The Secluded State Park In Washington You Never Knew Existed

Washington has 186 state parks and dozens of beautiful recreation areas -- and some of them tend to get overlooked. Unless you call the Bellingham area home, you probably haven't experienced the sheer beauty of Larrabee State Park. It's breathtaking, and it's basically in Bellingham's backyard.

Larrabee State Park is located on Samish Bay, about 6 miles south of Bellingham.

Bellingham locals love it, but those that don't live in the area rarely know it exists.

The sunset views on the bay are spectacular.

Luckily, you can camp here. The park has 51 standard tent sites, 26 utility sites, and even 8 primitive sites.

The park has plenty of paths and trails perfect for getting your exercise.

And some, like the Rock Trail, are easy to navigate.

This is one of the views from the Oyster Dome Trail, one of the most popular trails in the park.

The hike is 5 miles long, but with views like this, you'll forget you're exercising.

Don't think you have to visit Larrabee State Park in the summer to enjoy it to the fullest. This is a photo from January.

Mild winters and Western Washington humidity keep this park looking amazing all year long.

Other popular park activities include fishing, boating, bicycling, and of course, picnicking.

It's places like this that make us so thankful to live in Washington.

Ready to plan your trip to Larrabee State Park? You can work it in to a road trip down Chuckanut Drive, which is one of our state's most beautiful byways.