Silver Lake Park

This is our default answer when guests want an easy day that isn’t a mountain hike. Silver Lake Park is a 410-acre Whatcom County park wrapped around the southwest side of Silver Lake, 3.5 miles up Silver Lake Road from the Maple Falls crossroads, between Red Mountain and Black Mountain. Day use is free, daily 8am to dusk — about 20 minutes from the Black Cedar and 10 from the Little Red Cabin.

Summer is the obvious season: swim at the designated beach, rent a boat at the park office, cast for stocked trout. But the lake earns the short drive in the quiet months too, with 5.75 miles of trails and almost nobody on them. We wrote a full post with the details: our Silver Lake Park guide.

What to do

• Swim at the designated beach near the boat launch and picnic area
• Rent a rowboat, canoe, kayak, pedal boat, or paddleboard (seasonal, roughly $17/hour to $61/day)
• Fish for stocked rainbow trout and coastal cutthroat — Washington license required; confirm current WDFW rules first
• Walk part of the park’s 5.75 miles of trails
• Launch your own boat (10-horsepower motor limit)

Good to know

• No cell service or Wi-Fi anywhere in the park — download maps and tell someone your plan.
• The Lagoon Bridge is currently closed, which interrupts the full lakeshore loop.
• Boat rentals are seasonal and wind down after peak summer — call before a late-September or October visit.