From Stanwood, you can reach Camano Island via a bridge; no ferry ride is needed. You can plan your trip around different interests: coastal views, forest trails, hiking and cycling, birdwatching, or traces of the past. Destinations range from a state park with views of Puget Sound and the mountains to a signposted cycling tour around the island. If you’re looking for a hotel on Camano Island, you can first decide which of these interests you want to shape your trip.
Forest, Coast, and Resort History
Camano Island State Park has forested trails, a rocky coastline, and views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains, and Mount Rainier. Cama Beach Historical State Park offers something different: up to 15 miles of trails for hiking and cycling. The cabins of the former Cama Beach Resort can also still be seen along its waterfront. The resort operated from 1932 to 1953. Here, trails for getting active are combined with a tangible link to the area’s resort history, while Camano Island State Park is defined above all by its coast, forest, and named viewpoints.
Natural Areas with Different Offerings
Four Springs Preserve has a picnic area, and its trails are free to use during the day. Iverson Spit Waterfront Preserve has trails, access to a beach, and windsurfing. Elger Bay Preserve offers forested trails and a beaver pond. This gives you a choice between a coastal setting with a beach and windsurfing and a forested area with a beaver pond; Four Springs adds a picnic area to the mix.
Cycling on Trails and Roads
When cycling, you can distinguish between park trails and the island route by their scale: Cama Beach has up to 15 miles of trails for hiking and cycling, while the Camano Island Bicycle Touring Route loops around the entire island in roughly a figure-eight shape. It was completed in 2021. The Camano route is a signposted cycling tour on existing roads, mostly with paved shoulders and regular route markers. Signage was completed in winter 2022. Check route conditions before setting out.
Traces of the Past and Birdwatching
At English Boom on the northern tip of Camano Island, weathered pilings recall a log storage yard that operated in the 1920s and 1930s. This historical reminder differs from the waterfront cabins of the former resort still visible at Cama Beach: here, the story is about a storage yard, while there, it is about a resort that operated from 1932 to 1953. For birdwatching, Iverson Preserve is listed on the Great Washington State Birding Trail Map as one of 68 hotspots designated by Washington Audubon.
Find Hotels Based on Your Travel Interests
A cycling tour, coastal and forest landscapes, birdwatching, or traces of the past can each point you in a different direction for your outings. First decide which of these experiences matters most to you, then use it to guide your hotel search.
Explore more destinations: Bells Beach, Greenbank, Langley, Oak Harbor, Coupeville
Go to the main travel overview: Island County.
