Lily Point Marine Park and Reserve

The park includes forested upland bluffs, beaches and tidal mudflats with spectacular views of the Strait of Georgia and the orca that pass by. Watch seals bask offshore, discover starfish and other beach life when you visit Lily Point.

This incredible site has public restrooms near the parking area. To access the beach, take the Multi-Use Loop Trail 0.3 miles to the Beach Access Trail. Stop there for panoramic views of the point and then take the switch backing beach trail 0.4 miles to the beach. For hiking and birding in upland forest, take the other half of the Loop Trail 0.6 miles back to the parking area.

History: Thanks to a conservation easement forged by Bellingham’s Whatcom Land Trust, Lily Point became a Whatcom County Park in 2007.

Archeologists date human occupancy on the point back at least 9000 years. For centuries, Coast Salish Native Peoples maintained their primary reef net fishery and a summer village for as many as 500 people at Lily Point.

Here the Lummi Nation ancestors each year performed their “first salmon” ceremony to assure the annual return of the fish they depended on. They called this place Chelhtenem, “hang salmon for drying.” An 1881 newspaper reported 10,000 salmon caught by 3 reef nets in 6 hours. The Trust maintains responsibility for the site’s long-term stewardship.

You’ll find bald eagles scouring the beach, great blue heron stalking the tidelands, and a host of waterfowl and shore birds that visit Boundary Bay. At peak times of the year, more than 100 eagles have been spotted on the beach.