Maple Creek Park

This is the leg-stretcher we suggest when nobody feels like driving up the mountain. Maple Creek Park is an 80-acre county nature park on the north edge of downtown Maple Falls — about 3 minutes from the Little Red Cabin — held under a conservation easement with Whatcom Land Trust. Set expectations accordingly: it’s a trail park, not a playground-and-picnic-shelter park. The draw is one easy loop through forest and old pasture, with a creek crossing and a series of small waterfalls along Maple Creek, which is spawning and rearing habitat for several salmon species.

The trailhead is easy to miss. From the Maple Falls crossroads, turn onto Silver Lake Road at the gas station, then left on Second Street, and park at the north end of the Silver Lake Community Church lot. Free, no pass required, open daily 8am to dusk.

What to do

• Walk the Maple Creek Loop: easy, about 1.4 miles, roughly 250 feet of gain
• Watch for the small waterfalls and the creek crossing along the way
• Mountain biking is allowed on the trails

Good to know

• Don’t confuse this with Maple Creek Campground — that’s a separate facility inside Silver Lake Park, farther up the same road.
• The Bay to Baker trail segment toward Glacier was wiped out by 2015 flooding and remains unrepaired — this is a loop walk, not a walking route to Glacier.
• When you want a real hike, start with our best hikes near Mt. Baker.