Skip the Lines to Ride- Bellingham is the Disney World for all types of riders.
Believe me, I have spent my fair share of time at Disney World and spent just enough time on the saddle in Bellingham to confidently make this a fair assessment. Bellingham, Washington is in fact Disney World for all types of riders. Call it the city of loam lovers, gravel grinders, and rad roadies, you’ve probably never heard of Bellingham before and to be quite honest the locals are okay with that. You might have heard of Seattle a time or two but you might not have heard of this little gem we call Bellingham. B’ham is the creme de la crop as any mtber, road cyclist, or outdoor-loving fool would say.
Nestled in the thick pines, under overcast skies, Bellingham is where the trails run rampant and the roads always lead to an adventure. The town itself is rather bike-friendly, you’re more likely to run into a bike shop than a gas station. We’re spoiled with bike lanes on just about every road and a convenient trail system to rip from one side of town to the other. It’s hard to live in Bellingham and just own one bike, you’re going to find a need for a mountain bike, road bike, gravel bike, and a downtown cruiser. Oh yea, and skip the bike rack, everything is right in your backyard.
Let’s break it down…
MTB the Best of the Best
Riders have been shredding under the thick PNW tree canopies of Galbraith Mountain since the 1980s. Better known as Galbi, this beaut is covered in dirt that’ll make you want to drool. Easy accessibility from town makes it the perfect place for a hot lap in the backyard of the 80,000 Bellingham residents. From our apartment, you can smash out a door-to-door lap in 1hr or less…. (that makes it prime real estate folks.)
Galbi has a little slice of dirt for everyone XC, punchy climbs, fast and flowy, rough and rooty, woodwork, you name it, Galbi’s got it. With over 65 miles of trails, it's easy to go out and get lost in the sauce. Galbraith brings together a wide variety of riders, you may run into your doctor, the CEO at the local tech firm, college students, or anyone 20 to 70-year-olds the is looking to get in on the action.
Much of the trail’s beauty and craft can be accredited to the WBMC, Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition. The WMBC works hard to protect the dirt, expand the trail network and incorporate the privately owned logging land into the community. Trail workdays every couple of months allow riders to rip on the trails year-round.
The best part is Galbraith isn’t your one and only, there's Blanchard mountain and the rooty Chuckanuts nearby. Round out the ride with a post-ride beer from a local brewery 5-10 mins just about any trailhead. If you’re looking for a trial recommendation, my personal favorite is Unemployment Line on the south side and SST on the north side.
Gravel Grind
For the ex-roadies that grew tired of dealing with the cars or simply those that just love a good gravel grind, you’ll find plenty of roads for a good suffer-fest.
It’s hard to not lock eyes with the San Juan Islands, Mount Baker, Canadian Rockies, or the Cascade foothills (I think you get the pictures) on a ride. Give yourself a couple of months and you’ll be in tip-top shape after you’ve done a few sea to summit rides. There’s a community called the Bellingham Grind Corps so you’ll never ride alone. PNW boasts a few gravel races that highlight a little bit of the magic.
If one day on the saddle isn’t enough there are plenty of roads and trails that lead to camping areas for an overnight bikepacking trip.
Roadies
Country roads take us home… or to the Canadian border (just 25 miles away.) Just north of Bellingham is open farmland, country roads, and small towns for the perfect day to get some big miles in. If it’s a Saturday morning, you won’t be the only roadie out there. The informal donut ride has been going every Saturday morning at 7 am since the 1980s. Since the donut ride no longer stops for donuts feel free to make your own cafe ride around town. Coffee and IPA’s flow like water in this town.
If you’re looking to skip town, hop on a ferry and ride around the island for a change of pace.
