washington park

Nice place to go just to relax and enjoy the view. But it also has good picnic areas, clean rest rooms, a boat launch, and camping.

It's a slow curvy drive thru the park and worth every minute of the drive. Pullouts to park and benches to sit and watch the waves. Fresh air at its best!

Whether you are are driving or walking, Washington Park has so much to offer. It has quiet forrest trails; "calendar" views of sea, sky, and trees; geological wonders, beaches, and geo-caches. There is restroom, a playground, a boat launch, and picnic areas. There is a one way loop road, with several opportunities to walk on trails at least for a few minutes. Many people also simply walk on the road as well as the trails. Whether you have just a few minutes, or a couple of hours, or all day, you will find beauty here.

Beautiful, large park just north of downtown. The neighborhood is interesting, as well. The zoo was really big and had many really large areas for the animals. You could really get to enjoy them in something a little closer to a natural habitat. Frequent talks by zookeepers in various area and many volunteers who are glad to help with questions or directions.

This is a truly beautiful little park. It has the amenities that all the parks do: camp grounds, trails, parking lots, playgrounds, and open areas to play in. What makes it special are all the little details that the other parks don't have. Near the boat launch/dock, there is a friendly seal that swims around all day long waiting for fisherman to throw their unused bait into the water. He has been their for about 30 years and has a problem with one of his eyes, not sure what happened to him. Sometimes he swims right up to, and underneath the dock you're standing on. The loop road trail at Washington park is second to none. Its a 2 mile trail that is basically an incline the whole way up, but it has different gradients so it's not very steep most of the way. Once you get to the top at about 1.5 miles in you open up in a clearing at the top of the hill overlooking the water. It's the most beautiful sight, especially if you time it at sunset or sunup. I'm not even going to try to describe it because I can't do it justice. Then one the final .5 mile stretch its a straight downhill back to where you parked. This is a perfect park for biking, walking, running, or just wasting time enjoying its beauty and if you're in the area you have to go check it out. Its free to get in the park and it's absolutely worth the trip.

Washington Park is the westernmost point of Anacortes. There is more than ample parking and the Loop Road is a joy to drive. But better yet, walk the Loop Road. It is two miles of peace, tranquility and natural beauty. The the ten miles per hour, one lane one-way path is suitable for walking, running, biking, or driving. Along the way, you can stop at the beach and watch the shipping pass through Rosario Straight and behold the San Juan Islands at water level. Sunset at this spot can be spectacular! Or take one of the many marked trails, or stop at the most photographed trees in Washington. In addition, bird and critter watching can be fun. And look for the eagle tree less than a quarter mile from the entrance. If you are a camper, there is a wonderful, secluded campground in the park. Additionally, there is a boat ramp and picnic area if that is what you love.Whatever else you do in Anacortes, be sure to visit Washington Park. For couples, families, or athletes, It is a jewel of a destination.

My husband and and I walk the "Loop" every nearly every Sunday morning. A good two miles one way, this can be an aerobic exercise. There are steep climbs followed by level walking and descents down. Also beautiful stops to rest and enjoy the view. This park is used by many walking groups throughout the week. There are also many trails off the Loop taking one into the forests or out to views of the water, islands and mountains in the distance.This park is owned by the city of Anacortes and very well maintained. There is a beach, children's climbing apparatus, picnic tables a boat launch with plenty of trailer parking. I don't know much about the camp sites but they are tucked away in the woods and look well maintained. I've heard camping is for locals only but that may not be the case. There is a fee for camping.

For a wonderful 2 mile walk, take the loop road before 10 a.m. That;s when cars can come into the park. Gorgeous trees, lovely water views, friendly people and dogs. Very popular with walkers.

We were quite surprised to have a quiet campground in late June. We stayed for a few days, mid-week, but loved the camping solitude and quick access to the beach, the town and the ferries into the San Juan Islands. As with all State Parks, you can expect the bathroom buildings to be pretty spartan.

Just a mile or so past the ferry terminal at the edge of Anacortes is Washington Park and what the locals call the "sunset loop". The park has ample picnic tables, a great playground, but I am writing about the sunset loop area.Follow the directions for the boat ramp parking and you will see the signs for the Loop Road. It is a very small and windy road that goes around the promontory for 3 + miles or so. Only one direction and just room for one car.But ditch the car and you can "walk the loop" - either direction! I prefer walking in "backwards" because you get an uphill section out of the way and your end your hike on the beach side rather than the forest but it is just a personal preference. While the road itself is an easy walk, there are some challenging hills and unless your kids are really hearty I don't recommend it for young kids to walk. Better to play at the beach and then drive the loop. If you are lucky with the weather, you will have amazing views of the Olympic Mountains, the Canadian Cascades and Mount Baker in the course of your walk. And you will definitely see the ferries, fishing and pleasure boats and the beautiful San Juans. Even if walking the road, take the well marked trails on the "water" side and you will be rewarded with even better vistas when the road goes more into the forest. You walk along the side of the bluff and through the forest and it is just peaceful and wonderful. When you reach a large open observation point at the top you are almost around the loop. Worth a destination if you are on a field trip to the area from Seattle or Vancouver, but especially worth a short detour before or after you take the ferries.

I love the road the circles the park. Nice boat launch and camping facilities. You'd never know you were just outside Anacortes.

I visited Washington Park to use the boat launch as a start/finish point for a day of kayaking. It was a fairly straight forward process and it wasn't that busy. By putting in at the boat launch I could kayak south to explore Burrows and Allan Islands. There can be a limited selection of places to stop along the way if the tide is high or the wind is up it is a wonderful place to launch for a day paddle.I can't really speak to the overall park experience but what I did see and utilize I found to be clean and easily accessible.

We drove through around the loop (slowly) and pulled off the road a few times to enjoy the views. It would be fun to walk too!

Although you can drive the whole way by car it is the better choice to walk. It is a small roundtrip not too much to walk and there are so many spots to hold on for a second or two enjoying the different views. Saw my first bald eagle sitting on a tree near the water. A moment I will never forget.

We were actually quite disappointed with our walk at this park. The photos and description indicate that you are walking by the ocean and getting lovely views, but really you are mostly walking a loop on a narrow paved road and occasionally coming to view points where you can look out over the water and islands. Now these views were spectacular and worth seeing, but for the most part we were just walking through a dark forest on a paved road and we wished we had gone to Deception Pass to walk on the beach instead.