Trip Reports

Mount Constitution Loop, Orcas Island

About 30 minutes drive from Orcas Island ferry, you’ll enter the pristine Moran State Park, a wonderful legacy dating from 1920s’ from the former mayor of Seattle Mr Robert Moran and his wife Millie.

Pick up a trail map at the Info Booth near Cascade Lake day-use area and head for the Mount Constitution Loop TH at Mountain Lake.

We decided to hike anti-clockwise, beginning with an amble along the Mountain Lake shoreline to Twin Lakes, noting blue heron in residence.

We made our way up the moderate slope and a few switchbacks to the top, where we were rewarded by spectacular, panoramic views as far as the eye could see; Gulf Islands, BC, Mount Baker to name a few.

The mostly wide hiking trails are open for mountain bikes this time of year; we encountered a small hardy group with their dog enjoying the challenge. After lunch we made our way down past Summit Lake and saw more blue heron. This is also a good trail for spotting deer. The final portion of the trail down to the TH is fairly steep, a little rocky and narrow.

I’d rate this hike to be a 10 for views, try not to miss.

One is also able to drive on a paved road to the top ... but hey, hiking is what we do!

The map shows 15 trails for a total of 38 miles, a mix of easy to challenging, and has clearly posted and helpful junction signs. Camping, leashed fido, kayaking, fishing and horse trails are also possible.

The guide map calls this park ‘a treasure in the San Juans’, indeed it is; let’s enjoy and keep it this way.

Loop stats; about 7 miles RT with 1500 ft gain.

For a change of scene, and some different hiking, I took the San Juan ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island, and connected with hiking buddy Blue Towel who is spending several weeks on the island.

We drove east from Eastsound and entered Moran State Park (no fee for day use,) followed the signs to Mountain Lake, and parked across from the ranger's residence. It's a short walk to the boat landing, and

from there we hiked north on the level trail along the west side of the lake. At the north end of the lake, at a signed trail junction, we turned left toward Twin Lakes. It's gently uphill, forested all the way, and very green, to the first of the small Twin Lakes, 2.4 miles from the parking area. There, at another trail junction, we turned left toward Mt. Constitution, and continued gently uphill another 0.2 mile where a side trail leads to Cold Spring. At that point, our trail began to switchback quite steeply uphill for another mile. The trail is in excellent condition, with no mud or blow-downs, and we had this section entirely to ourselves. A few small wildflowers were present (spring beauty, foam flower, et al) but nothing particularly showy.

Arriving by trail at the summit of Mt. Constitution is a bit anticlimactic, since it's also reachable by a steep road. So we shared the viewpoint with a few others whose ascent had required petrol rather than perspiration. No matter, it's still a great viewpoint, the highest point on the island at 2,407 feet above sea level.

We enjoyed the expansive views SE across several of the San Juan islands toward Anacortes (photo), and NE toward Bellingham and points north. To the east, there were hints of snow, although the Cascade summits were obscured by cloud.

We descended by the same route we had come. Total distance 7.2 miles round trip, with about 1,500 feet elevation gain and loss. In all, an enjoyable early season (for us) hike.

Location: Moran State Park, Orcas Island.

Ever since I first saw the views from Mount Constitution, I have wanted to visit the lakes visible below. Ferry timings and family commitments had kept me from hiking down to them. On this trip I finally got this obsession out of my system. To save time I had decided that it would have to be a 1-way trip starting from Mountain Lake (my drop-off point) and ending at 2,407ft Mount Constitution (the pick-up point).

The start of the hike was a gentle walk along the west edge of Mountain Lake. The route was mostly wooded, but the views of Mountain Lake were quite nice. At the northern end of the lake I headed northwards towards Twin Lakes. This is a lovely part of the trail, in which I climbed up through a gentle valley beside a burbling stream. A one-word description of the trail would be “Green!” A spider web of old logs covered the valley floor, themselves covered by velvety moss. Stately trees shaded the entire route, and little ponds emerged from time to time.

In no time at all I arrived at Twin Lakes: I must confess that these ended up being a disappointment...much better to view them from up high. However, it was soon back to the more worthwhile part of the hike. As I began the stiffish climb up to Mount Constitution, paradoxically, the route got even prettier. The moss seemed to get greener, and even the trail became a green carpet of pine needles. I saw not a soul, and enjoyed myself immensely. Finally, I reached the summit of Mount Constitution to spectacular views.

Stats: 3.6mi, 1500ft of gain, 1.5hrs