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Anacortes Activities
Hiking around Anacortes
Check out Seattle Sidewalk's trailfinder
to look for a trail at your level of challenge.
 There
are so many places to go hiking it is impossible to list them all. Just in the city limits
of Anacortes, which is the northern half of Fidalgo Island, are over 2000 acres of forest
land. You can hike to the top of several small mountains, walk on the cliffs by the
sounds, tramp around several inland lakes, walk the loop at Washington Park and see the
sunset or picnic, walk the dike at Padilla Bay to view estuary life.
Deception Pass
State Park--Choose from one mile to 10 miles of easy hiking trails out of 18 miles of
trails. Water views to thick forests. Lots of wildflowers in spring. Be warned--many
trails are no place for children. Cliffs are steep and the current in the water is
dangerous. Also, lots of people come here.
Washington Park
Loop While others fight over the San Juan ferry in Anacortes, enjoy this tranquil,
three-mile hike. This spot offers the best sunsets around. People from Anacortes just go
there to watch the sunset. It was our first visitor's favorite spot.
 Padilla Bay
Dike Walk and Uplands Walk. The uplands walk is short, and is near the Brazeale Center
which explains estuaries--aimed at school-age kids. The dike walk is totally level. What
you see depends on the season and the tides, but it is on the Pacific flyway, so lots of
birds stop here.
A short drive and ferry ride from Anacortes is the Olympic mountains and
rainforest. There are many trails there. I haven't gone yet, but here are links
to a few descriptions:
- Dungeness Spit--In Dungeness Nat'l
Wildlife Refuge, near Sequim on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Walking its sandy stretches
far into the strait, you get the sensation that you're leaving the mainland for your own
private marine observatory.
- Hurricane Hill Summit and Hurricane Ridge. Popular and beautiful
hikes.This may be the grandest lunch spot in the entire Northwest, with wildflowers at
your feet, Olympic's grandest peaks seemingly within arm's reach and the sweet, pungent
smell of alpine air all around. If that's not enough, the Strait of Juan de Fuca,
Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria often are visible to the north.
In later summer, we can go hiking in the Northern Cascades.
- Skyline Divide This spectacular
alpine meadow vista, not far from Mount Baker, is a three-mile walk from the car.
I will get notes and photos from hikes I have taken up as soon as possible.
Hiking and climbing events
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