A light rain falls. Gentle waves fold on the beach, a line of storm-tossed seaweed highlighting the high-tide line. Widgeons like nervous tugboats motor a few feet offshore. Hikers scurrying along the sandy beach and upland trails, dodging occasional puddles and clumps of fallen maple leaves, embracing the richness of the marine air, and hurrying back home as evening falls. When the fall air turns moist and light rains fall, I love hiking on beaches. The skies seem more open than forests, the views farther reaching and beckoning, the colors more saturated, the sand light and playful, but not muddy. And one beach I turn to frequently for a half hour stroll is the Ship Harbor Trail and its companion in the other direction, the Guemes Channel Trail. These two twins of different mothers offer choices of which way to go, which experience to enjoy. From the parking area you can go east on the paved Guemes Channel Trail, about a two mile round-trip hike between the maple forests and the boulder-covered water’s edge. It’s perfect for strollers, wheelchairs, bicycles, or a short run or an easy walk. The views are expansive towards Guemes and Cypress. Someday parks planners hope the trail can connect with the Tommy Thompson trail on the other side of Anacortes. Lervik’s boat center is an obstacle at this point. I tend to go west more often, along the graveled Ship Harbor Trail, but I quickly step off the trail onto the sandy beach for the rest of my westward wanderings. I got almost to the ferry terminal a half mile further before I turned back and enjoyed the interpretive trail going the other direction, passing through roses and alders and maples, past signs highlighting the wildlife all around, and overlooking the views of old pilings now almost gone, the ferries beyond, and the San Juans even farther beyond. And maybe someday this trail will connect with Washington Park to the west. Crossing the Shannon Point Marine Center property is a challenge right now. Speaking of right now, the maples are nearly bare again, the rosehips turning black, but the pleasures of the trail remain in the memories for hours and days down the road, and through the rain-filled nights to come. jack Hiking Close to Home, page 96 Getting there: From Anacortes take 12th Street west which becomes Oakes Avenue. A half mile before the Washington State Ferries turnoff, turn right on Ship Harbor Boulevard and then left on Edwards Way. Follow it down to the parking area at the water’s edge.
Accessible by Skagit Transit 410 bus from the Washington State Ferry terminal. Comments are closed.
|
Authors
Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
April 2024
Categories
All
|