Mount Erie (Washington)

Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about 60 mi (97 km) north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass. The island is named after the Spanish explorer and cartographer Salvador Fidalgo, who explored the area in 1790. Its largest and only city is Anacortes with a population of 17,637 at the time of the 2020 census. Anacortes has ferries with daily service to the San Juan Islands and Guemes Island.

Anacortes Community Forest Lands (ACFL) consists of mostly forested lands surrounding and adjoining Little Cranberry, Heart, and Whistle Lakes on Fidalgo Island, west and south of Anacortes, Washington. Its highest point is Mount Erie, the highest point on the island at 1,273 feet (388 m). Sugarloaf, 1,044 feet (318 m) and 0.6 miles (1.0 km) north of Mount Erie, is its second highest peak. As well as the aforementioned lakes, ACFL contains a number of smaller lakes, ponds and wetlands. ACFL originated in the August 2, 1919, purchase by the city of Washington Power, Light and Water Company equipment and lands for $135,000. Prior to 1989, the forest was logged for the revenue that it produced. In the late 1980s, the forest produced little or no net income and a community organization, Friends of the Forest, was formed to oppose logging. Subsequently, a survey by the Parks Department indicated that the community favored non-forestry uses of those lands, and a study showed that the forest trails were highly valued for recreational use. In 1990, the Forest Endowment Fund was started. On April 15, 1991, the City Council ended logging, except to remove downed or dangerous trees, from the permitted uses of the forest. In 1998, a Conservation Easement Program (CEP) was adopted by the city council as a means of funding ACFL and preserving the forest. Contributions to the CEP preserve the forest at a rate of $1000 per acre. The conservation easements are held and monitored by Skagit Land Trust. As of mid-2007, over $1.5 million had been contributed and 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) was preserved.The forest includes lakes, bogs and wetlands, low mountains and rocky cliffs. Most of the forest has been logged once or twice, but a notable grove of low-elevation old-growth forest remains. The upper story is dominated by Pinaceae (Pine Family) including Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock), Pinus contorta (Shore Pine), and Abies grandis (Grand Fir), as well as Acer macrophyllum (Bigleaf Maple), Arbutus menziesii (Pacific Madrone), and Alnus rubra (Red Alder). Important understory species are Gaultheria shallon (Salal) and Acer circinatum (Vine Maple).

Whistle Lake is a small lake located within city limits in Anacortes Community Forest Lands southeast of central Anacortes, Washington. Though not directly accessible by vehicle, Whistle Lake attracts thousands of visitors each year. The lake may be reached by driving to the trailhead off Whistle Lake Road and hiking or bicycling 1.3 miles along a dirt track. The scenery surrounding the lake is pleasant and a variety of trails provide opportunities for hikers. The lake itself is used for swimming and fishing; only inflatable rafts and non-motorized boats can be used. Cliffs varying in height from 10 feet to nearly 70 feet attract cliff divers.

Dewey (also Gibraltar) is an unincorporated community in Skagit County, Washington, United States.

Little Cranberry Lake is located within Anacortes Community Forest Lands on Fidalgo Island in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington. The lake is deepened by a dam on the northern end which was constructed in the 1930s. The previous dam had broken in 1921 releasing a large amount of water which crashed down the hills to the beach.The lake basin is part of a 10-mile long, north-south wilderness corridor that roughly follows an ancient moraine, which snakes its way down the middle of the island. This moraine is a major source of gravel for the region which adjoins Anacortes, Washington. The trails in this corridor are maintained but are of variable quality. Almost all are ideal for mountain biking, in particular. Little Cranberry Lake is a popular swimming location, especially for visitors to the annual summer music celebration, What the Heck Fest.

The Oyster Run is a motorcycle rally held annually each September since 1981 in Anacortes, Washington. It is the largest rally in the Pacific Northwest with 2006 attendance estimated in the tens of thousands.There was no rally in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.

Strawberry Island is a small island in Island County, Washington, United States. It is located just east of Deception Pass, which separates Fidalgo Island (N) from Whidbey Island (S). Charles Wilkes, during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838–1842, found wild strawberries on the island and gave it the name Hautboy, after the variety of strawberry. In time, the more common name Strawberry became official.Another Strawberry Island is located several miles north, near Cypress Island.

Bowman Bay is a bay in the state of Washington, United States. It was formerly called Reservation Bay, having been part of a military reservation. In 1977 it was given its current name in honor of Amos Bowman, an American settler of nearby Fidalgo Island. The name of Anacortes on Fidalgo Island is derived from the name of Bowman's wife, Anna Curtis.The bay is now part of Deception Pass State Park.

Anacortes ( AN-ə-KOR-təs) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Anacortes' population was 17,637 at the time of the 2020 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes Metropolitan Statistical Area. Anacortes is known for the Washington State Ferries dock and terminal serving Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island, and San Juan Island. There is also a Skagit County-operated ferry that serves Guemes Island, a residential island located across Guemes Channel, north of Anacortes.

Gibraltar (also Gibralter) is an unincorporated community in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It lies on the west shore of Similk Bay.

Deception Pass (Lushootseed: sčudᶻ; Samish: Xwchsónges) is a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island, in the northwest part of the U.S. state of Washington. It connects Skagit Bay, part of Puget Sound, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A pair of bridges known collectively as Deception Pass Bridge cross Deception Pass. The bridges were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Skagit Island Marine State Park is a public recreation area comprising 25-acre (10 ha) Skagit Island in Skagit County, Washington. It is located one mile (1.6 km) east of Hoypus Point and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Cornet Bay in Deception Pass State Park and is accessible only by boat. The island is wooded with occasional meadows, rock outcrops, beach, and a land trail.