you walk to more beautiful it gets. Along the shoreline there are some cool treasures to be found. Please respect this place and leave it as you found it. There aren’t many places like this left in the world. It takes a very specific kind of geography to have something like this, and we are lucky. My understanding of why it’s not muddy when most WA estuaries are, is that the Nooksack has a steep, fast, and relatively short path to the ocean, so it carries larger grains of sediment, and the riverbed of the Nooksack has a lot of Clay in it. One more thing, I have never encountered better sand for sandcastles. The clay/fine sand mixture is perfect."

"Easily my favorite beach in Bellingham this place is wonderfully unique! There is finally more parking up top but everyone knows the best way to enjoy this place is via bicycle so make sure to bring one of those! Also check the tides because this place gets 100x more epic once the tide goes out and perfectly sandy flats extend for what seem like forever. Through in a sunset and you have the picture perfect Bellingham moment you have been looking for."

"Such an amazing secluded water experience. We go out nearly every low tide during the summer heat. There’s a gravel parking lot at the top of the street. Once parked, the trailhead is down the street on the right just under the bridge. There’s rarely more that 5 people down there with us. Our 2 year old son and dog love the open space and to splash around. There is one set of steep stairs on the walk down and the yard or 2 of mud just beyond the rocks is quite messy. But beyond that, you’ll find sand and nearly solid ground. On the really low tide days, you can walk for nearly a mile out and get an amazing and unique view of the mountains and Bellingham. On days that have wind over 5-7mph, you’ll get a close up view of kite surfers. It’s truly a magical experience."

"A beautiful beach, especially when the tide is out! There’s a parking lot at the top as well as a garbage can. There are no restrooms I’m order to access the beach, you must go up/down some wooden/dirt stairs that are tricky if you have a bike or stroller with you. This beach is best accessed on foot. Please remember to leave no trace— that means don’t build beach structures, don’t paint or graffiti the natural rocks, and please pack out your dog’s waste."

"There is a parking lot at the right side of the beginning of the road that leads to the beach. After parking, there is a short walk down the road, then a right turn that continues to a wiggly path down towards the beach, then a long set of wooden stairs that take you all the way down. The beach is very rocky and since we went at a very low tide you could walk quiet a distance on a muddy sand. It is a very beautiful spot to sit on a wood log and enjoy the view or take a walk. The climb back can be intense for some people, so if you have a challenge going up a steep hill and climbing up a steep set of stairs, this might not be the place for you. Otherwise it's a nice spot for a visit on the water."