Camano Island: Your Next Cozy Beach Getaway
An artsy enclave northwest of Seattle offers stellar views and cultural activities
By Cassie Gruber May 10, 2016
This article originally appeared in the June 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.
WHERE: Camano Island, a cozy enclave that’s a little less than 90 minutes northwest of Seattle via State Route 532.
WHY: Beachy charm with a distinct art scene. Matzke Fine Art and Design (matzkefineart.com) features an array of works by up-and-coming, midcareer and established Northwest artists, and includes a unique walk-through sculpture park. Seagrass Gallery (seagrassgallery.com) displays sculptures, glass works and paintings with colorful interpretations of Northwest landscapes.
TREAT YOURSELF: At Cama Beach Café (open weekends only; camabeachcafe.com), delight in the tasty breakfast and lunch options, or go straight to dessert with fresh pie made by bakers who proudly reject canned fillings. (We won’t judge if you spring for the prettily boxed, whole-pie option.)
EXPLORE: Camano Island State Park (stateparks.com), 134 acres of sandy shoreline and lush forest, making for a perfect day trip that’s topped off with stellar views of the surrounding Olympics and Cascades. Want to stick around? The park has 88 tent spaces available on a first-come, first-serve basis and five cabins that can be reserved.
Up the island’s west coast, the Center for Wooden Boats (cwb.org/locations/cama-beach) at Cama Beach State Park offers 33 cabin rentals as well as hourly rentals of canoes, kayaks, sailboats and more.
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