Seasonal conditions
Open year-round; driest and clearest July–September. Watch for fog on the headlands in spring mornings.
ROUTE
Chuckanut Drive: Bellingham to Bow on SR-11
Washington’s classic coastal cruise: 31 km of cliff-hugging SR-11 between Bellingham’s Fairhaven village and the farm flats of Bow and Edison — Salish Sea on one side, forest on the other.
scenic-road31 km1.2 hmoderate
Waterboy881 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
ABOUT THIS ROUTE
The route in detail
SR-11 clings to the Chuckanut Mountains’ seaward slope for 31 kilometres, the only place where the Cascades meet the sea in Washington. Leaving Fairhaven’s brick-fronted village, the road climbs into Larrabee State Park and runs a shelf above the tideline: coves and sandstone folds below, arbutus and fir above, the San Juan Islands spread across the Salish Sea. Past the Archie Carr overlooks the road drops to Samish Bay’s oyster flats and ends among the farm-to-table barns of Bow and Edison — a short ride that packs more water-and-mountain per kilometre than anything else in the northwest.
SR-11 clings to the Chuckanut Mountains’ seaward slope for 31 kilometres, the only place where the Cascades meet the sea in Washington. Leaving Fairhaven’s brick-fronted village, the road climbs into Larrabee State Park and runs a shelf above the tideline: coves and sandstone folds below, arbutus and fir above, the San Juan Islands spread across the Salish Sea. Past the Archie Carr overlooks the road drops to Samish Bay’s oyster flats and ends among the farm-to-table barns of Bow and Edison — a short ride that packs more water-and-mountain per kilometre than anything else in the northwest.
PLAN RESPONSIBLY
Season & safety
Key hazards
- Cliff-side curves with narrow shoulders through Larrabee State Park — ride the inside line.
- Weekend cyclist traffic on the narrow shelf section.
- Fog drifting over the headland cuts, especially on spring mornings.
Required gear
- Certified motorcycle helmet and full protective riding gear.
- Layered clothing — coastal air stays cool even in summer.
WAYPOINTS
Route points
- 01
Edison, Skagit County
waypoint
MAP & ROUTE
On the atlas
Elevation175 m high point1 m low point346 m total climbing14% steepest stretch (km 0.9)
INTERESTS
Why riders & travellers love it
WEATHER
Weather along the route
Forecast data from Open-Meteo. Updated regularly.
REGIONS
Explore the region
KEEP EXPLORING
The atlas continues
More routes, destinations and stories from every corner of the world — start where you like below.