English Boom Trail, Camano Island, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

English Boom Trail sign at parking area

 

On the same day we went to Cranberry Lake we also drove to English Boom where we walked the short beach trail.  It is a free county park founded on a historical site.  There are remains of pilings for the docks built during early logging years that were used when transporting logs by water.  A small limited parking area is next to the beginning of the trail.  As it turned out, we were lucky to find a spot.  When we returned from the approximately easy 1-mile hike we saw several cars had parked along the roadside since all the regular spots were filled. 

 

There are a couple of short wheelchair-friendly boardwalks and a viewing area plus picnic facilities but no outhouse or regular restroom.  We had been here before when the tide was in and it wasn’t possible to walk all the way out to the end due to water over the trail.  This time we planned to try it at low tide and were able to go the entire way without problems.  This park is a popular birding area. 

 

The park was named for Edward G. English who was a leading timber magnate in the Northwest and also one of the founders of the town of Mount Vernon.  

 

   

Historical information with photographs 

 

 

 Bob on the trail

 

  

This trail or pathway surface is packed sand with a couple of small bridges over a stream.  

 

 

 

    This stream meanders in and around the trail 

 

         Someone built a driftwood tepee

 

 

The tide is out

 

The remains of dock pilings are everywhere along the shore for almost the entire length of the trail.

 

  

Driftwood and more pilings

 

Tide is out, mud flats with Mt. Baker in the background

 

 

 

Shore erosion

 

Most of the beach was rocky with mud flats when the tide is out.  There is a lot of driftwood.  We noticed some places where the water is eroding the shoreline.  Here sand has been partly washed away from rocks and clay soil.  

 

 

   

Bird sitting on the top of an old piling

 

Even though the trail was posted as a birding area with several different birds identified as possible to see, we only saw a few Mallard ducks and this black bird.  We have often seen Great Blue Herons and eagles on both Whidbey and Camano Islands but not this day.

 

Count for the day:

 8 people, 1 dog

RT approximately 1 mile

No fee or Discover Pass required 

 

 

Cranberry Lake, Cama Beach State Park, Camano Island, 2026

  

 

 

 

 

Sign at the beginning of the trail to Cranberry Lake

 

We are still in warm-up mode for hiking, choosing shorter distances, and low elevation trails.  We opted for two short trails on Camano Island this week, Cranberry Lake and English Boom.  There are several Cranberry Lakes, this one is in the Cama Beach State Park.  A Discover Pass is required. 

 

We stopped at the main entrance to the park and checked in at the Ranger Station, where got instructions and a map.  What sort of facilities are available?  The Ranger Station has a nice public restroom.  The road from there winds around and has access to several large parking areas and trails.  There is another restroom closer to the beach that is also modern with flush toilets, sinks, and hand blowers.  In addition to those parking areas there is on-the-street parking with room for perhaps 7 or 8 cars near the beginning of the Cranberry Lake trail.  There is also a small café closer to the beach that is open on Friday and Saturday.  We were told the food was excellent but we were not there when it was open. 

 

The Ranger explained that there may still be some wild cranberries growing here and the lake is more like a bog than a lake at times.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a real lake more or less surrounded by boggy areas.  The trail is an out-and-back, with several off-shoot paths down to the lake ending up at about 2 miles round-trip.

 

 

  

We loved this sign.  One of our pet peeves is finding full dog poop bags left on trails.  This reminder sign was at the trail head and had a dispenser with poop bags and a receptacle for used bags of poop but we still saw one left on the trail.  

 

 

     Most of the trail looks like this.   

 

 

In one place there is a boardwalk over a boggy or swampy area

 

 Downed tree

 

  

Bob standing by the downed tree  

 

This giant tree had a rotten core and must have split and come down during a windstorm this winter.  The fallen tree remains had been cut leaving the trail clear with no need to climb over or scramble around it.

 

  

Cranberry Lake

 

The lake really was more of a lake than a bog at this time of the year.  There were lots of lily pads but it was too early for the flowers.

 

 

Canada geese 

 There were many Canada geese, almost all honking and making quite a racket.  They were mostly hard to see but this couple posed for a photo.

 

 

Great Blue Heron 

 

It is difficult to see amid all the branches and greenery, but a great blue heron is sitting on a snag.   

 

 

Creeping blackberry

 

 

 

Salmon berry

 

 

  

Skunk cabbage

 

 

Pacific tree frog also called the Pacific chorus frog

 

We only saw one of the frogs; however, there were dozens more hiding and loudly serenading us with croaks and ribbits.

 

Count for the day:

 

10 people, 2 dogs

RT approximately 2 miles

Discover Pass required

 

 

 

 

Oxbow Loop, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Oxbow Loop sign by larger parking area

 

This was not a good snow season for us.  Most cross-country ski areas opened late and closed or stopped grooming early, hence we did not get out as many times as desired.  Bob was able to do some downhill skiing at Snoqualmie using his new skis.  But we hung up the skis and got out the boots and packs a little sooner than expected. 

 

For the past few years, we have hiked the Oxbow Loop first as a warm up hike.  It is an easy approximately 2-mile hike located on the road to the main Middle Fork Snoqualmie trailhead.  There are two places to park, one by the junction where the loop connects, and the other larger space by the outhouse.  There is a short connector trail from the larger lot to the loop junction. 

 

It is still a little too early for most flowers but we saw a few.  There were hundreds, if not thousands, of coltsfoot plants along the roadside ditch and around the parking areas.  It is an interesting flower that starts out like a ball with distinct pink and white colors.

 

  

Coltsfoot just beginning to bloom

 

As the flower opens and matures it changes to a much larger head that is mostly white.

 

 

  

Coltsfoot in full bloom

 

A view of the river from the connector trail between the parking area and where the loop trail begins.

 

 

View of the river

 

We saw some Indian plum and a few salmon berry blossoms.

 

 

Indian Plum 

 

Salmon berry

 

Here and there we also spotted the small yellow stream violets.

 

  

Yellow stream violet

 

Most of the trees are covered in heavy moss just like those in the Olympic Rain Forest.

 

 

 

 

Moss covered tree

 

  

About half-way around the loop is a bridge with this view

 

 

Downed branch with fungi

 

 

The trail is in good condition.  Although there are several trees and branches down along the route, the trail is clear all the way round.  It is packed dirt and gravel but also has one spot that looks like water damage or erosion.

 

 

  

What looks like water erosion on the trail

 

What else did we see?  

 

 Elk hoof prints with the tip of my boot for size comparison

 

 A pair of hooded mergansers.  Later we also saw a pair of mallard ducks.

 

 

Garter snake slithering into the leaves
 

   

We also encountered two garter snakes along the way.  They are harmless and very shy.  We rarely see them when hiking.  The first one was gone almost before we saw it.  This one had been coiled up at the base of a tree trunk.  Our movement must have startled it and it was moving fast by the time I got the camera out. Looking very closely you can see its head mostly hidden in the leaves with the tail rapidly following. 

 

 A cool sunny day, perfect for walking in the woods.  There is a branch of the trail that goes down to the river bank that we always visit too.  

 

Count for the day:

1 person, 1 dog

RT, 2 miles

Discover Pass required