Hike of the Week: Padilla Bay

Hikers enjoy a winter stroll along Padilla Bay

Padilla Bay

A “shore” bet for a winter walk





by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin

January 20, 2006

Quick Facts
Location: Bay View, Skagit County
Land Agencies: Skagit County Parks, Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Roundtrip: 4.5 miles
Elevation gain: 20 feet
Access: From I-5, take exit 230 in Burlington. Follow WA 20 west for 6 miles. Turn right (north) onto Bay View-Edison Road. Follow for four miles to large parking area just beyond north trailhead (look for signs).
Special Note: Dogs must be on a leash

Back in 1989, several cooperating government agencies established the Padilla Bay Shore Trail; a 2.25 mile dike-top trail along Padilla Bay and Indian Slough in Skagit County. Snow-free year-round, the Shore Trail makes for a wonderful winter hike. The trail is managed as part of the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Estuaries are places where salt and fresh water mix, producing some of the most biologically rich ecosystems in the world.
Estuaries are also among the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Many have been filled in, dredged or severely polluted. Twenty-six in the United States have been designated as reserves under the NERR system; from New Hampshire’s Great Bay to Alaska’s Kachemak Bay. Padilla Bay is one of six West Coast Reserves and the only one in Washington.
Padilla Bay is in no way pristine-most of its original salt flats were reclaimed for agriculture by settlers in the 1890s. More recently, a huge oil refinery was built on March Point along the western boundary of the bay. Still, the area is an important winter feeding grounds for brandts (a small goose) and other shore and marsh birds. Padilla Bay is also an important breeding ground for many aquatic animals.
As much as the dike along Indian Slough decreased the surface area of Padilla Bay to make way for hundreds of acres of farmland- it also provides for a way to explore this ecosystem without rowing or getting your feet wet. The scenery is stunning, from bay islands like Saddlebag and Hat to the snowy summit of Mount Baker. On exceptionally clear days, Mount Rainier can be seen in the far distance.
If you would like to learn more about the environment of the region before setting out on the Shore Trail, pay a visit to the Breazeale Interpretive Center just north of the trailhead. The Interpretive Center sits on a 64-acre abandoned farm which is now part of the 11,000-acre greater preserve. Check out the observation deck overlooking the bay, or take a stroll on the Center’s 3/4-mile nature trail.
I have hiked the Shore Trail on numerous occasions; warm spring evenings, bitterly cold and windy winter afternoons, and wet autumn days. I have seen thousands of brandts, a score of eagles, copious herons and one lone owl. Padilla Bay is a wonderful place to visit anytime during the year.