Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Moran State Park adventure.
Relax by a picturesque mountain lake in the heart of the San Juan Islands.
In the middle of verdant Orcas Island, Moran State Park offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation, from boating across Cascade Lake or Mountain Lake to climbing the 1930s-era watchtower at the top of 2,398-foot Mount Constitution (with front-row views of Mount Baker on the mainland) to forays out to the Salish Sea for low-tide exploration. Locals know that getting here is half the fun—watch for orcas in the summer months as you take the ferry from Anacortes to the island. After you’ve pitched your tent, take a hike to look for blacktail deer, river otters, and bald eagles, or kick back to fish for coastal cutthroat trout, kokanee, largemouth bass, and rainbow trout.
Moran State Park is open year-round. Summer weekends are typically the most popular--anyone wanting to visit during these times are strongly encouraged to make reservations in advance. Forty-foot Cascade Falls is at its peak in the late spring (as is the fishing for the lake of the same name), while the mild autumns and winters of the San Juans offer plenty of rewards for campers seeking solitude. Mountain bikers should plan to visit between September 15 and May 15, when 25 miles of trails are open for that purpose.