Guemes Mountain Trail Opens

Despite the early morning drizzle, roughly 50 people came out on Saturday to celebrate the opening of the new Guemes Mountain trail. We gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and some tasty cake, then the sky cleared. A few WTA crew leaders and assistant crew leaders led interested hikers on a guided tour of the the new trail, sharing stories of the Guemes clay and the drainage challenges along the way.

This little trail, and the story of how this project came about, made Guemes Mountain one of WTA 2011 signature projects. A few years back, the Skagit Land Trust and the San Juan Preservation Trust collaborated to protect the unique area of Guemes Mountain. Over the course of this process the Skagit Land Trust worked with the local community to develop a long-term management plan for the mountain that would integrate public access with habitat protection. This is when Washington Trails Association was invited to in to help build this trail.

In the fall of 2010, WTA began building thenew trail to an incredible viewpoint on Guemes Mountain. We have been blown away by 175 volunteers who came out to help on this project. WTA also wants to thank the generous Guemes Island community that made each of our volunteers feel welcome and appreciated,  from cooking amazing potluck dinners and breakfasts to inviting volunteers to sleep on their lawns. This project has definitely been a community effort.

Now we are pleased to announce that the Guemes Mountain trail is open! We invite you to come experience the charm of this little island for yourself. From Anacortes, it's just a short ferry hop to Guemes Island, a great place for a relaxing day trip.