Camano Island state Park Review

LOCATION

Camano Island is located 60 miles North of Seattle and one of the two San Juan Islands that is accessible without a boat or Ferry ride.

A short bridge connects the Island with the town of Stanwood. The Camano Island State Park is located 14 miles southwest of Stanwood.

It is easy to find as there are signs all over the Island to guide you. And one good thing, since this is a small Island, the worse that could happen is you would circle around the Island and enjoy the scenery before you went around again and found it!


AT THE PARK

Summer hours ~ 6:30AM to 10PM
Winter hours ~ 8:00AM to 5PM

Camano Island State Park consists of 134 acres of protected forest and 6,700 feet of saltwater frontage. It is a great place to beach-comb, picnic, launch your boat, hike, catch clams and/or crab, bird watch and go diving.

Note: If you go clamming, crabbing or fish, you will need to purchase a license beforehand. The Park Rangers and Game Wardens both patrol this area.

There are 113 picnic sites, one LARGE picnic shelter with a kitchen, sink and grill, a bathhouse and 301 free parking spots. The LARGE picnic shelter CAN be reserved ahead of time and a VERY good idea!

There are seasonal Camping facilities, with 87 standard campsites and one large group camping area for up to 200. Along with the campsite parking there are 28 camp visitor parking sites and facilities for trailers. There are four main bathroom/shower areas and three smaller pit bathrooms.

This is a first-come, first-served camping area. No reservations are available. Check-in time is 2:30PM, Check-out time is 1PM. Quiet hours must be observed are from 11PM to 6:30AM. I am not posting the rates as they are expected to rise a bit for the 2003 season and I don't want to quote the wrong prices.

Camano Island State Park has close to 5 miles of self-guided loop nature trails, a 1 mile bike trail and a 1.5 miles interpretive nature trail. The hikes provides BEAUTIFUL views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainer and the Olympic Mountains.

There are two boat launching ramps (with Watercraft launch permits) - these are launches only and there is no place to moor you boat.

OUR EXPERIENCES

We have gone to Camano Island State Park many, many times over the last 10 years.

Since we live on the Island, we can be there in a matter of minutes. We prefer to visit during the week as the crowds are MUCH smaller than on the weekends. We have gone there mid week in the Fall and been the only family there!

We have also been there in the summer, on a weekend, and had trouble finding a picnic table and then had to wait to launch the boat! When there are groups camping (scouts, churches etc) even the trails can get congested! We have only used the camping area twice, and both times were large group activities. The area was really clean and everyone seemed to obey the rules.

It really is a beautiful Park and one where the family can enjoy an hour or the full day! Since it is open year round, I would suggest trying to hit it in the early Fall when the leaves are changing, the crowds smaller (or gone) and the weather still nice. THE LARGE PICNIC SHELTER

The home-school co-op has it's end of the year potluck here and the scouts often hold it's annual award ceremony here. On both of these occasions, we use the LARGE picnic shelter. There is a large working sink, 3 l-o-n-g tables with benches, another long table to hold food, all under cover. The side areas are open (like windows) all around so you are able to sit inside and still keep an eye on the kids.

Right outside the covered area there are two BBQ cooking grills and more seating areas. To the left of the shelter is a huge opened area (great for games), to the right are the bathrooms and directly behind it is the beach. The hiking trails are just across the parking lot and the boat launch is farther down on the right hand side.

There is a lot of open area and plenty of room to host a nice size gathering. When there are a lot of people they tend to spread out and you are able to hold a large size pot-luck and still not feel crowded. We have NEVER went to use the area and found debris and garbage in the area. There are many garbage cans and you are expected to leave the area clean.

ANYTHING ELSE ON THE ISLAND?

All of the San Juan Island are beautiful and Camano Island is no exception.

It is NOT a tourist town filled with quaint little shops. It is a g-r-o-w-i-n-g bedroom community that seems to get more developed every year. Within the last five years they have gotten their first stop lights, Apartments and not just 1 but 2 schools! They kids are still bussed into Stanwood for Middle and High School.

Besides the Camano Island State Park there is a nice 18 hole golf course, a Country Club, a thrift shop, a few restaurants, and a couple of over priced stores!.

And don't forget the BEAUTIFUL views, wonderful beaches, great fishing, clamming and crabbing. You will also see a lot of wildlife, from the deer that wander across the roads to the Eagles and Herons that nest in the trees.

Kristy's Final Viewpoint:

I would suggest you visit Camano Island State Park at the beginning or ending of a trip through the San Juans.

You could sleep at the Park (or one of the few B&B's) and enjoy the area for more than a day. Then from Camano Island you can drive the scenic route over Deception Pass and over to Whidbey Island in a little over an hour. You could also take a Ferry over but it would take you longer to reach one of the Ferry docks (and you still have the Ferry time and expense) than it takes you to drive!

If you want to visit one of the other Islands after leaving Camano Island you will have to catch a Ferry. The Anacortes Ferry dock is about an hour Northwest of Camano and travels to Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island and Friday Harbor You can also reach Rosario and Friday Harbor by leaving out of Bellingham which is about 1 hour and 15 minutes North of Camano Island.

Another thing I would suggest is that you purchase your groceries and gas BEFORE you go to Camano Island State Park. You CAN pick up Milk on the Island for a decent price but other than that prices are MUCH higher!

Also, while there are no fast food places ON the Island, there is a Burger King, a McDonalds, Subway, Caesar's Pizza, Quiznos, Dairy Queen and a Starbucks in Stanwood which you will all pass on your way out to Camano Island State Park. There is also the only Post Office and some decent restaurants and a 6 screen movie theater.

While I would NOT recommend Camano Island State Park as a week long vacation, I WOULD recommend it as a starting or ending place on a trip through the San Juans.