Cady Mountain Preserve includes rare Garry oak habitat and the most extensive Douglas-fir woodland-savanna complex in the San Juan Islands. Evidence of Coast Salish management abounds with dozens of old-growth trees bearing charcoal marks from centuries of low-intensity fires used to maintain open habitats. Seasonal streams, pocket wetlands, and mossy balds punctuate the landscape while less-common moist forest with mature Western Hemlock can be found on its north slopes.

The Preserve was assembled through six separate transactions between 2003 and 2022, culminating in 470-acres protected. The San Juan County Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust partnered in the 2021 addition to the Cady Mountain Conservation Area – joining forces, funds, and each other’s complementary strengths to protect the property. Through the San Juan Preservation Trust, 50 donors contributed over $500,000 to help the project succeed. The 2021 addition was the key piece to providing trail connection from Cady Mountain Preserve to the National Historical Park’s English Camp and Roche Harbor Highlands trails system.