Watmough Head Trail Opens On Lopez Island

On May 3, your Conservation Land Bank officially opened the trail to Watmough Head at Watmough Bay Preserve on Lopez Island. Over 40 visitors trekked the new ¾ mile hike to the Watmough Head point, rewarded with blue-sky views of Watmough Bay, Chadwick Hill, and across Rosario strait to Anacortes and the Cascades.

Located on the southeastern shore of Lopez Island, Watmough Head was long considered as the last unprotected property on Watmough Bay, and one with immense ecological and cultural significance. In February of 2022, the Land Bank purchased the 11.6-acre property for $2.55 million, joining a conservation area that features approximately 450 acres of protected lands and 1.67 miles of shoreline.

Highlights from opening day included preserve, beachcombing, sweet treats, and perusing the historic homestead cabin built in 1876 by Sampson Chadwick.