Coast Millennium Trail
The Coast Millennium Trail (CMT) will be a destination off-road shared-use path connecting communities from Skagit County to British Columbia, Canada, and beyond. Bellingham and other communities in Whatcom County have been constructing segments of the trail since 1999 and, as of 2007, approximately 15 miles of the CMT is open for the walking and biking public to enjoy. The CMT features the coastline of Whatcom County along a distance of roughly fifty miles. Alternate trail “braids” will feature different scenery or facilities. The trail route continues to evolve as communities build more trail segments. In Bellingham, for example, the completion of the Taylor Street Dock in 2005 creates a feature section of the CMT. North of Bellingham, trail projects are in progress along the Nooksack River connecting to the City of Ferndale Riverfront Plaza. Birch Bay is developing a shoreline walking trail that connects to a scenic overlook trail through the Bay Club neighborhood and leads to Semiahmoo Parkway. The City of Blaine’s downtown waterfront boardwalk and the planned Drayton Harbor scenic loop will lead to a trail crossing at the border via Peace Arch State Park.
Trail travelers along the Coast Millennium Trail enjoy access to three state parks, dozens of city and county parks, and scenic natural areas. Visitors and residents use the trail for transportation from urban to rural areas, for daily errands and recreational touring.
Background
The idea of a border-to-border, multi-use trail along the coast of western Whatcom County, Washington began in the 1970s. At that time, advocates drafted preliminary plans for the Pacific Coast bicycle route extending from southern California to the Canadian border. City and County trail plans of the 1980s included the coastal trail concept and some jurisdictions installed Coastal Bike Route signs along shared roadways. In the 1990s, the Whatcom County Bicycle Plan identified segments of the Coastal Bike Trail route as priority projects.
Construction of trail projects began in 1990, when Whatcom County built the Interurban Trail connecting Fairhaven with Larrabee State Park. In 1993, Bellingham completed the South Bay Trail connecting downtown with Fairhaven. Public and private groups have constructed other trail sections, and work continues to fill in the gaps and complete this landmark project.
In the spring of 1999, the Coast Millennium Trail public-private partnership was established to pursue the goal of planning and building a continuous multi-use trail between Skagit County and White Rock, B.C. The CMT Campaign Committee included representatives of Whatcom County, the Cities of Bellingham, Ferndale and Blaine, the Port of Bellingham, Washington State Parks, Whatcom Council of Governments, the Trillium Corporation, and others. Representatives from Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Whatcom Transportation Authority, Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Mt. Baker Bicycle Club, and Back Country Horsemen and many others added support. Core participants signed a resolution in support of the planning effort, and Whatcom County, the City of Bellingham, the Port of Bellingham, and the Trillium Corporation made funding commitments.
On September 24th, 1999, Mayor Hardy Staub of the City of White Rock, B.C., hosted an international signing ceremony for representatives of communities on both sides of the border, as a further demonstration of support. Representatives of the Semiahmoo First Nation band attended to show support for the trail and its future extension around Boundary Bay to Point Roberts.
The initial Coast Millennium Trail Master Plan was completed in late 1999. The CMT was awarded a $1.2 million Federal Transportation Enhancements grant in 2000 for phase one projects including:
- Drayton Harbor Plover Dock Gangway
- City of Bellingham Little Squalicum Trail
- City of Bellingham Old Samish Interurban Trail
- Bicycle Safety Education Outreach
- Nooksack River Dike Trail
- Master Plan Update and Project Coordination
The City of Bellingham and the Trillium Corporation contributed local match funding for these phase one CMT projects.
Future phases of the Coast Millennium Trail will extend beyond the county borders. To the north, the trail will cross the international border and link to the extensive British Columbia trail system around Boundary Bay. The City of White Rock, British Columbia, supports development of an international trail and, by way of White Rock and the existing Boundary Bay Trail, the CMT will extend to Point Roberts. To the south, the CMT will connect with Skagit, Snohomish and King County trails, ultimately linking Seattle and Vancouver metropolitan areas.
Acknowledgements
This master plan could not have been completed without the enthusiastic support of many people from both the public and private sectors. In addition to positive comments and suggestions offered by citizens, special recognition is due each member of the CMT Campaign Committee which steered the overall planning process. Roger DeSpain (Whatcom Co. Parks & Recreation) and Jim Miller (Whatcom Council of Governments) co-chaired the committee. Thanks also go to Pete Kremen, Whatcom County Executive, and Mayor Hardy Staub and his planning staff with the City of White Rock, B.C.
Facilities
Of the 50 mile extent of the Coast Millennium Trail, about 15 miles of off-road trail are open for public use as of 2007. These trail segments, listed below, are surfaced with compacted limestone gravel, except Squalicum Marina and Semiahmoo trails which are paved:
- South Bay and Boulevard Park Trails from Fairhaven to Bellingham (2 miles)
- Squalicum Marina trails (0.5 miles)
- Marine Park Trail near Bellingham Airport (0.25 miles)
- Nooksack River Dike Trail from Marine Drive to Ferndale (5 miles)
- Semiahmoo Parkway and spit in Blaine (2 miles)
- Blaine’s Marine Park Trail (0.25 miles)
In the future, the entire CMT will be an off-road trail. Until then, an interim CMT route includes some on-road segments to create a continuous route. Bicyclists who enjoy road riding can experience the trail along 12 miles of on-road bike lanes or shared shoulders in these locations:
- Roeder Avenue from Bellingham to Little Squalicum Park (1 mile) paved shoulders
- Marine Drive from Bennet to Locust Roads (0.5 mile) bike lanes
- Country Lane from Bancroft to Nooksack River (1.5 mile) paved shoulders
- Slater Road from Rural to Henry Roads (6 miles) paved shoulders
- Birch Bay Drive from State Park to Shintaffer Road (2 miles) paved shoulders
- Semiahmoo Parkway from Shintaffer to the spit (1 mile) bike lanes
Trail travelers enjoy the use of paved roads that are closed to motor vehicle traffic in the Cherry Point area.
Partners, jurisdictions and developers are building more trail segments each year.
On-road shoulders or bike lanes serve as links in the regional bicycle transportation system, serving recreation and transportation functions. The CMT brings economic development opportunities to Whatcom County through its rich variety of scenic, educational, interpretive, health, and environmental benefits.
Participants
Partners in the Coast Millennium Trail project continue to work toward construction of sections of the trail:
Founding Committee Participants
Roger DeSpain, Director, Whatcom County Parks & Recreation Department
Lynn Givler, Operations Manager, Whatcom County Parks & Recreation Department
Gordon Rogers, Project Manager; Ellen Barton, Whatcom Council of Governments
Tim Wahl, Leslie Bryson, Bellingham Parks & Recreation
Carol Williams, Port of Bellingham
Dave Erickson, Director, City of Ferndale Parks & Recreation
Scott Chalfant, Park Manager, Larrabee State Park
Jim Ellis, Washington State Parks
Steve Banham, Public Works Engineering, City of Blaine
Leonard Dixon, Planning Department, Lummi Nation
Kim Cederstrom, Whatcom Transportation Authority
John Cooper, Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Bob Libolt, Ken Hertz, Trillium Corporation
Michael Brennan, Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce
Richard Sturgill, Friends of the Plover
Ted Morris, Park Manager, Birch Bay State Park
Clark Williams, Public Works Engineering, City of Bellingham
Jeri Krampetz, Executive Director, Pacific Northwest Trail Association
Tom Paine, Kathy Larson, Puget Sound Energy
Thomas Reed, Lake Terrell Wildlife Reserve, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Ravyn Whitewolf, Public Works Engineering, Whatcom County
Honorary Co-Chairs
Pete Kremen, County Executive, Whatcom County
Hardy Staub, Mayor, City of White Rock, B.C.
Funding
In January, 2000, the Whatcom Council of Governments was awarded grant funds from the Federal Highway Administration TEA-21 Enhancements funds to build the first phase of the Coast Millennium Trail. The grant of $1,200,000 was allocated to completion of four sections of the trail in Bellingham, Blaine, and along the Nooksack River. WCOG assisted with bicycle safety education and preliminary research. In 2006, the City of Bellingham completed its two project sections, the Old Samish Interurban connector and the Little Squalicum Park Trail. In 2005, the Drayton Harbor Maritime Association completed installation of the Plover Dock gangway. In 2008, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department received a response from the Natural Resources Conservation Service about rebuilding the Nooksack River Dike easement for a 4 mile section of the trail. The Cities of Blaine, Ferndale and Bellingham are working to identify funding sources for additional segments of the trail.
The financial resources needed to develop the CMT are available from a wide variety of federal, state, regional, local, and private sources including Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation (IAC), Safe Routes to Schools funds, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety grants, and the Bikes Belong foundation.