Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Whatcom County, Washington

Blue Canyon

Unincorporated community in Washington, US.

Record

About Blue Canyon

Blue Canyon is an unincorporated community in Whatcom County, in the U.S. state of Washington, located at the south-eastern end of Lake Whatcom. The town grew with the discovery of coal at the Blue Canyon Mine, and waned as the coal ran out.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Blue Canyon, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Blue Canyon is

USGS topographic map around Blue Canyon
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

5 historic USGS maps cover Blue Canyon

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Blue Canyon

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Washington index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Blue Canyon": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Blue Canyon, Washington": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q27988902.
  4. USGS GNIS 1510828.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).