Little Squalicum Pier opened on April 2, 2025, giving the public new access to bay views extending 1,248 feet into the water. The pier was originally built in 1912 by the Olympic Portland Cement Company to transport its products to offshore barges. The City of Bellingham has been planning to turn the site into a public walkway since 1995.
The pier originally extended an additional 600 feet into the bay and connected to a dolphin line, structures for mooring barges. Those structures were demolished in 2023. The pier’s previous owners donated the remaining portion of the pier to the City of Bellingham, said Nicole Oliver, the parks and recreation director for the City of Bellingham.
The City hosted an official opening ceremony on April 23, 2025. While the pier is fully accessible to the public, the City plans on continuing improvements, she said.
“There's still work to be done over time that's going to address the creosote structures and the fact that there are more piling than are probably necessary,” Oliver said. “[The pier] was built to hold train cars full of concrete, we don’t need that level of support now.”
Despite the City’s plans for upgrades, Bellingham residents interviewed by The Front said they’re happy with the current pier. On April 25, three weeks after the opening of the pier, over 20 people were on or around the pier at midday, enjoying the view.
Mike Mahoney was one such person, bringing with him his two dogs to enjoy the sandy shores and walk along the pier. He said he has been coming to the pier every day since it opened.
“When you get out to the end of the pier, you can see Mount Baker and the other mountains crystal clear,” Mahoney said. “It's the perfect spot to see them, and I can always find a good stick [for the dogs].”
Residents also spoke highly of the accessibility of the pier — for two-legged and four-legged friends alike. Patricia Conover was enjoying an afternoon walk along the pier and said she appreciated how easy it was to find.
“There's lots of ways to access it. There's different places to park, so you can walk far if you want to go for a stroll, or you can park close,” Conover said. “It’s so wonderful, I feel lucky to have it in town.”
Future developments depend on funding. The initial construction for the pier was funded by the Greenway Program, a property tax levy that started in 1990 to fund park acquisition, development and maintenance.
The Greenway Program and Little Squalicum Pier are part of the city’s goal to create more equitable access to nature and the water surrounding Bellingham, according to Oliver.
“It's really important because it's converting a historic industrial relic into something that is a real community asset,” Oliver said. “It can be a place to visit each other, get to know people, enjoy a view and be closer to wildlife, but also be safe and not have a negative impact on the surrounding environment.”
Tori Lehman (she/her) is a city news reporter for The Front this quarter. Tori is in her third year at Western majoring in environmental journalism and minoring in women, gender, and sexuality studies. She enjoys immersing herself in nature and reading essays from authors like Joan Didion and Rayne Fisher-Quann in her spare time. You can reach her at torilehman.thefront@gmail.com.
