Camano Island State Park — Sunday, Mar. 18, 2012

Puget Sound and Islands > Bellingham Area

Camano Island State Park is located on Lowell Point Road on Camano Island. You should pay attention to the driving directions posted on the WTA site as this was our first time out to the island and we got lost trying to find the park. Thank goodness that we had a GPS system with us! Once we arrived at the park, we decided to hike the Loop Trail as suggested by the WTA guide for this hike. We parked by the beach and found a trailhead for the Loop Trail just across the parking lot. From here, it is a moderate uphill trek until the trail levels out with views of Puget Sound to the west. The rest of the Loop Trail is a 2.6 mile loop that goes around most of the park with some moderate ups and downs. It offers nice forested hiking and gorgeous views of Elger Bay to the south of the park. All of the trails are in great shape but there is a little mud and water on the trail near the south part of the trail. There are a variety of different trails that criss-cross through the park and the campsites so it is good to bring a trail map. I downloaded one at the Washington State Parks website: http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=CamanoIsland&subject=maps While hiking the first part of the Loop Trail we were fortunate enough to spot a bald eagle sitting in one of the trees near the water. It was the first time we had seen one in the wild and it was a truly breathtaking experience. There is lots more exploring to do here and I will be back later this year.