Canoe families welcomed by Nooksack at Birch Bay during Canoe Journey 2026 stopover

BLAINE — The Nooksack Indian Tribe will welcome canoe families to their traditional lands on the present–day beaches of Birch Bay State Park on July 22.  

Birch Bay is a stopover where families will rest before continuing the Canoe Journey 2026 Paddle to Medicine Creek Nisqually Potlatch, which is hosted by the Nisqually Indian Tribe. The final landing is on July 31 in Olympia. 

Several canoes will arrive at the beach and ask the host Tribe permission to come ashore. Canoe landings will occur throughout the day on the beach at Birch Bay by the Heron Center log building. The stopover is an opportunity for the canoe pullers to rest and gather in potlatch after spending hours at sea.  

Parking in front of the Heron Center will be reserved for Tribal Elders and visitors with a disability placard. The parking lot north of the Heron Center will be reserved for additional parking for Tribal families. Special camping accommodations have also been made for canoe families around the park. 

Visitors to the park should plan for increased traffic congestion, limited parking and crowds.  

In support and partnership with the Tribes, State Parks staff are responsible for the park logistics and will have staff and signage available to help direct traffic. If you have questions or are not sure where to go, ask uniformed State Parks staff. 

How to share the park during Canoe Journey 

State Parks asks the public to support by respectfully observing while visiting Birch Bay during the stopover. Canoe Journey is a sacred ceremony.  

Please follow these guidelines to respectfully share the space: 

• Pay attention to what is happening and step back to allow space for this to be about Indigenous people.
• Listen and observe. Do not interrupt preparations or ceremony to ask questions. Please visit the information booth or speak with uniformed State Parks staff instead.
• Be quiet and respectful. Don’t talk during a prayer, a song, when an Elder is talking or when a canoe family is requesting permission to come ashore.
• Avoid swearing, speaking loudly, or speaking in degrading ways.
• Do not touch the canoes unless you are invited to do so.
• Walk behind singers and speakers. Do not cross in between the greeters and canoes.
• Please remind children not to play in the water near the canoe landing ceremony. 

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is honored to lift the voices of the Indigenous People who will gather for the Canoe Journey 2026 Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch. Though State Parks is the current steward of some of these lands, these have been Indigenous lands since time immemorial. State Parks is privileged to use its platform to share these stories in partnership with the Tribes.

Resources

View a map of the beach and respectful observation areas here.

Read the 2026 Canoe Journey FAQ here.