Adventure probably isn’t the first word you’d associate with subdued excitement. But according to travel outlet Matador Network, the City of Subdued Excitement is also the best place to go for an adventure.
Bellingham named best adventure destination
Matador Network named Bellingham the best adventure destination of 2024 when it released its year-end travel awards in early December. Bellingham won the award over 13 other finalists, who were picked by Matador Network staff. The award stays in the Pacific Northwest after Vancouver Island won the 2023 edition.
“We are honored that our area continues to garner global recognition for our outdoor recreation,” Dylan Deane-Boyle, president and chief executive officer of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, said in an email to the Bellingham Herald.
From skiing to mountain biking to beer
Matador Network touted Bellingham’s access to a wide variety of outdoor sports, from skiing to mountain biking, watersports and hiking. The outlet recommended the usual suspects – skiing Mount Baker, biking Galbraith Mountain and hiking North Cascades National Park — as well as water sports on the Salish Sea and hiking in nearby Glacier, Washington.
“From hiking and snow sports at Mount Baker to kayaking in the Salish Sea to exploring North Cascades National Park, Bellingham and Whatcom County offer something for every kind of adventure-seeker,” Deane-Boyle said.
But Matador Network also touted the abundance of options within city limits, from walking through Whatcom Falls Park to jumping off Taylor Dock, as well as riding a bike at the Waterfront Pump Track…