Awesome ferry ride over to the islands. With Beautiful views. Entering was easy and quick.read more

I only got to visit the American Camp side of this park, but it was wonderful!…read more Driving along Cattle Point Road you'll see signs to enter multiple different sites at the park. I mainly stopped at three locations: Cattle Point Interpretive Area: You can either take the steps down to the pebbly beach to feel more connected to the water, or go up the mossy mound to get a high ground view of... well, everything. I saw water, cliffs, islands, ducks, eagles, seals... unfortunately, no whales, though, prob because this is not the time of year they are around much. Cattle Point Lighthouse: Walked on a cute trail to the lighthouse, where I saw a humongous red fox on a hill, looking like it was digging or pouncing on something! On the other side of the lighthouse are views of miles of open sky and water. South Beach: On the road leading to the beach, we actually saw a black fox just chilling, lying on the road. It moved to the fenced area as we approached, and my gosh it was beautiful. I didn't even know black foxes existed! The beach itself is wide and has views of endless water, with some driftwood hanging out near you. I know there's so much more to the park that we didn't see, but I was quite happy with the wildlife and incredible scenery. Especially the foxes... I've only seen like one other (that I can remember), so seeing the ones here were such a bonus. The trails and sites that we missed are even more reason to return to San Juan Island National Historical Park. I just hope I'm able to come out to this island again someday.

So this park is awesome and we found it on accident we actually stayed up in the group camping…read morewhich I actually prefer more because it was a lot of trees a lot of space five minute walk down to the water. The spots on the water are a little closer together it's dryer and not many trees down there so it's give-and-take whatever you prefer. The sites are $25 and we had a boat that we put in the extra parking for $12 a night. I think the staff that works there would prefer you never talk to them and do everything on your own.

We camped here for 1 night this past weekend, Oct 1-2, 2016. I made reservations online a month…read moreprior. Looking at the map, we booked campsite #24 which was on the water. It was a few $$ more expensive than the ones not on the water, the view was worth the few extra dollars. I paid $34/night (tax included). Campsites: the lowered numbered sites, 1-5 I think, have shore access. 24 does not have shore access but is on the water. There are biker/hiker sites, if you don't have a car these would be preferable. The pit toilet was clean and on the lower end of smelly. The campsites are pretty close together so be aware of that. I think sites 28 and 29 are actually conjoined. My aunt and uncle live nearby and said the campgrounds get booked full during the summer season. Also it's hard to get off the island during the summer months because of so many tourists and cars going on the ferry. Beautiful spot though! Pet friendly, and I think they are open year round. Starting November till April/May it's a walk up only campsite. During summer you can reserve online.

I've been to Lopez Island twice now, and thoroughly enjoyed it both times! The island lifestyle is…read moreso laid back. No one is in a hurry, everyone is friendly. There is so much natural beauty. I drove past the senior center and they do tennis on Saturdays. I can picture myself retired on Lopez Island playing tennis and hiking some of the trails that offer spectacular views!

Well, what a difference! We went from being stared at on Orcas Island, to having everyone wave at…read moreus, which they do do here, so get used to it. They smile often too. The road coming up off the wharf is wide. People drive slower here than the other place, I guess because they're enjoying it all, and want to soak up as much as possible. The hills are minimal, and the traffic is friendly, so biking around here is popular. We legged it about 8km to the main village. (5 miles - you people are supposed to go metric already, ref the Treaty of the Meter 1875, the USA Metric Conversion Act of 1975, and the current NIST metric program to attempt conversion). We saw the sea - a public park: campground no less, with free public facilities. Lots of beautiful properties, several Earth flags - heartening to see. It was a pleasure to walk. Then we got to the Bay Cafe - a highlight of the trip, see next review. Lopez has more appeal than J Lo's arse.

This is a seriously underrated off season state park, the walk out the split in November is epic…read more Take in the marsh and the Salish Sea. We saw two herons and the shells are beautiful in the small slapping waves. The walk down from the car parking area was swift.

So beautiful at sunset! It was a little muddy to walk down to the beach from the parking lot but…read moreworth it. There is a little shelter and spot for a fire pit too.

Cross this Lopez Island favorite off your list. For some reason (the stories vary, from the beach's…read moreneighbors being unhappy with the number of tourists coming to the site, to so-called issues of erosion), the county removed a perfectly functioning metal staircase linking the roadway to the beach access. Agate Beach is now inaccessible. Whatever, it's a shame. We've been coming to Lopez for over twenty years, happy to support the island's many local businesses, and now Lopez has one less reason to travel here.

This is where you want to kinda sit around for a while and enjoy the sea breeze while watching a…read morefamily of geese across the water. You could get your feet wet but the water is too cold and because of the rocks, it can be very slippery. I would stay on shore and listen for the small waves coming with its the small sweet thudding agains the rocks. Sounds so peaceful. l somehow and surprisingly felt nostalgic. It's nice to remember the good ole past memories that are now long gone and can't ever be brought back. Ahhhh This place is quiet and still very secluded. Here you will find a moment of silence. It's nice and humbling. It also made me realize to just enjoy each day and be grateful for everything and everyone I am blessed with. I enjoyed my afternoon here.

I went down Lopez Sound Road the opposite way of the directions provided on the San Juan County…read moreLand Bank website (from Mud Bay Road) and recommend following the directions provided. The roads were rocky and it had rained recently so there were puddles of standing water and thick mud patches. What does this mean? It means you have a good chance of getting stuck in the mud or bottoming your car out if it is not built for those kinds of roads. I have been back-roading before in a Jeep Wrangler, but alas I was in my trusty steed of a Toyota Corolla named Lepton this time. It made it through, but the bottom of the car did scrape on rocks a number of times and mud and muddy water splashed along the front, sides, and up and over the top of the car. Luckily I didn't get stuck and the car didn't bottom out too bad. There is a small entry road off Lopez Sound Road that is marked with a Lopez Hill Preserve sign that leads to the trailhead. At the end of the entry road is a small parking lot to hold a handful of cars, I'd guess 5 cars. One other car was parked in the lot when I arrived. A small covered area contains some posted information about etiquette in the Preserve and a map of the trail system. There are lots of forks in the trails, so I recommend either taking a picture of the trail maps or printing out the handout on the website with the trails labeled. I printed out the handout from the San Juan County Land Bank website and consulted it at every fork I reached in the path. The trail was quiet and very green and tree-y! On occasion there were horse poops along the trail, so watch the path ahead of you as you walk. They don't smell too bad. I spent about an hour and a half exploring the Preserve and only covered a fraction of the trails. I ventured to the left at the first fork to the trail marked with a fishhook, the other option was what appeared to be a steaming stump. At the second fork in the trail marked with a red and orange arch I took a left. That trail intersects with Lopez Sound Road and continues after venturing a short way along the road. You can also turn around and walk back to the small entry road off Lopez Sound Road from this point. I chose to loop back around on Lopez Sound Road (which at this location runs along the edge of the Preserve) to see the roads my Lepton and I had surmounted. There were no cars in the parking lot other than my own when I departed for the Lopez Island Ferry Terminal. The Lopez Hill Preserve is a magical place. Yay, for the tall trees, but also the ambience was just a bit magical. Vegetation along the trail changed from shrubbery to green trees to trees without leaves to bog-like ground cover. There were abandoned wooden buildings that had collapsed or whose roof was no longer there. The bog-like ground cover was cool (though I like ground cover that reminds me of the bogs of Scotland), and the natural feature landmarks such as a tree arch and partial wall of tree roots along the side of the trail made the place feel otherworldly. A captivating place to take some time to explore and adventure!

Third Lagoon Preserve is accessible through the Cattle Point Natural Resources Conservation Area…read morenear the southeasterly end of Cattle Point Road. There is a small parking area that holds 2-3 vehicles near the entrance. I came to San Juan Island for the day on Friday the 22nd of May 2020 and recommend printing out paper copies of the preserve map/driving instructions from the San Juan County Land Bank's website in advance. Cell reception is spotty, so I found it useful to have paper copies on hand. I also printed out the map of San Juan Island with all of the Land Bank's preserves marked. That was my go-to driving guide for the day. The Third Lagoon Preserve map from the website was a useful guide once in the preserve as well. At the entrance there is a grassy drive to a gate and a small informational pavilion. There is a map in the pavilion good for getting bearings around the Cattle Point area for the day. There are at least four different entities that own land accessible to the public in the area: the San Juan County Land Bank, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. This is useful information in regards to accessibility, park rules, and fees. The preserve itself is beautiful. The lagoon was calm the morning I visited as was the water in the channel. Seagulls were looking around the beach and swimming in the water. Clams were squirting water up as I walked along the beach. It was slightly windy, but not enough to cause significant wind chill. A pleasant morning stroll.

Deadman Bay Preserve is situated north of the Westside Preserve and southeast of Lime Kiln Point…read moreState Park along West Side Road. A sign reading 'Deadman Bay Preserve' faces the road at the top of the trail that leads down to the beach. There is one small parking lot (2-3 vehicles) next to the main sign and two small parking areas across the road that hold about 2-3 vehicles each as well. Signage with rules, trail/preserve maps, and background information about the preserve are well-placed in the preserve as well as a restroom. The restroom is a small building that has a pit toilet and was well-stocked and cleanly when I visited. There are a few trails that lead to different places: one to the beach, one to the state park, and one to Limekiln Preserve. I explored the one to the beach, the beach, and ventured along part of the one that leads to the state park. The beach had beautiful rocks. There are abundant greywacke and lawsonite cobbles that are fun to look at (no collecting!). Some beautiful rock exposures border the water. Portions of these rocks are partially covered with seaweed and have tide pools. Salt crystals had formed on some of the rock where salt water had evaporated. The beach is sloped down to the water. Driftwood is plentiful higher on the beach and makes for a good bench or back support if you want to rest at the beach. Trees at the top of the beach provided cool shade while I ate my lunch. I ate lunch here on Friday the 22nd of May 2020 then did some exploring around the preserve. A fun place to take in the beauty of nature.