Went cycling on Guemes Island over the weekend and stopped to hike the Guemes Mountain trail. We rode our bikes onto the small ferry in downtown Anacortes, which only has room for 10-15 cars and takes 5 minutes to cross over to the island. It seems like the car line to get onto the ferry can last for several sailings on a busy day, so biking or walking on is a good option.
We arrived at the trailhead around 10:45 AM and parked our bikes on the bike rack at the trailhead. There is only parking for 4-5 cars at the trailhead, with a small overflow area for another 2 cars down the road. When we arrived at the trailhead there was a Skagit Land Trust work party starting to work on trail maintenance. We helped them haul a few buckets of gravel part of the way up the trail and then continued on.
The first half of the trail was heavily wooded and mostly featured a gentle grade. The trail was wide in many places and was very well maintained. Birds chirping, the wind whistling above, and the shade provided by the trees made for a peaceful way to start the hike.
About halfway up the trail, there are two benches next to a small clearing that offers views to the Northwest of Guemes and several other islands. The foliage becomes much more open as the trail ascends past this lookout. The forest thins out and the trail becomes much more exposed to the sun, and the grade becomes steeper in places.
We pushed on, and soon we broke out of the forest and reached the top of the mountain. There were a few benches at the top to stop and rest and admire the views. A small loop trail circles the summit, offering different viewpoints of the surrounding area. It was a completely clear day with no clouds or wildfire smoke, so we could see snow-capped peaks in almost every direction. Mount Baker rose above the foothills to the East, Golden Ears and Mount Robie Reid could be seen in Canada off to the North, and the Olympics spread across the horizon to the Southwest. Some of the views of the islands were obscured by trees, but it was still spectacular to take everything in.
After taking photos and resting for a short while at the top we headed back down the trail. It took us about 30 minutes to hike to the top and 25 minutes to hike back down to the trailhead. Guemes Mountain was a great stop on our bike ride, especially on such a gorgeous day. The views are wonderful for such a short hike, I will definitely make sure to do this hike again the next time I am visiting Guemes Island.
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