This is a great stroll along the bay with lots of wildlife to see. The gravel trail is nice and wide with plenty of room to share with bikes, dogs and joggers. The elevated dike keeps the trail dry and in good shape. We started at the north trailhead and walked south to the old picturesque barn. There were a handful of blue herons out as well as mallard and pintail ducks. On the way home we drove south on Fir Island Rd and saw some large flocks of snow geese.

Walk off the cookies with your Christmas company on this easy trail. This is a path of small delights instead of grand vistas. There are nice views too, if you can overlook the Anacordes refinery. The day was clear and cold, Baker and the North Cascades visible in the distance. The path takes off along the bay and is quite flat, even the out of shape can walk this one. Frosty seedheads, rosehips, ducks and water made this photo fun. We also saw three herons, a hawk and an eagle.A nice winter walk.

The Padilla Bay Shore Trail is a wide, flat, multi-use trail. There are several interesting features along the way, including great views of the bay and islands, plenty of birds and butterflies to watch, a picturesque old barn, and some distant views of Mount Baker. There is no shade along the trail, so remember sunscreen and water!

A gorgeous day at Padilla Bay. This was hike 17 of 50 planned this year. This trail is 5 miles round trip with no elevation gain. The trail is located on top of a dirt dike that was built to hold back the sea water for farming in the Skagit Valley of Washington State. The trail is in excellent condition from beginning to end. Bicycles and wheelchair accessible. If you use a wheelchair at the North end of the trail near the town of Bay View please go to the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center to get the key to let in a wheel chair. Its located on the right side of Bow Edison Road about 1/8 mile past the north end of the trail. I believe you can get a wheelchair thru the south end without a problem. Parking at the south end is better since there is usually lots of parking. The views of Padilla Bay and the San Juan Islands are spectacular. Take a light coat even in warm weather because the breeze from the ocean can be a little nippy. Lots of nice benches along the trail to sit and relax and soak up the views. Check out a video of this hike or lots of other hikes I have done in Washington State on my youtube channel at lmm3181. Here is a direct video link to this hike. It is safe to click on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpwUUwgHCMA Enjoy your hiking!!! Mike