A beautiful hike! Tons of wildlife--deer of all ages, families of hawks, red foxes, song birds and more. The heather, daisies and other wildflowers are blooming right now. Perfect for kids and dogs--not too long or strenuous, just a quick uphill climb at the very beginning. The water was magnificent to see, as well as Turtle Mountain in the distance from the beach, and the lagoons are wonderous. My only drawback from this hike as a Seattleite is that the ferry ride over was $70 (!!). But we made a day out of it by hanging out in downtown Friday Harbor after the hike.

Panoramic views of the San Juan Islands. Wooded trails. Rare grass prairies. A 2 mile long beach without a house in sight. Historic buildings from the Pig War. If you've never been to the San Juan Island National Historic Park, do yourself a favor and take a stroll on these beautiful trails before the summer tourist season sets in. Even the trip there is memorable, an hour long ferry cruise from Anacortes through the San Juan islands with the chance to sight orcas and gray whales. Disembarking at Friday Harbor (a nice looking but overpriced tourist trap of a town), skip the souvenir shops and head for the island's south side to the America Camp unit of this small National Park. Once there, park at Jackle's Bay and follow the trail to Mount Finlayson, first through forest then breaking out onto a prairie dominated by golden grass and windswept trees, with views of the Olympics and Cascades, looking for whales, osprey, rabbits, foxes and rare wildflowers. Head back downhill along the lagoon trail, passing through mature second growth forest to a waterfront path to three small bays on the parks lee shore, pausing to watch cormorants, herons and osprey enjoying the seafood buffet. Once back at the trailhead, drive less than a mile to the South Beach access road. There is a pristine 2 mile long beach, and the uplands contain more grass prairie and the remaining buildings of the American Camp, built 150 years ago during the "Pig War" dispute between the U.S. and Britain. If you can spend a couple days (camping is available at a nearby county park), be sure to check out the British Camp on the island's northwest side, and Whale Watch Point at Lime Kiln State Park, where orca's come as close as 20' to shore. On the way back to Friday Harbor, keep your eyes peeled for a (what the heck?) Camel grazing alongside the road.

Beautiful day, lovely little walk. There are a number of pleasant places to explore on San Juan island, but this is a great place to start. After this we, continued down Cattle Point Road to the interpretive center for the light house.