Whistle Lake

Mount Erie is a mountain on Fidalgo Island in Skagit County, Washington, United States. It is on public park land owned and managed by the city of Anacortes and is located in the south of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. Mount Erie was named in 1841 by the Wilkes Expedition for the Battle of Lake Erie. The mountain itself was first explored in the 1960s by local climbers, including Dallas Kloke. It is known for its climbing as well as the view from the summit. The summit is accessible via a single-lane, paved road from the base. At 1,273 feet (388 m) tall, Mount Erie is the highest point on Fidalgo Island. On a clear day, Mount Baker, about 43 miles (69 km) to the northeast, and Mount Rainier, about 117 miles (188 km) to the southeast, can be seen from the summit.

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).

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

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

Fidalgo is an unincorporated community in Skagit County, in the U.S. state of Washington.

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.

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.

The Puget Sound Refinery is an oil refinery on March Point near Anacortes, Washington, United States. It is operated by HF Sinclair and is one of the largest employers in Skagit County. The refinery has a capacity of 145,000 barrels a day, making it the 52nd largest in the United States, in 2015, with facilities that include a delayed coker, fluid catalytic cracker, polymerization unit and alkylation units. HF Sinclair’s refinery produces three grades of gasoline, fuel oil, diesel fuel, propane and butane. This plant is currently the only refinery in Washington state unable to accommodate tight oil via rail. The permitting process is currently underway for the proposed 60,000 b/d unloading capacity of the East Gate Rail Project.

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.

Anacortes High School is a high school in Anacortes, Washington, United States. It is operated by Anacortes School District, also known as Anacortes School District No. 103.A building project at the school led to a claim from Sturgeon Electric, an electrical construction subcontractor, over unexpected expenses.

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.