This was such a beautiful day! While Whidbey Island doesn’t get nearly as much actual rainfall as you’d think, there are still many dreary winter days with a light mist.
I don’t really mind clouds but it does make you appreciate the sun that much more! I decided to try out some trails in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands.
It’s a dense network of trails that you really do need a map to navigate, which I bought at a small store nearby. Most of the trails are pretty short but there’s so many of them and so many junctions that it would be easy to get lost.
I decided to hike up to the top of Mt. Erie and apparently Sugarloaf was another nice view along the way. Mt. Erie is the highest point on Fidalgo island and while there is a road to the top, it’s much more rewarding to hike to get there.
I pretty much followed the WTA description of which trails to take to get to Mt. Erie. The trail starts flat and begins to climb soon after.
There are a lot of trails that converge on the Sugarloaf viewpoint but after wandering a bit I found it. I was actually quite shocked at how amazing the views were!
The visibility on this day was fantastic! I also had the entire area to myself on a Sunday morning, and later I found out that the Seahawks game might have had something to do with that.
After enjoying the scenery and solitude for a bit, I continued on to Mt. Erie. The trail was relatively flat for a while but obviously as I got closer to the mountain it got pretty steep.
Reaching the top is a bit underwhelming at first because you come to a parking lot… but it didn’t take me long to find the amazing views! 
I love the views of the water and islands, with the backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Of course as always, the pictures don’t do it justice.
There’s a couple of viewpoints at the top and some placards describing the landscape. I really can’t believe that such a great network of trails is so close to my house!
And there are a few more state parks with lots of trails even closer! It’s a trail runner and hiker’s dream.