Best Ways to Stay Active on Camano Island

By Julie Love

Camano Island runs on outdoor time. I've been helping people buy homes here long enough to know that the ways to stay active on Camano Island are a primary reason people choose it. The island has enough trail mileage, water access, and cycling terrain to fill a week of activity without repeating yourself, and it delivers all of it in a setting most people would trade a gym membership for without hesitation.

Key Takeaways

Camano Island State Park: The island's main trail hub with a 2.7-mile bluff loop, beach access, and Olympic Mountain views across Puget Sound
Barnum Point County Preserve: A nearly 170-acre coastal forest preserve with beach access and one of the best eagle viewing spots on the island
Cycling the perimeter: A full island circuit covers roughly 50 miles of mostly quiet roads with consistent Puget Sound views
Center for Wooden Boats at Cama Beach: Rents kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and SUPs year-round with no reservation required for most rentals
Camano Country Club: A community fitness club open to the public with an indoor pool, gym equipment, yoga, and fitness classes

Trails and Hiking: The Shoreline and Forest Circuit

Camano Island's trail system is organized around the bluff above the Sound and the forest interior.

Camano Island State Park loop: A 2.7-mile moderate trail with 354 feet of elevation gain and views of the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier across the Sound.
Camano Ridge Forest Loop: A 5-mile route through 400 acres of forested uplands, the most challenging trail on the island, and worth the effort for the canopy it passes through.
Barnum Point Preserve: Miles of maintained coastal forest trails leading to a rocky shoreline with eagle sightings that are common enough to plan around.
Four Springs Lake Preserve: A 1.6-mile wooded loop around a small lake through meadow and forest.
English Boom Trail: A former logging boom site on the north shore with Salish Sea views, a short ADA-accessible section, and reliable heron sightings.

Thirteen maintained trails cover the island, running from easy beach walks to the most demanding forested ridge routes.

Water Activities: The Tide Decides the Schedule

The water around Camano Island is part of how residents keep their weeks structured. Tide tables, launch windows, and crab season dates end up on the calendar the same way gym schedules do somewhere else.

Kayaking and paddleboarding: More than 30 launch points sit within range of the island, most free, with the state park boat launch as the most convenient starting point.
Center for Wooden Boats at Cama Beach: Rents kayaks, canoes, rowboats, sailboats, and SUPs year-round.
Dungeness crabbing: Open seasonally from July through Labor Day in the surrounding marine areas, with gear rentals available at Cama Beach.
Tide pooling at Maple Grove Beach: Best at low tide, with sea anemones, crabs, and other marine life accessible along the rocky shoreline.

Clamming at Camano Island State Park is currently closed indefinitely, so Cama Beach and the county preserves are where the shellfish activity is concentrated this season.

Cycling: The Island Makes a Real Route

Road cyclists who move to Camano Island tend to stop looking for other places to ride fairly quickly.

Full perimeter route: A roughly 50-mile circuit of the island with consistent Puget Sound views and quiet roads through forest and farmland.
Southern loop: A shorter 17-mile option that stays relatively flat and works well as a weekday ride.
Northern loop: The more demanding of the two main circuits, with steeper east-west crossings that add climbing to the route.
Figure-eight configuration: The island's road layout allows combining loops for a customized distance, which is why cyclists here rarely run out of variation.

The island's road network is low-traffic, the terrain climbs enough to be interesting, and the views that open up along the perimeter are worth the pedaling.

Fitness Facilities: What the Island Has on-Site

For days when the weather is not cooperating or a structured workout is what you need, Camano Island has more options than most people expect for a rural island without a town center.

Camano Country Club: A not-for-profit community club open to the public with an indoor heated pool, weight machines, free weights, cardio equipment, yoga, and fitness classes.
Movements Arts Yoga Studio: Located at Terry's Corner, offering in-person yoga and pilates classes, workshops, retreats, and a yoga teacher training program.
Stanwood-Camano YMCA: About 10 minutes from the island in Stanwood with group training, swimming lessons, water fitness, yoga, and pickleball.

The Country Club is the on-island anchor for most residents who want a consistent fitness routine.

FAQs

Do I need a car to access trails and outdoor activities on Camano Island?

Most of the island's parks and trailheads require a car to reach, since the island has no public transit, and distances between access points are spread across a rural road network.

Is Camano Island good for outdoor activity in winter?

Yes, with adjustments. The trails stay accessible through most of winter, the beach walks are often more dramatic in low light and at low tide, and the birding is year-round. Water activities are available, but colder.

What water activities are available year-round on Camano Island?

The Center for Wooden Boats at Cama Beach rents kayaks, canoes, rowboats, and SUPs year-round, and the island's boat launches remain accessible through the off-season. Fishing is available seasonally with current regulations from WDFW.

Thinking About Making Camano Island Home?

The ways to stay active on Camano Island are part of what makes living here feel different from anywhere else I know. The island is set up for an outdoor life in every season, and I have watched that factor move from a nice-to-have to a deciding one for most of the buyers I work with.

If you are curious about what daily life here actually looks like, I would love to talk through it. Reach out to me, Julie Love, anytime.