Mileage: 2 miles RT to Sugarloaf, 5 miles RT to Mount Erie.
Elevation Gain/Highest: 410ft/1030ft (Sugarloaf), 845ft/1265ft (Mount Erie)
Map: Anacortes Community Forest Map
Favorite Eats After Hike: Skagit Valley Co-op, Shambala Bistro and Bakery, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty Please.
Hike Details:
Mount Erie and Sugarloaf are high points in the Anacortes Community Forest in Anacortes, WA near Deception Pass and Whidbey Island. This trail system makes for a great low level, year-round hike. The trails roam over the mountain in addition to the lakes that populate the terrain. Views from the top look out over the water and across at the Olympics and Mount Baker in the North Cascades. Trails vary from gentle forest strolls to steep, rocky inclines that you might need your hands for. There is even a road to the top where those without hiking abilities can enjoy the view, as well.
My Hikes:
7/6/2021
Looking for another hike closer to home, we headed up to the Anacortes Community Forest to visit Mount Erie and Sugarloaf to enjoy the mild weather! We parked at the small lot on Heart Lake Road and took 215 and 226 first to Sugarloaf to enjoy the view as the low morning clouds dissipated (1 mile and 1030ft elevation). Mount Erie was across the way and we could see we would have clear views. There is one really steep section here that the bike riders love but you can take a switchback on the left to go around it.
From there, we dropped back down on 228 to 215 which winds around the base of Sugarloaf and put us out on the Mount Erie Road. We walked up a few hundred feet to meet 26 (trail sign marked for Mount Erie Summit) which took us back into the forest and connected with 216 and the road at the summit at 2.4 miles and 1,250ft elevation. The trail alternated between old road bed and scrambling up over rock here and scampering chipmunks had us laughing at their antics.
We made a stop at both paved overlooks with views out across the bay but the pine trees did mean an obstructed view of Mount Baker.
The landscape was much drier than I expected but I guess I have usually come during winter months. We only saw a handful of people on the trail and despite a full parking lot at the top we shared the rocky outcropping on the right with only one other group (2.6 miles). From here we could see Glacier Peak and Three Fingers in the North Cascades and the Olympic Range again. We wondered if the island in the middle of Campbell Lake had a name, it is technically an island in a lake on an island (Fidalgo).
On the way back down we just stuck with 215 passing the summit of Sugarloaf to return to our car, making our return a little shorter than our approach (4.7 miles total). There are more trails in the system than you will find on Caltopo and GAIA, for sure! But luckily, there are plenty of signs and the maps available in town and online have all the details.
12/29/2015
I went in search of a low level hike today as my new sister-in-law just moved here from Nebraska and doesn’t have a lot of gear yet. I did this hike last New Year’s Day and it was just as perfect today. We parked at the Mount Erie Trailhead on Heart Lake Roadd and started to climb up towards the Sugarloaf summit. I had forgotten how the trail just gets right down to business and is fairly steep in the first part.
This is a community trail system and you will see signs for bikes and horses; we didn’t see either today. The system is rather elaborate with a large amount of trails weaving and intersecting; you could meander in here for quite awhile. You can either take a picture of the map at the trailhead or purchase the set of 3 maps in town for $10. The Lake Erie grocery store close to the trailheads sells them as well. I don’t think there is an advantage to one way or the other, but I bought the maps today mostly to support the trail. You can tell they do a lot of work here.
The trail we took went to Sugarloaf first, and I think this viewpoint is better than Mt. Erie because there are fewer trees. Then you head back down, intersect with the road that goes up to Mt. Erie and than move back into the woods and across the saddle between the two summits. Despite the road noise, it really is a pretty quiet trail. There were just a few logs to go over, lots of pine needles and leaves but no snow.
The summit of Mount Erie had several cars in the parking lot but in general not crowded and we had the outcropping on the right to ourselves while we were there (to the right of the staired lookout point). Mount Baker had cloud cover but the islands were out on display. We sat long enough to eat a snack and enjoy the view before the cold day had us moving back down to our car.
I added a few pictures from a drive over to Deception Pass just down the road, as my new sister-in-law had never been.
Directions: From I-5, take Exit 230 for Highway 20 and head west for 10 miles, then turn left to stay on Highway 20. Staying straight on the Highway 20 Spur takes you into the city of Anacortes. Turn right onto Campbell Lake Road and drive about one and a half miles along the lake. Turn right onto Heart Lake Road–note that the sign for this turn can be hard to read, so look for the Mount Erie Grocery and take the road to the right of the store. Less than a mile from the grocery store, turn right into the gravel parking lot. There is room for about 15 cars.
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