Anacortes has more forest lands than you can imagine! There are three areas, Whistle Lake (farthest East), Heart Lake, and Cranberry Lake. We recommend starting at Whistle Lake because you can hike all the way towards Mt. Erie and Heart Lake. The hikes are pretty mild, but definitely download the maps at the website above. Alex gets lost every time!
This is a great easy park to walk along, and is right on the water! A great place to watch the sunset.
Deception Pass is the famous bridge that connects Fidalgo Island with Whidbey Island. It's a very popular tourist destination in the summer and is well worth it! There is some parking on the road around it, but if you can't find parking, there is a whole park on the south side of the bridge that you can explore. It's a great picture spot and we are lucky enough to drive over it every day on our drive to work! If it's a weekday, you'll likely see our jets flying over!
This is by far the best view from Anacortes. You can drive the windy road all the way to the top of Mt. Erie (the tallest point in Anacortes) and see views of the Cascades, Whidbey Island, Mt. Rainer south of Seattle, and the Olympic Peninsula. Highly recommend it for the sunsets!