Lake Samish
Where the lake sits
Lake Samish is a small lake south of Bellingham, sitting between the Chuckanut hills on one side and Blanchard Mountain to the south, with I-5 running right past its east shore. The freeway is what makes it unusual. You can live on a lake in the woods, with forest behind the house, and still be right next to an on-ramp, headed to Bellingham one way or Skagit County and Seattle the other.
It is outside the Bellingham city limits, in unincorporated Whatcom County, and it feels that way. There is no village and no commercial strip. It is houses, water, trees and the roads that go around the shore. Derek is president of the Lake Samish Community Association, so we know this lake well.
What the housing is like
Most of what sells here is on or near the water. Some of it is recent, full-size houses built for year-round living on generous lots. Some of it started life as summer cabins, and those have been added onto, lifted, rebuilt or left alone, depending on the owner. Two houses next door to each other can be very different propositions.
On an older lake house, the inspection matters more than usual. Look at the foundation and what it is sitting on, the roof, the wiring, and anything that was added without much planning. Ask whether the house is on sewer or on a septic system and where the water comes from, and get the records for both. If it is septic, have it inspected by somebody who does that for a living.
The shoreline has its own rules. Docks, bulkheads, boathouses and anything built close to the water fall under the county’s shoreline regulations, and what is already there and permitted is a different thing from what you would be allowed to build new. If the dock is a big part of why you want the house, find out its status before you make an offer. The same goes for any plan to add on toward the lake, or to clear trees for a view.
Then there is the freeway. It is the reason the lake is so convenient and it is also something you can hear from parts of it, mostly along the east side. Some people stop noticing it in a week and some never do. Go and stand on the deck at a busy time of day.
On the water and in the woods
The lake is big enough for waterskiing and you can still paddle across it. People fish it, swim in it, and spend a lot of summer on docks. Lake Samish Park, the county park on the lake, has a swimming beach, trails and a place to fish, and there is a public boat ramp for anybody who does not have their own waterfront. Boats coming in from elsewhere have to go through an invasive species inspection first, the same as on Lake Whatcom.
The woods around the lake are the other half of it. There are trails and public forest close by in nearly every direction, up into the Chuckanuts and over onto Blanchard Mountain, and there is a lot of good mountain biking within easy reach. Lutherwood, the camp and retreat center on the lake, runs summer camps for kids.
Daily life
You drive for everything. Groceries, school, dinner and work are all in Bellingham or down the freeway, and people who live here are fine with that because it is a short, easy drive and they come home to a lake. Fairhaven is the closest place for a meal out or a bookstore, and downtown Bellingham is not much farther.
The schools usually listed for Lake Samish are Happy Valley Elementary, Fairhaven Middle School and Sehome High School, all in Bellingham Public Schools and all a drive away. Check the district’s boundary map for the specific address before you count on any of them.
It is a small community, people tend to know their neighbors by first name, and the community association is active.
Who it suits
Lake Samish suits people who want to be on fresh water and in the trees and do not need anything within walking distance. It works well if you commute by freeway, in either direction. If you want a bigger lake that is closer to town, look at Lake Whatcom, and be ready for stricter building rules there. For salt water and the same kind of woods, Chuckanut is just over the hill.