Just an hour’s drive north of Seattle, Camano Island stands out among its Washington peers. You can skip ferry lines (and associated long waits), and the less-tourist-oriented island contains numerous hikes for all levels, wildlife-watching, good food and kid-friendly stops en route.

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While the island booms in summer, sunny winter weekends offer plentiful vacation rentals, quieter trails and beaches, and a peaceful weekend getaway.

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Visitors once had to take a cable ferry to travel onto Camano Island. Today, you can arrive via a very short land bridge from the mainland. A car is ideal for navigating the handful of roads connecting the island’s almost 40 square miles.

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Choose from outdoor recreation, foodie or kid-friendly options — or a combination of all three. Pack your water-resistant hiking boots for walking down to shorelines or along swampy trails. And don’t forget a change of shoes!

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Traveling to Camano Island

Make Freedom Park your first Camano Island stop if the kids are ready to stretch their legs. The 12,000-square-foot fenced playground features turrets, swings and slides.

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If the kids can hold out a few moments more, down the road, Arrowhead Ranch hosts a unique half-acre area called the L.A.N.E., or Little Arrowhead Nature Explore. This nationally certified outdoor classroom is open to the public and features tiny bikes (and helmets) for cruising the play area.

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Then stop to buy a few supplies at Camano Commons Marketplace, six contemporary buildings wrapped around a grassy courtyard. The marketplace hosts a collection of public, professional and retail entities, including a plant shop, public library and yoga studio.

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Inside the soaring primary Camano Marketplace building, find an enjoyable mix — an eclectic gift shop, chocolatier, bakery, handcrafted coffee and pop-up craft sales on Saturdays. Upstairs, visitors and locals sip lattes, work on laptops and browse a small art gallery in The Loft.

Then, head out for one of the island’s spectacular natural destinations.

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Outdoor excursions on Camano

During the last Ice Age, a one-mile-thick glacier covered and carved the land, creating the island’s unique beaches, mostly resembling steep shelves down to rocky shores. Now, the island is more or less a spoil of beaches and evergreen-surrounded trails well-suited for exploration, particularly in winter.

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Around 90% of Western Washington’s wintering waterfowl spend their days amid some of the area’s beaches, marshland and tidelands — with even more stopping through. Late February typically brings thousands of trumpeter swans and snow geese to the area, celebrated at the Stanwood Camano Island Snow Goose & Birding Festival with bus tours, speakers, events and artists.  

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You could stitch together an entire daylong road trip exploring Camano Island green spaces. On the island’s westward side, visit Cama Beach Historical State Park for a day pass and to browse the small information kiosk and tiny gift shop for laminated wildlife guides. Also, find a free pamphlet on Cama Beach Resort, which offers a walking tour of the viewpoints and historic locations.

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Inside the Cama Beach Cafe.

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Leave room for brunch (served all day, only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and truly incredible baked goods made from scratch at the lodge-style, fireplace-warmed Cama Beach Cafe. Don’t miss the buttery biscuits and local breakfast meats.

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Do make reservations for the cafe, particularly if you want a window table looking out on a spectacular view of Saratoga Passage and toward Whidbey Island. Watch the waves for orcas and other whales, seals and bald eagles swooping down for their own meals.

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Just south of the historical state park, find the rocky beach and forested trails at the 134-acre Camano Island State Park. Stay in standard campsites — many with fantastic water views — or the one Cascadia Marine Trail campsite (only for those arriving by wind- or human-powered watercraft). Unfortunately, the state park’s Northwest-favorite, year-round rentable cabins are now permanently closed.

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More than 15 miles of trails wind throughout the state parks, up through the forest, and onto rocky shores. Look for tiny crabs hiding under beach stones after you pass enormous sun-bleached driftwood bones.

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After you’ve finished exploring the state parks, there’s far more to the island. At Iverson Trail Preserve, find signage for a Hobbit trail, to look for hidden gnomes. Iverson is also “one of 68 hot spots for bird watching,” according to the Audubon of Washington. Bust out the binoculars and galoshes as you look for toddler-sized bald eagles in nearby firs, and seabirds collecting on the saltwater flats to feast, particularly at low tide (watch for rapidly incoming tide, however).

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In 2019, Barnum Point County Park expanded its footprint sixfold, emphasizing wildlife corridors and legal protections. You may spot various avian species from the beach or a 2.5-mile trail system. For some edutainment, the short, forest-sheltered Elger Bay Preserve Trail features a beaver marsh and interpretive plant signage.

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Cama Beach Historical State Park.

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Stay, play, dine and other activities

Around 150 vacation homes and rentals are available across Camano, ranging from updated, modest bungalows and cabins to impressive (and expensive) contemporary homes. West-facing stays will offer sunset views — but ensure beach access is included or available nearby.

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With older kids, from February forward, Canopy Tours NW runs zip line tours from a family farm, with six zip lines.  

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On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, visit Matzke Fine Art Gallery and Sculpture Park to appreciate regional art exhibitions amid a bright indoor gallery or walk among the sculptures outdoors. You may spy other art galleries and artists’ workshops along the two-lane roads, but hours are seasonal. However, starting February 14, the 10-day Northwest Glass Quest welcomes visitors to explore the island for handblown glass orbs.

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Foodies might want to note there’s a handful of wineries and brewpubs on the island, a few restaurants and grocery stores. While Camano Island farmstands are plentiful in summer, pickings are slimmer in winter. Beyond these options, you’ll need to travel back over the bridge to Stanwood for more diverse dining and shopping options.

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Other Stanwood services and shops include chain stores and independent shops, including a bookstore and cinema. The cinema is housed inside a building with an enormous, slightly bizarre optical illusion-based mural of a three-dimensional Stanwood street, depicting the past.