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4.0
189 votes

Larrabee State Park

245 Chuckanut Dr., Bellingham, Washington 98225 USA

Open Now
Fri 1p-5p
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“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.

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Reviews of Larrabee State Park

12 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

3.9 Access
4.6 Location
4.2 Cleanliness
3.6 Site Quality
2.9 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on August 23, 2023

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 6 users | Last reported on September 16, 2019

T-Mobile 5G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on December 12, 2020
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Reviewed by
2slye

  • 1 Review
  • 1 Helpful
August 06, 2015
Rated 1.0

Terrible place to sleep when you have trains going by all night long, that are extremely loud.

1 person found this review helpful
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Reviewed by
Campendium

March 20, 2015
Rated

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 :).

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $22.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: T15

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

August 15, 2016
Rated

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.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $48.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: T11, T9

4 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
2 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 16, 2016
Rated

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.

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Nightly Rate: $35.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 22

2 Access
3 Location
2 Cleanliness
1 Site Quality
1 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

February 20, 2017
Rated

Pull through spots can be steep uphill. Bring some boards and good wheel chocks.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: T3

4 Access
4 Location
4 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Reviewed by
jimpink

  • 6 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
September 26, 2017
Rated

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

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jimpink would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $23.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: T-10

4 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

October 13, 2017
Rated

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.

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Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 4

Site Number: T9

5 Access
5 Location
- Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
2 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

March 31, 2018
Rated

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!

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: T16

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

September 16, 2019
Rated

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

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $40.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 7

4 Access
4 Location
3 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 12, 2020
Rated

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.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $0.00

Days Stayed: 10

Site Number: T17

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

T-Mobile

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Larrabee State Park

245 Chuckanut Dr.
Bellingham, Washington
98225 USA
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Hours

Open now until 5:00 pm
  • 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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  • Check
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unavailable
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    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
  • Check
    Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Showers
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
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    Boondock
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    Firewood
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    Fifty Amp
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    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Check
    Full Hookup
  • Check
    Paved Sites
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    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Public Water
  • Check
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Check
    Sewer Hookup
  • Check
    Water Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
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    Back In RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Check
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
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