Lily Point: Well worth Point Roberts drive

Continued from 3 fold you: the wide marine view, the sun and wind exposure, the pile-up of driftwood, the expanse of rocky beach (at low tide), the remnants of old building pilings, the soar and dive of bald eagles in every direction.

Even without the aid of binoculars and map, one can identify: Semiahmoo peninsula nearest, but still almost eight miles away; industry at Whatcom County’s Cherry Point; the islands Lummi, Matia, Sucia, Patos and Orcas; Canadian islands and beyond them, dimly, the Olympic range.

Most of all, what will draw the visitor’s attention is the yellow sandstone cliff running a thousand feet on the northcentral side of Lily Point. Be advised, there is no trail up here.

One can stand and marvel at the multiple layers and variations of rock and sand in this wall, the effects of constant wind and storm erosion, and the precariousness of trees and shrubs that dare to put down roots here.

The trekking of Lily Point Marine Park, in all, is no more than a few miles. There are various helpful interpretive signs and stations, covering the site’s cultural history, its brief industrial period, its flora and fauna, and “what can you see?” in the distance.

There is a restroom facility at the free parking lot. From the border crossing, take Tyee Drive south to the marina, then A.P.A. Road east.

Lily Point Marine Park came together as a public preserve through the efforts of Whatcom County (acquisition in 2008), the Whatcom Land Trust, Lummi Nation, federal and state agencies, and preservationminded average folks who valued this special place.

“Lummi forebears each year performed their most important “first salmon” ceremony, seeking the annual return of the fish on which they depended. They called this place Chelhtenem, which means ‘racks for drying seafood,’” a sign explains.

After Alaska Packers Association operation from 1884 to 1917, the future of Lily Point for many years hung in the balance. Development proposals over 30 years catalyzed community sentiment to preserve the point for the permanent natural enjoyment by all of the public.