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Mile 21
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Interstate-5 Exit 250 – Old Fairhaven Parkway
We go north to south on this site but the State of
Washington numbers from south to north so mile 21 is the north end of
Chuckanut Drive.
Head west from the exit on Old Fairhaven Parkway.
Interstate-5
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Mile 20
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Rotary Park – Interurban Trailhead
& Parking lot.
This trailhead park and parking lot on the south side
of Old Fairhaven Parkway gives access to the Interurban trail that goes
from here to mile 14 at Larrabee State Park.
Light at 12th
Street and Old Fairhaven Parkway.
Turn right to go to downtown Fairhaven
Turn left to continue down Chuckanut Drive
At this light you are actually in south Fairhaven. After you turn south you will see
Fairhaven Middle School to the right and beyond the school is the
Edgemoor District of Bellingham.
Edgemoor is full of upscale homes.
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Mile 19
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As you enter mile
19 you will first cross over the Padden Creek Bridge shown to the
right. It is just south of the
light at 12th and Old Fairhaven Parkway.
As you turn left at the end of the bridge the
Fairhaven Park Rose Garden will be on your left and a block further south
you will come to the main entrance of Fairhaven Park. The park has a children’s water park,
picnic facilities and trails.
The road heads inland a bit to go around Chuckanut
Bay.
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Mile 18
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Junction with the Old Samish Road that parallels
Interstate-5 to the north end of Lake Samish.
On the west side of the
road you will see a grey building that houses Chuckanut Gallery. They have two different galleries and
an outdoor garden filled with art.
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Mile 17
Mile 16
Mile 15
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Chuckanut Bay is a bay along the shore of the
Chuckanut Mountains at the south end of Bellingham Bay. It is that portion of the bay that lies
between Clark’s Point and Governor Point.
The hills behind this bay are lined with private residences
both below and above Chuckanut Drive which is at about the 200 foot level
above the bay.
In mile 15 the road heads a little inland as it passes
the Governors Point peninsula.
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Mile 14
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The roadway comes back in sight of the bay.
Larrabee State Park – The first State Park
in Washington State. This 2683
acre camping park has 8100 feet of salt water shoreline. They have 51 tent sites, 26 RV sites
with utilities, 8 primitive sites, trails, lakes, and an RV dump station.
Visit the Park's web site.
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Mile 13
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Clayton Beach – there is parking and a trail to the
beach. This beach is famous for
its sandy beach and sunbathers with little or no clothing.
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Mile 12
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Paved view point with historic marker and picnic
tables.
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Mile 11
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There are several pull outs along this curvy portion
of the road.
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Mile 10
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You will
find Oyster Creek with a curved concrete bridge over it. There is a building on the creek by the
bridge that used to house a restaurant.
Further south at the top of a gentle hill out of the
Oyster Creek valley is another lodge-like building right on the edge of
the road. If the famous Oyster Bar
restaurant is open you will find many cars parked along the side of the
road. The restaurant has view windows
with wonderful views of the Samish Bay, the San Juan Islands and the
coastal mountains to the west.
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Mile 9
Mile 8
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At the south end of the mountainous section of the
highway you come upon Chuckanut Manor.
If this famous seafood restaurant and bed & breakfast is open
the parking lot will be full of cars.
They have breathtaking views of the San Juan Islands.
Just south of Chuckanut manor you will go over a
bridge that crossover the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
Railroad onto the flatlands of the Skagit River Valley.
South of the bridge you will find a Japanese Garden
and restaurant. Seasonally there
is an organic produce stands.
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Mile 7
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Intersection with the Bow Hill Road.
At the intersection you will find the very popular
Rhododendron Café. You will also
find an antique shop, a mini-mart gas station, and west of the
intersection the Edison Post Office.
East of the intersection you will find the Village of
Bow and an organic blueberry farm and cheese outlet. In 1.5 miles you will cross over the
BNSF tracks and start up the hill.
If you go 3.7 miles east on the Bow Hill Road you will find
yourself at Interstate-5 Exit 236.
If you go west on Bow Hill Road for one mile you will
find the Village of Edison. There
are two great taverns in Edison that are famous for their food.
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Mile 6
Mile 5
Mile 4
Mile 3
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On this portion of Chuckanut Drive you travel through
the Skagit Valley farmlands. You
will see the houses, barns, and outbuildings of the typical local farm.
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Mile 2
Mile 1
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Junction with Allen West Road and the Village of Allen
Allen – Antique shop, grocery store, espresso stand
and seasonal produce market.
The highway goes through Skagit Valley farmlands in
this area.
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Mile 0
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Interstate-5 Exit 230 – Chuckanut Drive / Burlington
Interstate-5
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