Geography Crash Course: Bays, Rivers, and Lakes

Bays of the Salish Sea

Have you ever wondered what to call the waters that lie just beyond our shorelines? What North Sound residents often refer to as “the bay” actually encompasses a variety of bodies of water, each with its own name.

The northernmost is Semiahmoo Bay, which is the southeastern section of Boundary Bay and extends north of the border into British Columbia. It’s named for the Semiahmoo First Nation and, after many years of cannery operations, is now home to Semiahmoo Resort and Spa. Semiahmoo Bay feeds into Drayton Harbor in Blaine, which is separated from the bay by the Semiahmoo Spit.

Below Semiahmoo Bay is Birch Bay, which shares its name with a state park and the census-designated place of the same name. Birch Bay State Park boasts 8,255 feet of saltwater shoreline, as well as 14,923 feet of freshwater shoreline on Terrell Creek. It’s a popular pick for camping, boating, picnics, fishing, and hard shell clamming (as Birch Bay is abundant in Dungeness crab). Below Birch Bay is Lummi Bay, which is located off Lummi Nation and also encompasses the communities of Sandy Point and Neptune Beach.

Lummi Bay lies above Bellingham Bay, which extends from Lummi Peninsula to Clark’s Point and borders the city of Bellingham. The city’s waterfront was an industrial site for more than a century, but this era ended with the closing of the Georgia-Pacific mill in 2007. Now, the City and Port of Bellingham are working to clean up the 12 toxic waste sites left behind. Each is in a different stage of cleanup, but the ultimate goal is to transform the waterfront into a space that’s both accessible to the community and a safe habitat for flora and fauna to thrive. To learn more about the cleanup sites, visit re-sources.org.

South of Bellingham Bay is the three-mile-long Chuckanut Bay, which originated during the formation of the Chuckanut Mountains that border it. It features a variety of scenic spots including Clark’s Point and Teddy Bear Cove. Below Chuckanut Bay is tiny Pleasant Bay, then Samish Bay, which can be admired from scenic spots like Larrabee State Park, Clayton Beach, and the Oyster Dome lookout. Fun fact: Samish Bay is known for its oysters. In fact, it’s the site of the first-ever Pacific oysters, which have populated the waters since 1919 after being thrown from a cargo ship.

Continuing south into Skagit County, you’ll come across Padilla Bay, a shallow body of water that features exposed mudflats at low tide. This bay features the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, which protects 11,966 acres of diverse wetlands. It contains one of the largest beds of eelgrass in the contiguous United States, plus wildlife crabs, eagles, shorebirds, fish (including salmon), and even mammals such as river otters and seals. Last but not least is the Skagit Bay, which is connected to Padilla Bay by the Swinomish Channel. It’s emptied into by the Skagit River and is surrounded by Whidbey, Fidalgo, and Camano islands.

Rivers and Lakes To Know

If saltwater isn’t quite your jam, never fear: You also have plenty of options for recreation when it comes to freshwater. The North Sound is home to a variety of rivers, streams, lakes so many, in fact, that we could never name them all but we can give you a quick guide to some of the most notable ones.

The Nooksack River originates in the Mount Baker Wilderness and begins in earnest at the merging of three forks the North, Middle, and South Forks near the city of Deming. The scenic North Fork is especially notable, as it gathers icy runoff from the East Nooksack Glacier.

Further south is the Skagit River, which begins in British Columbia and flows into the Puget Sound via the Skagit Bay. Along the way, it enters and exits through notable recreation spots such as Ross Lake and Diablo Lake (both of which feature boat-in campsites). It’s also joined by its major tributaries, the Sauk River and Cascade River, near Marblemount. Like the Nooksack River, the Skagit River is a popular spot for tubing, kayaking, and rafting.

Whatcom County is home to a whopping 113 lakes, and perhaps the most notable is Lake Whatcom. It provides drinking water to more than 100,000 residents of Bellingham and the surrounding county. Lake Whatcom is also home to summertime spots like Bloedel Donovan Park and Lake Whatcom Park, where its (relatively) warm waters offer endless opportunities for recreation. Just south of Bellingham is Lake Samish, which also features a swimming area and is another popular spot for boating, fishing, kayaking, and paddleboarding.

Other popular lakes serve as hiking destinations in the Chuckanut Mountains, including Fragrance Lake, Lost Lake, and Pine and Cedar Lakes. (Speaking of mountains, hikers and backpackers will find a variety of lakes in the Mount Baker wilderness, though these will likely be too chilly for swimming.) Lake Padden and Squires Lake are surrounded by trails that make them ideal for family hikes, and Silver Lake and Baker Lake are classic picks for fishing, boating, and camping.

Skagit County has 119 lakes, and Lake Erie (near Anacortes), Lake Shannon (near Concrete), Cranberry Lake (near Deception Pass), and the aptly-named Big Lake (near Mount Vernon) are all ideal for boating and fishing. Clear Lake Beach is a popular spot for families in the summer months, and Lake Campbell (located at the base of Mount Erie) is an underrated spot for swimming.

We’d also be remiss not to mention some of the lakes of the San Juans: The lakes at Lakedale Resort on San Juan Island, Mountain Lake and Cascade Lake on Orcas Island, and Hummel Lake on Lopez Island are just a few of our favorites.