Squires Lake
Conservation Easement
Ownership Type
84
Total Acres
1995
Protected Since
From WLT Property Map Descriptions: “Formed by the rugged folds of Chuckanut sandstone, Squires Lake Park includes a 10-acre lake surrounded by forest. Part of this public park lies in Skagit County and it is cooperatively managed by Whatcom and Skagit County Parks. It contains a loop hiking trail, is important habitat for various wildlife, and improves water quality and quantity.”
Thins to Know
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Day-use only. No camping.
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There are no motorized vehicles allowed on this property.
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Dogs are allowed as long as they are kept on leash and always clean up after your pet.
Ownership and Management
Squires Lake is cooperatively managed by the Whatcom and Skagit County Parks and Recreation Department. Whatcom Land Trust holds a conservation easement on the property recorded July 1995.
From County website:
“Acquired in 1995 with Conservation Futures Funds and the assistance of the Whatcom County Land Trust, this 82 acre park is focused around Squires Lake, once used by the Squires Family as a private fish and fur farm. The park provides a connection to the Pacific Northwest Trail which links Glacier National Park to the Pacific Ocean. The park is cooperatively managed by the Whatcom and Skagit County Parks & Recreation Department.” View more on the County site
Access
2-mile trail loop around the lake and beaver pond with connection to Pacific Northwest Scenic Trail at the south end of the property. The loop around the lake is primarily flat. The trail system is easy to moderate difficulty.
Parking
Parking located at trailhead parking lot off Old Highway 99. Parking lot is gravel with space for approximately 10 vehicles.
Restoration Efforts
Once called the Thousand Puddles Trail, significant improvements have been made to the trail along the South Fork Nooksack with the help of the Backcountry Horseman, the Washington Conservation Corps, and Whatcom Land Trust volunteers. Lummi Nation has also planted along this reach of the South Fork Nooksack as well as install engineered log jams along the river to improve salmon habitat and water quality and quantity of the South Fork.
Why We love this land
Ecological features: sub-alpine lake, beaver pond, wetlands, diverse mature forest and understory. Property is used by beavers, deer, waterfowl, and other birds. Squire’s Lake has 70 bird species documented on eBird: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L384723. The lake and pond are rich with snags and buffered by various berry species and wetland plants such as red osier dogwood, skunk cabbage, aquatic grasses and yellow pond lilies.
Trail connects to Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail to the south. There are several scenic viewpoints around the lake and beaver pond.
Squires Lake has a unique and interesting history, which includes settlement, fishing, fur trapping, logging, and both human and beaver damming.
Conservation values
From baseline documentation: “The purpose of this conservation easement is to preserve the habitat richness and beauty of the property, while at the same time providing public recreational opportunities which utilize and respect the natural attributes of this property.”
- Purchased for park creation and habitat conservation purposes
- Property has unique lake, pond and wetland habitat used by beaver, birds, amphibians and other native wildlife, with a trail system meandering through an idyllic landscape.
