06/16/2026
Tennant Lake is a peace spot with great views and wildlife opportunities. Have you been to the Fragrance Garden or Tennant Lake Boardwalk Trail area? It’s a part of Hovander Park but many pass it by in favor of other areas of the same park without knowing these exist.
Cool off this summer with a walk through the swamp.
Seriously, the newly renovated boardwalk on the Tennant Lake Unit of Whatcom Wildlife Area near Bellingham offers a unique opportunity to stroll across an 80-acre, shallow, peat bog lake. Refer to our webpage for directions: wdfw.wa.gov/places-to-go/wildlife-areas/tennant-lake-wildlife-area-unit
WDFW completed a project to replace a flood-damaged section of the boardwalk with an elevated and durable grated surface in November 2025, reconnecting the full loop trail for the first time since 2022.
At just under a mile round-trip, the boardwalk is an excellent spot to watch for the more than 150 species of birds that call the area home, from pied-billed grebes, wood ducks, and marsh wrens to rare green herons. Visitors may also see frogs and the occasional aquatic mammal.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible section and viewing platform near the trail entrance remain closed due to damage during the 2025 floods. WDFW is working on grant applications with the goal of funding future replacement of the ADA-accessible section and viewing area as well as replacing the remainder of the boardwalk with elevated grating and adding interpretive features.
The trail connecting to the WDFW-managed Tennant Lake boardwalk is accessed from Whatcom County’s Hovander Homestead Park near the Tennant Lake Fragrance Garden.
Please tread carefully as the surface may be slippery when wet. No dogs or bicycles are allowed on the boardwalk. Additional trails are available in the wildlife area unit on the d**e along the Nooksack River.
Photo by WDFW of a new section of elevated boardwalk on the Tennant Lake Unit of Whatcom Wildlife Area.
