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Lake Whatcom

Lake Whatcom, located east of Bellingham, WA, in Skagit County, is a natural lake approximately ten miles in length, about one mile wide in places, and distinguished by three basins, separated by sills.

The southern basin has a depth of about a hundred feet. The middle basin, the shallowist, has a floor at about 40 feet.

The lake is fed by chilly tributaries from the east. The entering water spends about seven years in the lake before exiting into Whatcom Creek, which makes it way to Bellingham Bay after traversing the northern part of the City of Bellingham. The residents of the City of Bellingham receive their water from the Lake.

When explorers first saw the lake, it was hunting grounds for the Salish Tribe of Indians, but they were pushed out by the Lummi Tribe in the 19th Century.

The initial white settlers engaged in logging initially. In recent years, the Whatcom Lake has become quite populated with residential and summer homes.