The Chuckanut Mountains are small compared with the Cascades or Olympics, but they hold their own when it comes to beauty.
This mountain range was formed about 55 million years ago and fossil remains are still found in rock cuts along Chuckanut Drive. I saw one of a giant palm frond there myself many years ago.
You can access a series of trails from the North Chuckanut Mountain trailhead, just south of Bellingham on Chuckanut Dr. You can get to lakes, view spots of the Bay and San Juan Islands, or enjoy the solitude of the forest.