Anacortes, Washington

Anacortes is a popular tourist destination referred to as the “Heart of the Northwest Adventure”. It’s an active waterfront community on Fidalgo Island with a population of about 14,500. It is the busiest seaport in Skagit County, most accessible, and the second largest city. The area is rich with shipping and industrial activity.

Most people visit to get a chance to enjoy the natural beauty and enjoy some outdoor activities. Anacortes park system has 18 city parks. The largest being Anacortes Community Forest Lands with 3,000 acres of community forest lands, six lakes, miles of hiking and biking trails through beautiful mountains. It also has 12 miles of shoreline and 67 miles of public trails, some of which are located in one of the last old-growth forested areas on the coast. The marine life and activities are a visitor can’t miss. The most popular are saltwater fishing, sailing, kayaking, whale watching, scuba diving and charter boating. The area is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountain range and has much less rain than Seattle and surrounding areas. Because there is more sun in the area it makes the outdoor activities that much more popular. It is centrally located for water adventure sports, outdoor recreation and tourism.

Anacortes is centrally located between Seattle and Vancouver BC. The area is also home to thousands of boats, with close to two million visitors each year using local ferry connections to the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island. Take a ferry and go explore the beautiful islands that surround us. Old town Anacortes is a must see with all the shopping, galleries, boutiques, antiques, book stores, coffee shops, and restaurants.