Anacortes Internship Special! Part 2 - Washington Park

I'm not sure how many parts this "internship" special will have. I'm just kind of going until my internship runs out. So, let's do this!

Washington Park

City of Anacortes

Parking permit: None needed in day use areas

Distance: 2.2 miles

Elevation gain: 200 feet

When you pull into the park, there is day-use parking and boat-launch parking. There's a fee for the boat launch but day-use is free and there are enough pull-outs you can probably find a good spot. 

Not too many cars when I visited.

I found a poetry panel not far from the trail start near the boat launch. It was one of two trail-side poems I discovered in the park.

Poetry in the park!

The "trail" is actually a 2.2 mile paved loop that pedestrians and cyclists share with vehicles, with some early-morning pedestrian-only hours.

This trail is super, super easy.

There are other trails in Washington Park that are more hiking trails. They are numbered on the map. I was short on time though. Also, though they are numbered on a map, the actual trail markers are somewhat vague.

They all look like this. All of them.

It's a narrow road, so watch out for the vehicles you have to share with. They usually go slow and there aren't very many of them.

Cars and trees

For the most part, the trail follows the beach. I went counter-clockwise and started on the north end near the boat launch and Guemes Channel.

It's super beachy!

It wasn't long before I reached Green Point. It's basically a large beach-side lawn that faces west. It would be a great picnic spot!

Green Point

View from Green Point. I think that is Decatur Is on the left, Cypress Is on the right, and Blakely in the distance.

A short jaunt away is West Beach. There are stairs that lead down to the beach for those who are interested. It's mostly rocky, which is typical for the region.

Beach!

It's spring, so there were a lot of future-berries. Since the trail is busy and well-traveled, they probably don't last long, though some of the lesser-known edibles may be left for foraging.

Future thimbleberries

Future salal berries

The trail winds back and forth between the beach and the woods, often with peek-a-boo views of the water between tree trunks.

Peek-a-boo!

Twisty madrona tree!

Nice reading spot

Eventually you'll turn away from the water for a time and have a nice climb with sharp switchbacks (which explains why vehicles with trailers over 25' are prohibited from using the road). At the top of the first climb is a bench that's not quite like the others.

There's a brush attached to clear it off before sitting, which is a nice touch.

I managed to snap some photos of wildlife here. I caught a picture of a slug, which may have been drunk judging by his slime trail.

Banana slug!

Don't creep and drink!

I also managed to sneak some pics of a juvenile squirrel:

Duunnnn dunn....

....duuuuunnnnnn dunn.....

.....duuuunnnn dun dun dun dun dun DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN!!!

There was also a pair of uncooperative woodpeckers that refused to pose.

As the road began to climb again I found some more poetry:

The shadows make reading difficult, but you get the gist.

At the top of your second climb, you reach a gorgeous view of Burrows Channel. There's plenty of space to picnic here. If you're lazy, there's lots of parking, too!

View!

Not far past the viewpoint, you'll notice a small sign that leads you off the trail and down the hill.

It's a sign!

There's a unique memorial just off the trail and down the hill to Tonjes Havekost. He died in 1911 at the age of 70, but not before donating the park land to the city.

The road then takes you downhill, and eventually you will come out on the other side of the boat launch parking from where you began.

Someday I will explore all the little trails in the park that are more like actual hiking trails, but for a brief walk after my internship this is what I had time to accomplish.

Next week: tour of an industrial waterfront with the Tommy Thompson Trail!