THE HISTORY OF BIRCH BAY
WATERSLIDES PARK
Birch Bay Waterslides were built in 1986 by a group of Whatcom County businessmen looking to draw tourist dollars to the area and to recreate some recreational facilities at Birch Bay; as well as attract even more Canadians to the area.
The original slides consisted of the four main large slides; originally built as "body slides”, the landing pool and hot tub as well as the small kiddies area. The original slide design and supply came from what is now "Whitewater West" out of Richmond, B.C.; one of the world’s premier water park builders.
The "Black Tower Slides", including a thrilling 60 foot drop slide and the "Black Hole"; large enclosed slide, and the beach entrance pool were added in the late 1990’s. They have been a huge hit with visitors.
The addition of the big thrill rides reinvigorated the business for some years. A developer in the Pacific North West area purchased the slides in late 2005 and did a major rejuvenation of the park before opening in 2006. They have continued to make improvements each year, including resurfacing and recoating the four main slides last year (2010) returning them to a "body slide" surface as originally intended and installed. As of late 2011 the park came under new ownership and plans to continue with improvemnets and expansion.
The Birch Bay Waterslides remain the single largest tourist attraction in Birch Bay and likely all of North Whatcom county (except for the Northwest Washington Fair), drawing more than 60,000+ paid visitors each year.