Squalicum Creek



Squalicum Creek is a stream in Whatcom County, Washington, that flows through Bellingham, Washington, to Bellingham Bay. It drains an area of 22 sqmi.

The Washington State Department of Transportation and the City of Bellingham have been working to improve the suitability of the creek, with headwaters in the Cascade foothills, as spawning habitat for pink, chum and coho salmon and cutthroat trout. From 2015 to 2020, the city government rerouted the creek around Bug Lake, an artificial pond created during construction of Interstate 5, to improve temperatures for fish and remove barriers.

The creek, Squalicum High School, and other locations named Squalicum around Bellingham are named for the native word meaning "place of the dog salmon".