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.

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

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.

Finding this trail was difficult for me, maps didn't take me to the correct place, I've added…read morepictures of signs on the street to make it easier and directions. You can drive up Sunday's and Wednesdays. No one was on the trail with me today and it was really nice, I recommend taking the best trail off to the side and seeing the pond.

Tough uphill hike but worth the views! Trail is well maintained and dogs are allowed up. Not many…read morepeople know that it continues to go up and stop at the first view point.

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.

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.

Yet another great hiking trail we softly explored, to help our toddlers calm down before we headed…read moreback home. Oyster Dome Trail has multiple markers for guidance throughout it. Now that we've all thawed out from the winter, exploring WAs beautiful trails, parks, and landmarks come naturally; investing in a Discovery pass could be helpful. We will definitely return, and recommend!

Worth the hike for sure. Started at street level and it took a few hours but the view of the peak…read morewas worth every step!! Bring water it's a ways and can be steep

We were exploring Deception Pass State Park and stumbled onto this county park and hopped out to…read morecheck it out. We didn't hike too far, but enjoyed a nice walk down the path and back. I left me phone charging in the car after too many pictures earlier- so no pictures from this run- just memories of brisk, forest air & lush, dense fauna. The meadow at the entrance of the park would be fun for a picnic!

A hidden gem in Anacortes! This hike is right near Deception Pass State Park, but still part of the…read moreSkagit county park system. The parking lot is not huge but good sized and has a pit toilet. Day use only and dogs are permitted on a leash. This trail has a lot of different trails on it. You can get a map at the kiosk but I recommend downloading the Avenza Maps app and getting the map for this trail. It has markers on the trails but I still would have got lost without the app. It works offline and shows exactly where you are on the map. If you just want to see some spectacular views, then take the easy route down the Sares head trail to the Sares head overlook. The views are just breathtaking. I did some other trails in the park but some were really tough and climbing over rocks and branches and going up some hills. And at one point it was a very sketchy spot that dropped off right by the water. Next time I will make sure I look up the difficulty of the trail before attempting all of it. But it is definitely worth it just for that main viewpoint. Be sure to check it out if you are in the area.

Awesome ferry ride over to the islands. With Beautiful views. Entering was easy and quick.read more

I only got to visit the American Camp side of this park, but it was wonderful!…read more Driving along Cattle Point Road you'll see signs to enter multiple different sites at the park. I mainly stopped at three locations: Cattle Point Interpretive Area: You can either take the steps down to the pebbly beach to feel more connected to the water, or go up the mossy mound to get a high ground view of... well, everything. I saw water, cliffs, islands, ducks, eagles, seals... unfortunately, no whales, though, prob because this is not the time of year they are around much. Cattle Point Lighthouse: Walked on a cute trail to the lighthouse, where I saw a humongous red fox on a hill, looking like it was digging or pouncing on something! On the other side of the lighthouse are views of miles of open sky and water. South Beach: On the road leading to the beach, we actually saw a black fox just chilling, lying on the road. It moved to the fenced area as we approached, and my gosh it was beautiful. I didn't even know black foxes existed! The beach itself is wide and has views of endless water, with some driftwood hanging out near you. I know there's so much more to the park that we didn't see, but I was quite happy with the wildlife and incredible scenery. Especially the foxes... I've only seen like one other (that I can remember), so seeing the ones here were such a bonus. The trails and sites that we missed are even more reason to return to San Juan Island National Historical Park. I just hope I'm able to come out to this island again someday.