Chuckanut Drive
Chuckanut Drive is a State Scenic Byway in Washington. Within Washington it covers roughly 20 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Chuckanut Drive with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Route 11 carves along the wooded cliffs of Chuckanut Mountain south of Bellingham, one of the few places where the Cascade foothills meet salt water directly. The narrow, winding road overlooks Samish Bay and the San Juan Islands, with oyster bars and Larrabee State Park along the way. It is one of the oldest scenic roads in the state.
- Samish Bay overlooks
- San Juan Islands views
- Larrabee State Park
- oyster bars
- SR-11
Plan a drive on Chuckanut Drive → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Chuckanut Drive
Fairhaven
Bellingham's 1890s brick historic district, full of bookshops and cafes, and home port for the Alaska ferry that sails the Inside Passage.
WebsiteLarrabee State Park
Washington's first state park, with tide pools on Samish Bay, a beach of sculpted sandstone, and trails climbing Chuckanut Mountain to two lakes.
WebsiteDogfish Point Overlook
A pullout widely considered the drive's best viewpoint, looking out over Samish Bay toward the San Juan Islands at sunset.
Oyster Dome
A steep forest hike to a rock outcrop where paragliders launch, with views over the Skagit flats, the San Juans, and the Olympics.
WebsiteTaylor Shellfish Farms
A working shellfish farm on Samish Bay with a retail shop and picnic tables by the water: buy oysters and mussels and shuck them on the spot.
WebsiteBow-Edison
Two tiny farm towns just off the drive's south end, known out of all proportion to their size for bakeries, cheese, and small restaurants.
Website
Where to Stay along Chuckanut Drive
No campgrounds are listed close to Chuckanut Drive yet, but there are rooms near the route.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.
Photos of Chuckanut Drive
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.