Sehome Hill Arboretum, Natural arboretum in Bellingham, United States.
Sehome Hill Arboretum is a botanical garden set on a forested hill in Bellingham, Washington, dominated by Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, and Western Redcedar. The site is a second-growth forest with a network of walking trails that wind through different plant communities native to the Pacific Northwest.
The hill was used for coal mining in the 1850s, leading to tunnels being dug into the slope. After logging ended in 1906, the land became a public park.
The arboretum sits just next to the Western Washington University campus, making it a daily part of student life. Many people use the trails for quiet walks or outdoor study sessions tied to local forest ecology.
The main entrance is off Bill McDonald Parkway, and the trails are open to pedestrians only. Sturdy shoes are a good idea since some paths are steep or can get slippery when it rains.
A hand-carved tunnel from 1923 cuts through the rock of the hill, leaving tool marks still visible in the stone walls. Walking through it gives a direct sense of the work done by hand over a century ago.
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