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