Berthusen Park

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · River/Creek · Wildlife

Berthusen Park offers an assortment of trails that may be combined into all manner of short and longer loop outings. This route, which stitches together the Fir, Eagle, Salmon, and Owl Trail, covers both the periphery and heart of the park's 236 acres.

A grove of old growth Douglas-fir and western red cedar still stands in the northeast quadrant of the park. The remainder appears to be naturally regenerated second growth, relatively mature and with a minimal mid-story that gives the forest an unusually open character. Salmon-bearing Bertrand Creek and its floodplain along the east margin of the park breaks the flat, albeit somewhat hummocky, forest covering the rest of the park.

Berthusen provides an especially enjoyable hike during the winter for the forest lover, when the mountains are harder to access. Unlike trails closer to Bellingham, expect minimal company outside of the warm season.

From the parking area of Berthusen Park, trailheads on the north side of the access road deliver what are arguably the largest trees to be found anywhere in the far northwestern corner of Whatcom County. After sampling this remarkable stand, continue bearing west and away from the access road, generally keeping right at trail junctions in order to stay relatively near the park boundary (aside from occasional short spurs leading beyond the park's edges) for a longer loop outing. Upon reaching the southeastern corner of the park, Bertrand Creek interrupts what has been continuous forest shade to this point.

Don't worry about a missed turn along the way. A little disorientation here is half the fun. Getting truly lost is nigh impossible. Trail maps are scattered throughout the park at major junctions and will clarify your location.

Great horned owls and varied thrush were observed in the cedar/fir forest here.

Donated by the parcel's original homesteaders to the City of Lynden in 1944, Berthusen Park offers a window in time to the Whatcom County coastal plain that the region's original inhabitants have known since time immemorial and the first wave of European settlers encountered upon their arrival.