Picture Kiket Island open to everyone for a hike through the quiet woods out to the log-strewn beaches.
Picture that experience available to you this coming year. Cross your fingers — that may happen!
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Washington State Parks have found funding to build a small parking lot along Snee-Oosh Road and develop trails to allow anyone to walk onto the island and experience this treasure called Kukutali Preserve.
Planning and permitting is underway for the parking lot. If all goes as hoped, the parking area may be completed as early as next summer. Meanwhile, we are working on finishing the other facilities that will allow use and limit human impact, such as trails and resourceprotecting fences.
The Skagit– Whatcom– Island Trail Maintenance Organization, SWITMO, joined me on a foggy morning late last month to restore a trail on the north side of the island. This trail will allow users to hike a loop route, going onto the island on one trail and going back off on a different trail.
This trail route had been built decades before by a previous island owner, but had been overgrown since then. Parks and tribal planners flagged out a route to restore the trail while protecting some sensitive habitats.
SWITMO volunteers helped us begin to rebuild the route. One or two more work days will hopefully finish this route and the other trails on the island.
These trails respect the valuable heritage of the island’s special resources, while allowing hikers to experience the different environments represented on Kiket, from old growth groves to moss-covered balds to big-leaf maple forests. The west end of each trail comes together at the former homestead area, with easy access to the beach and views in three directions:
Hope Island to the south, Deception Pass to the west, and Turner Bay and Mount Erie to the north and northwest.
The far western point of the Preserve, Flagstaff Point, will not have public access at this time as we seek to preserve this magnificent flower-filled meadow.
The beaches of the Preserve belong exclusively to the Swinomish tribe. The tribe is allowing access to the beaches so long as hikers or kayakers do no harvesting while they are there.
The uplands are jointly owned by the tribe and Washington State Parks, a unique partnership that brings us all together in ownership and responsibility of care.
Until next year when the island is opened, tours will continue to be offered on Saturday mornings by advance reservation by calling 360-914-0120.
Jack Hartt is manager of Deception Pass State Park