We all have our favorite local places to recreate, but can you get to them with a smaller carbon footprint? Driving alone in your car is the most energy-intensive path to fun, but there are local alternatives.
WTA to Trailheads
Don't have a car to get yourself to trailheads in Whatcom County? No problem, as this PDF document lists the WTA bus number to take to get to trailheads in Whatcom County.
WTA busses http://www.ridewta.com offer a great alternative to driving to your favorite trail. Open the attached table of local trailheads and parks, along with their WTA bus connections from the downtown station.
All WTA busses are equipped with bike racks on the front - not up for riding uphill to Lake Padden? Throw your bike on the bus from downtown, hop off at the park, do your run or ride, and cruise back downhill to town on your bike. Check out this (http://www.ridewta.com/node/18) for a quick lesson is using these simple racks. If the rack is full, you can generally set your bike inside the bus in the area reserved for wheelchairs.
Once you're on the trail, be courteous to other users - the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) trail rules below are a great place to start. Some trails do not allow horses or bikes - check first. Learn more about IMBA at www.imba.com.
Local paddlers often go out in pairs for safety - if it saves driving, consider carpooling instead of each person driving separately to the put in. Another option is to sometimes a destination closer to home - every hour you're not driving TO a more distant body of water is an extra hour you have ON the water!
Did you know the Bellingham Bay Community Boating Center http://sailpaddlerow.org/ will store your kayak or small boat for just $20-$25 per month? Your gear is safe and dry, and access is easy any time. Best of all, your boat is just feet from the Bay - no more loading on and off the car! You can bus or bike to the Center and be paddling in minutes. Call 714-8891 for more details.