“where the mountains meet the sea”
Set on the seaward side of Chuckanut Mountain near Bellingham, Larrabee State Park is known for its postcard views of Samish Bay and the San Juan Islands. It is also Washington’s first state park. This unique camping park on famed Chuckanut Drive offers boating, fishing, shellfish harvesting and diving. A ¾-mile hike takes you to the rare sandstone cliffs and teeming tidepools of Clayton Beach. This is the perfect spot for a quiet time out, an exploratory jaunt with the kids or a romantic date. Though the shore is the main draw at Larrabee, freshwater Fragrance and Lost lakes provide excellent bass and trout fishing. Hiking and mountain bike trails wind through a forest of Douglas-fir and salal. Train-spotting is also part of the Larrabee experience. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and Amtrak run trains up to 16 times a day (including at night) on the Burlington Northern track by the beach. This can be a noisy proposition for light sleepers but great fun for train buffs and kids. Park visitors often enjoy the full 21-mile meander along Chuckanut Drive and discover the charm and flavor of Northwest Washington with a side trip into Bellingham, with its variety of attractions and amenities.
Reviews of Larrabee State Park
12 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on August 23, 2023AT&T 4G
Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on September 16, 2019T-Mobile 5G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on December 12, 2020Terrible place to sleep when you have trains going by all night long, that are extremely loud.
This was a last minute stop and I was pleasantly surprised and happy. The string is beautiful, the coast is so close to access. If it wasn't for the many negative signs in the park, I would give it 5 stars. Oh and the .50 for 3 minute shower fee :).
Nightly Rate: $22.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: T15
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Larrabee is an older, and very popular state park in Bellingham, WA with access to miles of trails and a quick walk down to the water. There are full hookup pull-through and back-in spots. Bring the leveling blocks, we needed two sets of lynx levelers in both spots we stayed in. The campground is located between the road and Amtrak tracks, but we didn't hear much road or train noise in our trailer. I'd definitely stay here again, but I'd book in advance for a a better choice of sites.
Nightly Rate: $48.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: T11, T9
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
AT&T 4G
When I pulled into my site, there were two tiny metal trailers there because a big rock was blocking where their site pad was. So I spent my 2 nights literally 1 foot away from their trailers in my tiny trailer. No ranger to talk to and no one caught that they were only allowed 1 trailer per site, not two. And no ranger to handle the fact they left their dogs tied up at the site all day while they went off kayaking. And the people on the other side literally had 4 tents, 3 vehicles and about a dozen people in a single site. This was by far my worst experience with WA State parks and I spent most of the summer in their parks.
The beach is a short walk away, nice rocks and geology to explore, as well as some tide pools. There is a trail over the shoreline cliffs that provides nice views of the San Juans and up towards Bellingham proper.
The Larrabee campsite area is literally squeezed in between Route 11, a two-lane scenic road with lots of weekend traffic, and the Burlington Northern railroad line, which provides a half-dozen train whistles and rumbling trains to the mix. Between the two, and the close quarters in the campsite area, it can be hard to feel like you’re really escaping civilization.
Nightly Rate: $35.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 22
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Pull through spots can be steep uphill. Bring some boards and good wheel chocks.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: T3
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
We were in Bellingham to move my son into his new house and had planned on "camping" in his driveway, that didn't work out so we scrambled to find a last minute place. We took a chance on Larrabee State Park and it worked out great. We didn't understand the reservation system in that you can't reserve for same day arrivals but they post on the board available or unreserved sites, that was helpful but we needed more than one night so we were able to tract down a ranger who was extremely helpful and we were able to settle into site T-10 for 3 nights.
Pros:
Great location; close to Fairhaven, hiking trails and beach
Helpful rangers
Sun and shade
Drive through sites
Clean bathrooms (didn't look at the showers)
Picnic table, Fire Pits
Full Hook-ups
Cons:
Drive through sites are unleveled and steep
Close together sites
Train runs through several times a day (didn't bother us, we liked it)
You can hear slight highway traffic as well
Nightly Rate: $23.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: T-10
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Love where this is located. A train comes through several times a night and is close by, so that can be noisy, otherwise great place in a cool area. 3 RV options with Full Hookups (Premier $40, Basic $35, Economy $30) base on seclusion, season, and grade of spot.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: T9
We stayed for two nights. The grounds are clean and well maintained. There are lots of hiking trails. We hiked to the beach, only .75 mi from campground. Then hiked Fragrance Lake trail to the lookout point, .9 mi. You could hike extra mile to Fragrance Lake, but we got a late start so we didnt go all the way. The B&N Railroad trains pass by every couple of hours and blow their horns If you are a light sleeper, you might find this annoying. But I liked hearing it and didnt disturb our sleep. We will be back for sure. The beauty of this place looking out to Samish Bay is awesome. 5 stars!
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: T16
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Great place for a 4 things. $40 a night, 20-50 amp hookup. We had a straigh drive thru lot right after Labor Day. 2nd time. Would stay again
Nightly Rate: $40.00
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: 7
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 4G
Larrabee State park is a very nice park. This time of year we almost had the place to ourselves. WA state Parks offer free camping with a disabled veteran lifetime pass. The campground is keep clean and tidy. Some of the RV sites are very unlevel. The water is shut off after Nov 1st, but there is winter water available at the restroom. There are train tracks that run right through the park, close to the campground, and the train comes by multiple time throughout the day and night. If you are a light sleeper, it might bother you, but we actually liked it. The park is about 10 minutes south of Fairhaven, and Bellingham proper is 15-25 minutes away depending on where you want to go. The one thing I would give warning about is the south approach to to the park on highway 11. It is a very narrow road and at many points you are driving next to a rocky cliff and the oncoming lane is next to a drop-off, with almost no shoulder. I would recommend coming in from the north.
Nightly Rate: $0.00
Days Stayed: 10
Site Number: T17
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
T-Mobile
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Larrabee State Park
Hours
- Tue: 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Thu: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
- Fri: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- Sat: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm
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Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Max Stay
- 10
- Max Length
- 50ft
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Sites Count
- 85
- Last Nightly Rate
- 22.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 0.0
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 24
- Pull Through RV Sites Count
- 12
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 29.0
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Sites
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Laundry
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Propane
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Showers
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Big Rigs
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Boondock
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Firewood
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Fifty Amp
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Tent Sites
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Cabin Sites
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Full Hookup
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Paved Sites
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Dump Station
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Mobile Homes
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Public Water
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Pull Through
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Reservations
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Sewer Hookup
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Water Hookup
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Age Restricted
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Rec Facilities
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Dispersed Sites
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Open Seasonally
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Permit Required
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Back In RV Sites
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Group Tent Sites
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Fulltime Residents
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Standard Tent Sites
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
Campground, Parking, Restrooms
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