Washington State Parks

Park overview:

Camano Island State Park is a 173-acre camping park with 6,700 feet of rocky shoreline and beach. The park provides sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and offers opportunities for shellfish harvesting.



Want to support Washington State Parks? Get involved by joining a friends' group. For more information, visit the Friends' Group web page.

Park hours/updates:

Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
Winter: 8 a.m. to dusk.

The park is open year round for camping and day use. Some campsites are closed in winter.

Camping:
Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time, 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Current alerts:

Agency information:

Don't move firewood: Please protect the Pacific Northwest from invasive species by obtaining or purchasing your firewood at or near your camping destination (within 50 miles). Firewood can carry insects and diseases that threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by buying and burning your firewood locally. For more information, visit online at www.dontmovefirewood.org or the Washington Invasive Species Council website.

Campsite Information:

The camp has 88 tent spaces, five cabins, one dump station, two restrooms and two showers. Utility campsites are not available at the park. The upper camping loop (sites 43-88) are pull-through sites and are better suited for RVs of up to 40 feet. All campsites are first come, first served.

Group Accommodations:

The park offers one kitchen shelter and a group camp that accommodates a maximum of 100 people. The group camping area has restrooms and showers. Fees vary with size of the group. To make a reservation, call Cama Beach State Park at (360) 387-1550.

Overnight Accommodations

The five cabins at Camano Island are in a diverse mature forest with views of Saratoga Passage. Each cabin is 12-by-20 feet in size and is furnished with one folding futon couch that sleeps two, one bunk bed that sleeps three and a table with five chairs. Each cabin provides a fire ring, an upright pedestal grill, picnic table and an 8-foot covered porch. For more information visit the cabins/yurts page To make a reservation, call the park at (360) 387-1550.

2013 camping fees:

Please note that the following general fee information is not customized for each individual park, so not all fees will apply to all parks (for example, primitive campsite and dump station fees listed apply only to parks that have primitive campsites and dump stations).

May 15 – Sept. 15 (peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $23 non-premium site, $26 premium site
Partial-utility campsite*: $30 non-premium site, $35 premium site
Full-utility campsite*: $32 non-premium site, $37 premium site
*Please note: Camping fees during the 2013 peak season are $28 for partial-utility sites and $29 for full-utility sites at Beacon Rock, Lewis & Clark and Schafer state parks. These parks are first come, first served.

Jan. 1 – May 14 and Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 (off-peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $22 for non-premium and premium sites
Partial-utility campsite: $28 for non-premium and premium sites
Full-utility campsite: $29 for non-premium and premium sites

Maximum eight people per campsite.

Second vehicle: $10 per night is charged for a second vehicle unless it is towed by a recreational vehicle. Extra vehicles must be parked in designated campsite or extra vehicle parking spaces.

Dump stations (if available): Year-round dump station fees are $5 per use. If you are camping, this fee is included in your campsite fee.

More about park hours
Check-in time is 2:30 p.m., and check-out time is 1 p.m.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Engine-driven electric generators may be operated only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Length of stay: You may stay up to ten consecutive days in any one park from April 1 through Sept. 30; the stay limit is extended to 20 days between Oct. 1 and March 31.

Driving Directions

Located fourteen miles southwest of Stanwood, Wash. in Island County.


Park address:
2269 S. Lowell Point Road
Camano Island, WA 98282

From I-5:
Take exit #212 and head west onto Hwy. 532. Three miles west of Stanwood, take left at fork (road is now East Camano Dr. and no longer SR 532). Drive approximately six miles on East Camano Dr. (At this point East Camano Dr. heads left by Windermere. Keep to main road, which is now Elger Bay Rd). At a spot marked by Elger Bay Grocery, gas station and a café, turn right onto Mountain View. Travel two miles, climb a steep hill, then turn left onto Lowell Point Rd. The road will dead-end at park entrance.

Park Maps

Camano Island downloadable pdf map #1


List of all downloadable Washington State Park PDF maps.

Park Features

The park provides sweeping views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainer. Comb the beach, watch the boat traffic, or hike the forest loop trails.

History

Earliest inhabitants of Camano Island were the Kikalos and Snohomish Indians, who used the island for a summer dwelling while gathering seafood and berries. They named it "Kal-lut-chin," meaning "land jutting into a bay." The island was renamed for Jacinto Caamaño, a Spanish explorer.

The first European settlers came to the island in 1855 and began extensive logging operations. Farmers came later and developed the area agriculturally.

After the land was designated for use as a park in 1949, the initial development was accomplished in a single day by nearly 900 volunteers from Stanwood and Camano Island. The park celebrated its 50th birthday in July, 1999.

Interpretive opportunities

At this park, a volunteer group hosts interpretive programs during the summer months.

Services/Supplies

Available in the park	Available in the area
• Camping • Fire wood	• Auto repair • Camping • Diesel • Gasoline • Gifts • Golf • Groceries • Hardware • Marine supplies • Overnight Accommodations • Pay phone • Postal service • Propane • White gas • Wood • Swimming

Most services are available within a few miles of the park.

Activities

Trails	Water Activities	Other
• 3 mi. Hiking Trails • 1 mi. Bike Trails	• Boating (saltwater) • 2 boat ramps (saltwater) • Diving • Fishing (saltwater) • Personal Watercraft (saltwater) • Swimming (saltwater) • Water Skiing (saltwater) • Clamming • Crabbing	• 1 Amphitheater • Bird Watching • 1 Fire Circle • Interpretive Activities • Sailboarding • Wildlife Viewing
The park has a large field for ball games in the day-use area. An 18-hole golf course is located near the park on Camano Island. Check Fish and Game regulation booklet and local papers for season dates of clamming, crabbing and fishing. A recreational license is required for fishing and shellfish harvesting at Washington state parks. For regulations, fishing season information or to purchase a recreational license, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website. NOTE: Due to an unexplained die off of clams in the Port Susan/Saratoga Passage area, Washington State Parks, in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, has closed harvesting during clam season at Camano Island State Park. This is a temporary measure to assure recovery of the clam population and future recreational harvest.

Events

Events
Date/time	Event description	State Park
June 8	100 Geocaches in 100 Parks to Celebrate 100 Years!: To celebrate the 100th year of Washington State Parks, 100 geocaches will be available in state parks across Washington. This geotour kickoff event begins in the kitchen shelter of Camano Island State Park, starting the hunt for a Centennial cache hidden at nearby Cama Beach State Park. Join the real life outdoor treasure hunt and the State Parks Centennial 2013 celebration. Participants are invited to take along potluck snacks for the event. To find geocaches in Washington state parks, visit www.geocaching.com (registration required for participation). Please note: June 8 is a State Parks free day in recognition of National Get Outdoors Day. A Discover Pass is not required for vehicle access to Washington state parks on free days.	Camano lsland (360) 387-3342

Find other events at Washington State Parks

Boating Features

There are two boat ramps.

A daily watercraft launching permit for $7 and a daily trailer dump permit for $5 is available at the park.

Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia, at region offices, online, and at parks when staff is available.

Picnic and Day-use Facilities

The Lowell Point Kitchen Shelter has a sink, wood stove and is wired for electricity and will accommodate groups of up to 44 people. A generator and a small amount of firewood will be provided upon request. There are two large charcoal braziers and picnic tables. To reserve call Cama Beach State Park at (360) 387-1550.

The North Beach picnic shelter is first come, first served and can accommodate up to 12 people.

Wildlife

Mammals	Birds	Fish & Sea Life
• Chipmunks • Coyotes • Deer or Elk • Otters • Rabbits • Raccoons • Skunks • Squirrels	• Crows or Ravens • Doves or Pigeons • Ducks • Eagles • Geese • Gulls • Hawks • Herons • Hummingbirds • Jays • Owls • Woodpeckers • Wrens	• Clams • Crabs • Mussels • Octopuses • Sea Birds • Sea Cucumbers • Seals • Shellfish • Shrimp • Starfish • Whales • Bullhead • Cod • Crappie • Eel • Perch • Salmon • Shark • Steelhead • Trout

Environmental Features

Physical Features		Plant Life	Special
During the last ice age, the area was covered by an ice sheet approximately one mile thick. The glacier carved the shape of the island with its high "feeder banks" that helped build the beaches.		• Cedar • Douglas Fir • Hemlock • Spruce • Yew • Alder • Apple • Cherry • Maple • Poplar • Daisy • Foxglove • Lupines • Paintbrush • Rhododendron • Rose • Berries • Eel Grass • Ferns • Moss or Lichens • Seaweed • Thistle	Native Americans used this area as a camp while fishing and gathering shellfish.

Park photo gallery