I love the variety of scenery at Camano Island. I parked at the North Beach parking lot and walked along the beach to the boat launch. I picked up the trail at the boat launch parking lot and hiked the loop trail through the forest to get back to the North Beach. The trails are in good shape, and the trees are starting to change color.

The sunsets from here will take your breath away!

Parking: There are several places to park here if you want to day hike. Just before you enter the park, there is a small pull off to the right that can fit about 6-8 cars. After entering, if you take the first road to the right, you’ll find a large day park & picnic area with lots of parking & a large restroom. Or you can go left and into the campsite area following the main road down to the boat launch/beach area where there is even more parking & a new large bathroom facility that’s one of the nicest I’ve seen! You will need a Discover Pass.

Trails: There are many options here! I usually start from the first lot just outside the park & follow the bluff trail down to the boat launch. There, if tide is out a bit, you can walk the rocky beach over to the picnic area or, if tide is in, walk the opposite direction along the beach toward Elger Bay. There are many ways to loop through the park on the trail system. I also really enjoy the Al Emerson Nature Trail! The trails are well maintained & wildlife abounds! Eagles, deer, squirrels, bunnies & many birds can be seen here.

Happy Hiking!

It had been a few years since we were hiked at Camano Island State Park. We parked in the small lot near the nature trail. We were doing the Howard Adams Loop Trail (aka Roy's Trail) going counter clock wise. Taking the trail down through the campground, we got to the part of the trail on the bluff above Lowell Point. Along the bluff are some nice view points with benches looking SE and SW where we could see Whitehorse, Bear, Liberty, Pilchuck, Baring, Index and Persis mountains. To the west the Olympic Mountains are seen over Saratoga Passage and Whidbey Island. The trail then heads up hill through the conifer forest. At the second creek crossing we met WTA trip reporter Janice Van Cleve and had a nice chat about hiking. The trail goes by some large Doug Fir trees before getting down to the power line road/trail. We crossed the main road into the park and hiked the trail back to where we had parked. There is one large Big Leaf maple tree fallen over this section of the trail that we had to climb over. Makes for a nice loop hike in the park. There are three bridges  and some board walks on this loop trail.

After eating lunch we drove down the road to the beach and boat launch. We parking just north of the boat launch and did a hike on the rocky beach going north. You have great views along the way of the Olympic Mountains and Whidbey Island. Only a handful of people on the beach, so no big crowds. Made for a peaceful day at the park. 

After doing 3 days of trailwork on the SF Cascade, I was ready for a mellow little walk and the hiking grandmas picked this nice state park (Discover Pass). The tide was out far enough to walk from the north parking to the boat launch area all along the beach. We enjoyed watching the little crabs scurry under rocks and wondering when we were going to get a clam squirt next. Lots and lots of seaweed if you like to harvest it. Clamming on this beach is closed tho. A parent toddler group was hanging out on the beach by the boat launch building driftwood forts, climbing on driftwood and playing in the wet rocks. What a great place for kids!! We hiked up the loop trail, once we found it, don't trust the park map much, it wasn't very accurate. To get to the parameter loop, follow the road from the beach up and hit the trail where it takes off from the road. If you take the trail up the ravine, you will have to go back down the road a bit until you hit the trail. This is a nice trail thru the woods, beautifully green with the new growth of ferns and madrone. Once we finished the trail, now called the Howard Adams Forest loop trail, we took the ridge trail back to the north parking lot where we had parked. Yellow was the theme for the flowers, lots of bush lupine growing on the bluff and gumplant (named for the sticky flower bracts? )growing right on the beach, plus a few pink roses. 

Restroom closed at the north parking lot, sanican available or boat launch area has open restrooms. The campground is big, but the sites are separated nicely, should you like to spend a few days. Stopped at the IGA for some Camano Island coffee. 

A family hike (beach walk) along the ocean bay at Camano Island State Park, WA. The parking lot coordinates: 48.129611, -122.502106 (Discover pass is required, restrooms are available). We started from the North-West parking lot and went all the way down to the boat launch at the South-East corner of the park. Had a picnic there (there are bunch of tables in the day use area) and headed back.

GPS track: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1l0Hsv6yZA67ngsZlwCMKNFzKE4R1EYuT&usp=sharing

Video report: https://youtu.be/JkKEmOW7ulk