Spending A Weekend On Blake Island State Park
Blake Island Marine State Park to us, is a local paradise and what the locals call a “Blakation”! Your arrival at the island puts you directly into another world. You will be greeted with grazing deer, possibly a bald eagle, the sounds of birds chirping and the waves crashing over the rocks on the beach. There are families interacting and playing and the views are well, magnificent. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, it gets better!
How To Get To Blake Island
GETTING to Blake Island is part of the adventure! The only way to get there is by boat. If you do not own your own boat or lucky enough to have a friend that owns a boat, there are few charter boat companies that you can book to take you to Blake for a day trip or drop you off so you can camp and they will come back to pick you up.
This option can be very expensive, but sadly there are just not many options. Kayaking to the island is a wonderful adventure. You can launch from Fort Ward, Bainbridge Island or Manchester on the Peninsula. These locations allow for a paddle of only about 2 miles. Experienced kayakers also paddle from Alki or other locations around Seattle or West Seattle.
Explore The Trails
If you only have a day to spend at Blake, I highly recommend exploring the five miles of beaches and choosing any of the eight miles of hiking trails throughout the island. Hint: If it has been raining, it can be extremely muddy on the island.
Have appropriate footwear! If you are into mountain biking, they even have seven and a half miles of biking trails for you to traverse! There is plenty of wildlife to search for on the island including black tail deer, eagles, osprey, geese (Beware of these guys during nesting season…just trust me.), racoons (Don’t leave ANY food out unattended!) and even river otters! Maybe try out geocaching too!
When it is time for a break, grab your picnic lunch and sit at a picnic table that looks south, down Puget Sound to Mount Rainier (Tahoma). The Vashon Island ferries run right in front of The Mountain presenting a perfect photo op!
You might catch otters playing in the water as we did, watch boats come in and out of the marina and you will take notice of the iconic ferries crossing the Sound all day with the Seattle skyline and the Space Needle as the gorgeous backdrop.
For more history, be on the lookout for the markings for the Historic Trimble Estate!
Things To Do on Blake Island
Blake Island is also a great place to Scuba dive. Crabbing, fishing and clamming are allowed during their seasons and with licenses. Dig some clams, start a fire, and make your own clam chowder, right next to the beach! What an adventure!
Camping
Make your adventure extra special by staying and camping for a night or two! Watching the sun set behind the Olympic Mountains on the west side is an amazing experience or seeing the city come alive with lights after dark from the southeast side is also truly a treat.
The campsites are spacious, they have a campfire ring, picnic tables and breathtaking views. If you thought your sunset was amazing, wait until you see the sunrise from Blake Island! Yeah, breathtaking…
A few last things. There ARE restrooms on the island, both flush and vault toilets and even showers! Blake Island has no garbage cans. It is a “pack in and pack out” island so all of your trash must leave with you. Please prepare for this. Be sure to thank the friendly Park Rangers who help keep Blake Island the kind of place you will want to return to again and again!
Blake Island Marine State Park is truly memorable! This is THE place to create an amazing adventure for your family or friends. There is something for everyone and for every age at Blake. Start planning your adventure now!
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Lisa’s motto is to “Live life with Strength, Love, and Adventure!” It is even tattooed on her arm as a daily reminder! Born and raised in Washington, and now living on Puget Sound on her boat, MV Our Dance, she seeks out any adventure outdoors: kayaking down a waterway, hiking and backpacking along endless trails, listening to the waves crash while sleeping on the beach, biking a gorgeous trail, or just casting off lines and see where the Salish Sea takes her, but she is doing it all, camera in one hand and her husband’s hand in the other!
As a local and world travel, landscape and portrait photographer, Lisa has a burning passion for photography and living a purposeful life. She loves sharing what she sees, feels, and experiences to bring the World to people who cannot see it themselves and then to inspire others to seek out their own beautiful places and adventures. After her son’s suicide, she is determined and driven to share and remind everyone that there IS still beauty and good in this world!
