Celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD) with your Conservation Land Bank and Washington State Parks with a forest stroll along Lopez Island’s newest public trail – a 0.75-mile hiking trail through your Conservation Land Bank’s Spencer Spit Preserve. Staff will be onsite with maps and snacks and available to answer your questions. The NPLD event tent will be setup at the State Parks day use parking (above the beach trail and near the restrooms). Bonus – NPLD is one of the State Parks free days. No Discover Pass needed today.

Accessed through the existing Spencer Spit Parks trail system, this new public trail connects the Land Bank’s 18-acre Spencer Spit Preserve to Spencer Spit State Park.

Volunteers from the Lopez Community Trails Network and American Hiking Society built the trail over several days, alongside staff from the Land Bank and State Parks. Highlighting natural features such as a glacial erratic, the trail meanders through big leaf and Douglas maples, western red cedars, and large Douglas-firs. A short loop at the end rewards hikers with views of Flower Island from atop of shoreline bluff. Roundtrip hike from the State Parks entry is about 3.75 miles.

The trail is day-use and pedestrian access only, with trailheads located at the Spencer Spit State Park entrance and near day-use parking. The only access to the new trail is through Spencer Spit State Park. Vehicle parking is at the Park’s day use area or at the entry roundabout.

The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank acquired the preserve in 2021 and it will be managed under an agreement with Washington State Parks.