Hiking Mount Erie near Anacortes, Washington
Contents
Mount Erie Hike Information
Difficulty: Easy
Distance: 7.60Km (4.7 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 366m (1,200 Ft)
Highest Elevation: 388m (1,273 Ft)
Average Gradient: 9.63%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Low / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 3 – 4 Hours
– Moderate: 2.5 – 3 Hours
– Fast: 2 – 2.5 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Year-Round
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Mount Erie Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°28’03.6″N 122°37’46.2″W
Mount Erie Overview
At 388m, Mount Erie is the highest point on Fidalgo Island in Skagit County, Washington. Located in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands, the summit is entirely accessible via paved road, with a spacious parking area at the summit. However, many people opt to hike to the top from a variety of different trails, with the most popular route described here, which also includes summiting Sugarloaf Mountain.
Thanks to its well groomed trails, fairly modest stats and pleasant viewpoint, Mount Erie is quite a popular spot with families and trail runners, particularly in the summer. An early start might be recommended in peak season, but outside of it there should be plenty of space.
Due to its low elevation Mount Erie will usually be snow free for the majority of the year. During the winter you might find some icy spots along the trail from overflowing creeks, but for the most part this is very straightforward at all times of year. It’s also easily accessed even from the Lower Mainland, requiring ~1.75 hours driving from Vancouver.
Peakbaggers may notice a number of peaks reside within the ACFL, and it’s quite feasible to summit 5 peaks in a straightforward loop, though the only views of note are from Mount Erie and Sugarloaf Mountain. The other three peaks are Sugar Cube, Pine Ridge and Little Round Top.
Mount Erie is dog friendly.
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Is Mount Erie worthwhile?
Mount Erie is a fairly low effort hike (or no effort hike if you drive up), with pretty rewarding views over the Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. On a clear day you can even see Mount Rainier and Mount Baker off in the distance. This is a decent hike for those days where you’re not feeling super ambitious and you want a pleasant, simple trail with some nice views. It’s also a good option for those with kids, dog walkers and trail runners, as there is a huge number of trails in the area to explore.
How difficult is the hike to Mount Erie?
For the most part this is a fairly easy trail, albeit with a couple of consistent climbs thrown in. While there are moderately steep climbs up to both Sugarloaf Mountain and Mount Erie, they’re both fairly short lived and interspersed with some flats to break it up enough. An average gradient of below 10% and a hike distance of just under 8km usually means a straightforward outing. The looped outing including 5 peaks is a bit longer, with more elevation, but is still a very straightforward trip.
Technically speaking this hike couldn’t be much easier. The entire trail follows a simple forest path, with the odd rocky section thrown in.
Mount Erie Route Information
There are a number of access points into Anacortes Community Forest, but the most popular seems to be from a trailhead off Heart Lake Road (see coordinates). There is a decent amount of parking here, plus plenty of parking on the side of the road should the lot itself be full.
From the parking lot there is an obvious trail going into the forest, likely with a sign indicating trail 215. All of the trails within Anacortes Community Forest are numbered, with most (if not all) junctions being well signed. Still, you’d need to know which trail numbers to follow as there is no signage indicating the way to Mount Erie itself, with a plethora of trails throughout the park.
After following the flat trail for 500m or so you’ll reach a junction, keeping right on trail 215 and beginning a moderate but consistent climb up towards Sugarloaf Mountain. You’ll now climb for the next kilometer or so, gaining around 150m in the process, before reaching another junction. Taking trail 226 to your left you’ll now briefly climb up Sugarloaf Mountain.
From Sugarloaf Mountain you’ll get some reasonably nice views of Mount Erie and Burrows Bay, but the views from Mount Erie are much nicer, so no need to stick around too long.
From the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain you should see a trail dropping down the western slopes, rejoining trail 215 below. Following this trail, over the next few hundred meters you’ll descend gradually, culminating at the road that leads up to the summit. Feasibly you could now just follow the road all the way up, but that’s not very exciting.
After briefly following the road you’ll see another trail heading back into the forest on your left. After following this trail for a few hundred meters, you’ll reach another junction where you’ll want to turn right onto trail 216. Following this trail, you’ll now begin to climb once more, and in around 500m or so you’ll reach the road once again. The trail continues in the forest, however, so no need to follow the road up.
After 400m of moderate climbing you’ll top out on a rocky summit adjacent to the parking lot. The summit views are nonexistent here, and if you head over to southeast “viewpoints” you might be underwhelmed with where you find yourself. Thankfully this is not why so many people drive up Mount Erie, as all of the views are from the western side of the peak.
If you walk down the road briefly and head left at a trail just before some building, you’ll find yourself on top of a spacious bluff with panoramic views over Skagit Bay. On a clear day you should be able to see for miles and miles, with Mount Rainier and Mount Baker both clearly visible. There is plenty of space to sit down, soak in the views and enjoy a bite to eat.
Once you’ve finished at the summit you have a number of options for returning to the car. Some people opt to simply hike down the road, which is likely the fastest and most direct route. Others will opt to just go back the way they came, though this involves hiking back up Sugarloaf Mountain, which is unnecessary. The route described here involves initially following the same trail back, before splitting off and following another loop in the forest back to the trailhead. It’s mostly downhill or flat, though not as direct as the road, so the choice is yours.
When should I hike Mount Erie?
This is a suitable hike year-round thanks to its low elevation. Given this fact I would probably suggest saving it for a low ambition day when you’re not feeling like pushing it too hard.
Top Tip
You’ll likely want an offline map for this hike, given the number of trails in the park and the lack of signage directing you to the summit.
Despite the popularity of this area there isn’t a single washroom at any of the trailheads as far as I saw, not even at the busy, touristy parking lot at the summit. For such a well maintained hiking region it’s quite surprising that there are no facilities offered.
