Wildflowers out all along #502.

Walked the Washington Park Fidalgo Head Loop trail in Anacortes Thursday morning. We started at the main parking lot and headed generally counter clockwise around the park. As some previous trip reports have noted, there are some sketchy sections on the south side of the park that really are not appropriate for kids or animals. However, there are enough various trials zig zagging about that we were never in a situation where we could not avoid a bit we didn’t feel comfortable with. Trail signage is inconsistent and there are several with symbols we could never figure out. Taking into account a few out and back sections down to the water and various wanderings we netted just a bit over 4 miles. No Orca out today but we get get to see a pod of Pacific White Sided Dolphin playing just beyond the kelp beds - amazing. The views north and west to the San Juans and south over Burrows Pass are spectacular. Mt Erie and Sugar Loaf are visable to the south east. For those with little kids there is a very nice play area and beach right near the parking lot and the loop road is completely walkable as well for those that don’t want to go scampering over the rocks and along the cliffs. Don’t miss this beautiful bit of Washington State. http://www.cityofanacortes.org/washington_park.php#.V-Rl6zMrLnA

It was a breezy, cool Sunday morning ( thank you, marine layer) so there weren't many folks out. A beautiful paved loop. Today was my Hike-a-thon "off day" so I only did one loop before my sore legs stiffened up, forcing me to actually take an off day!

Hiked out to Fidalgo Head Loop Trail along trail #501 to #510. The wildflowers have changed since early April. Right now seablush and yarrow are in abundance on the south side of the park. And, as we came out of the woods, a bald eagle soared right over our heads. That was a magnificent sight and sound! In most spots, the trails were in good condition. A few slicks spots here and there after the recent rain, but manageable. After exploring Fidalgo Head a bit, we headed back toward Loop Road on #515, to #520. The vistas are stunning in this park and so worth getting off the paved Loop Road. You can find a trail map at http://www.cityofanacortes.org/Maps/Wa_Park_Trails.pdf As others have mentioned, the trails are not marked with numbers in the park. But, having the map is useful if you head off the paved road.

Despite its short length, this is an amazing hike. Now is the time to go - the wild flowers are out and the madrona trees are flowering too. I had no idea that madronas even did that, but it's beautiful. There are frequent views of meadows, water, and islands. There are high vantage points, and there are places where you can get down to the water. We sat by a quiet cove watching 3 orcas playing for at least 30 minutes. There was some kind of big seal or sea lion as well, but we only saw him a couple of times. We saw a couple of herons too. My 3.5 year old hiked the entire thing and was amazingly well behaved. The twins were happy for most of the trail as well. At the end of the trail there is a playground, but it's a little skewed toward monkey bars, climbing walls, and spinning things. There's also a beach which is great for relaxing, throwing rocks in the water, or watching people use the boat ramp. There are picnic tables, fire pits, and camp sites as well, though the camp sites are surrounded by trees. A previous poster mentioned that sections of the trail are a little sketchy for young children due to steep drop-offs. This is absolutely true. Most of these sections simply need some hand-holding, but there are a couple of short sections that will make you nervous even with the hand holding. There's a network of trails, though, so you could probably backtrack and avoid them if you wanted. We downloaded a map ahead of time that had trail numbers on it. This was useful to let us know where the trails generally are, but they're not marked that way when you're actually on the trail. Instead, they're labeled with colored lines. We could often guess where we were, and the trails were bordered by road on one side and water on the other, so it wouldn't be too hard to get un-lost. That said, I was glad that we had plenty of time to wander and explore the various trails that we found. http://www.cityofanacortes.org/docs/Parks/Wa_Park_Area_Map2.pdf The trail was generally in good condition. At the very start (going counter clockwise), there was an area that was in serious need of brushing. It was literally a green tunnel, and there were some mildly thorny things. You could avoid it by taking the road if it really bothered you. There was one steep exposed area where the trail was angled toward the cliff a little more than I'd have liked. It probably would have been more concerning in the rain. There was also a section with stinging nettles. Not a big deal for me, as I was wearing pants. My daughter learned the perils of swatting at random leaves, though, and my wife brushed up against some as well.