Nice and easy walk to a pretty view! Good place to stop on a…read moredrive around the island. Saw some bald eagles flying around here too!

Driving to a small pull-off north of the Cattle Point Lighthouse on my way to Cattle Point I…read moreencountered a baby red fox in a ditch on the side of the road. I pulled over and rolled my window down and took a few pictures and a video. It tilted its head when I talked to it and it ran off when another vehicle drove by. Cattle Point is managed thru the Bureau of Land Management and is one of the features constituting the San Juan Islands National Monument. Some information about the area can be found on the San Juan Islands National Monument website in their Monument Site Catalog. The land abuts the Cattle Point Natural Resources Conservation Area run by the Department of Natural Resources. To the south is the Strait of Juan De Fuca. To the north is private land. I parked in the small pull-out by the trail leading to lighthouse. There are a few signs along the trail to the lighthouse with information about Cattle Point and its history and wildlife. I encountered four deer while I was here. Three grazing that made their way north and one grazer that made its way east and into the brush. The views are breathtaking and reminded me a bit of some of the views in the Outer Isles of Scotland. The cloudy sky made the walk enjoyable and I liked the backdrop of grey. Peaceful place to explore.

When on island time I love to seek out a high viewpoint. Our hike on Turtleback Mountain had some…read moreof the most breathtaking views we had. There are two parking lots, one at the South trailhead and the other at the North. We took the South Trail to the West Overlook to the Ridge trail and stayed on it to the Ravens Ridge trail and the outside of Center Loop trail to return. The South Trail starts in the woods as it goes up and up to the ridge and mountaintop. The first mile and the early part of the hike were tough, it felt like walking on my elliptical with the ramp all the way up. You'll be quickly rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding islands. Did you pack a lunch or a beer? This was a perfect break spot. Carry on through the woods, fields and cliffs and complete your loop. Wildflowers were blooming anywhere the sunlight found it's way through the canopy. Simply stunning. Take a photo of the map at the trailhead Pack a lunch and beer You're going through the woods and exposed at the top, you need bug spray and sunblock Pack it in, pack it

Second Stop: "A Perfect Day on Orcas island" Collection…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/collection/Bgd9G40BjYMmHuJoM5MpHw Well this is an awesome hiking trail system with spectacular views. We did the short 1.5 mile to Ship Peak. 931" straight up and 931' straight down. That ham and egg omelet was sitting pretty heavy on the way up. LOL We have done other trails and they are all awesome. Check it out.

It's not a fun park unless you're a kid. Then it's a blast with a playground that has those weird…read morecircular htings that swing you around with your weight and other fancy playground items. But this park is more about the sunset. I was in town as a day trip and the weather was so nice that I wanted to check out the sunset. We sat there people watching on the bench as the sun started sinking over the water. People walked out down the pier and it made for really nice pictures. Once the sun went down, people left because there was a chill in the air, but until that moment, the sunset was magical. Definitely glad we hung around for twilight.

Washington Park is beautiful. The scenic loop is a great drive (go slow 10 mph there are…read morepedestrians on the paved road too). There are spots for cars to park on the loop to enjoy the view (and a disability parking spot). Take advantage of the easy and beautiful access to epic views of Burrows Island and the pass at this park before getting on the ferry to the San Juan islands or staying in Anacortes.

Oof, what a hike! I went to the Summit and back from the north parking lot, so about 2km each…read moredirection. There is not an elevation profile of the trail on the trailhead map which seems a shortcoming here. I'm not sure if this one is typical of BC or not but it surprised me how much straight up and straight down was on this trail. I'm used to a lot more switchbacks in Colorado. The uphill was tough but manageable, though not many people yielded as they were coming down. On the way down I figured out why. This trail is BRUTAL on the downhill. There's so much constant down that knees and quads are working constantly and the muscle fatigue around the halfway point was alarming. I wish I'd had hiking poles. Yeah, your experience will vary wildly depending on your personal level of ability. Stay within your limits and keep in mind that down is every bit as tough as up, if not more so, depending on how creaky your joints are. The area is beautiful and the mud was very manageable after a few days of dry weather. Make sure to walk through the mud - there were many areas where people had tramped a lot of vegetation around mud. There were many tracks of mountain bikers using the trail even though they are not supposed to be on the summit trail, so stay aware and able to bail off in an encounter.

A quick hike to the summit about 2.5km each way with steady incline. Most of it is in the shade…read moreuntil the last bit but you get some amazing views! The view is better just before getting to summit. Value 5/5 Atmosphere 5/5 Service 4/5 Quality 4/5 18/20

Some great views with good hiking trails…read more Can get windy so you might want to bring a coat

Mount Erie Park had well maintained trails when I visited on Thursday 15 June 2023. The sun was…read moreout, though not in full force, and the trees provided some shade and protection from the sun. Rays still made it through the canopy to the trails. When I arrived around 10:10 a.m., I found one parking spot so snatched it up. Just up from the parking lot was an informational pavilion with maps of the trail system. Even with taking a picture I did not quite make it to the top. The trails I traversed were marked by a trail number as opposed to a destination and/or distance marking approach. I did not find this entirely discouraging, however I had come for a drive to a viewpoint I had heard about and missed that entirely. I turned around after about 20 minutes of hiking and went back to my car. The portion of the hike I took up the mountain got my heart pounding. One of the highlights of my visit was a caterpillar I found dancing on a mushroom on a log along the side of one of the trails.

The lava beds are found under ground. There is a wooden stair case to enter. The cave is small but…read morewonderful. It's not much of a hike either, you park and walk a few steps and your there. Bring a sweater, flashlight and hard hat.

So worth the walk/hike up the hill which gives you amazing south east/west vistas of all the gulf…read moreislands towering over Active Pass west side entrance from one of the highest peaks in the islands at just over 1000 ft. with views into the USA, Victoria etc. There are a few different trail routes, The main route is via the parking lot at the end of Active Pass Rd.. I've only taken the Alistair Ross trail which is an acceptable trail partly through private lot, which is located 1km before the above route. Easily reached with a 40-50 mins (one way) at a strong pace walk up hill on open trails (no climbing) all the trail is well marked. If you take Alistair Ross trail from the road well marked but two spots, when the trail meets the old service road head up hill for a few turns and when you reach the fork take left trail straight ahead, it's all makes there with small metal arrows. On the trail 3/4 of the way up there's left over parts from a small plane crash that appears to be very old.

This is a 4km stretch/trail that pretty much leads out to the ocean. The path is divided, I think…read morebikes and pedestrians on the bottom and just pedestrians on the top. It is a gravel on the bottom, not sure about the top. I always bike here. There is I believe a washroom (outhouse) along the way. When you get to the very end there is stairs to a viewing platform where you get some amazing views of the ocean. This is a great place to cycle, walk, walk your dog or whatever.......

Prepare for a long walk ! So here are the specs : 4 km , approx. one hour each way . One can…read moresignificantly reduce the travel time by at least two-thirds if you bike instead so of course that's what we did haha . Amenities along the way include restrooms and 2 rain/wind shelters which will most definitely come in handy cos . . . did I mention it's a looong walk ? Again I'd highly recommend cycling , unless you reeeally like walking .

Sometimes you want the satisfaction of hiking to the top of a mountain. Sometimes you want to drive…read moreup and see the view 10 minutes from your car. Mount Prevost gives you both options. There are two main viewpoints at the top and they're both incredible. The logging road to the top is well maintained and well marked. Once you get to the top, there's an obvious trail to a lower viewpoint. The trail is steep in places, but relatively easy and quite short. There is a second, steeper trail leading to a Korean War memorial at the higher viewpoint.