Fidalgo Island, called a "drive-on" island, is the eastern most island of the San Juan Islands and a jump-off point for exploring the other islands. The town of Anacortes, near where we stayed, is referred to by some as the "crown jewel" of the islands. It has lots of shopping, restaurants, and discoveries to make. Three of our favorite discoveries on Fidalgo Island were a sign in a local restaurant stating: "Life's two best comforts, good food and a hug; " Washington Park; and views from Mt. Eire. Washington Park is Anacortes' largest and most popular park. To access the park you take Oakes Avenue (as if going to the Ferry Terminal) and bear left rather than right at the last light before the Washington State Ferry Terminal. This takes you to a 220-acre point of land, named Fidalgo Head, that reaches into Rosario Strait shipping lanes and the quieter Burrows Pass. From benches on bluffs high above the sea, visitors can watch mighty seagoing freighters pass through on the Strait or ocean-going kayaks hug the shoreline of Burrows Pass. Down on the shoreline, the Park offers hours of beach combing along a beach covered with cobblestone shaped rocks rounded by the waves.
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