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The glorious scenery of Western Washington is shrouded in a blanket of temperate marine clouds for several months per year. Many of us riders keep our wheels turning throughout the year, despite it feeling like you’re riding through the vegetable section at the grocery store — the constant mist keeps us fresh.

When the sun begins to burn through our winter blanket, riders are very eager to hit the road. The lingering snow in the Cascade mountains and foothills pushes adventures to the lower elevations. For this reason, one of my favorite spring-time rides is out on the island, Whidbey Island.

Whidbey Island sits just off the mainland in the waters of the Puget Sound. It basically runs longitudinally, with the main roads going North-South. The Seattle-metro area sprawls to the Mukilteo-Clinton ferry that serves Whidbey Island. For our most recent Whidbey Island road trip, we decided to start to the north and ride south.

Rainbow Bridge in La Conner crosses the Swinomish Channel.

Our ride actually starts near the Snohomish and Skagit county line. There are a handful of non-freeway routes that will get you up to the starting point in Conway and on to Fir Island Road. Fir Island Road slices through lush Skagit Valley farmland dividing it up into sections of land held above water by a vast system of dikes. The fertile land produces many cash crops, such as tulips, iris, potatoes and more. The flowers are particularly popular with tourists during the Skagit Valley Tulip festival held in April every year.

Fir Island turns into Best Road as it climbs up a small hill. As it drops down again, turn onto Chilberg Road toward the historic town of La Conner. The town has many food and retail options. We take the very first left turn onto Maple Avenue  to circumvent the busy business core. Rainbow Bridge soon arches gracefully over the Swinomish Channel that once carried steamboats north from Seattle and on to Bellingham. On the other side of the bridge we ride through the Swinomish Reservation and almost immediately turn left onto Snee Oosh Road. Now firmly on Fidalgo Island, the road provides beautiful views over the waters of Simlik Bay before connecting with Reservation Road to continue north where we follow Washington State Route 20.

We aren’t ready to turn toward Whidbey Island just yet so we ride past the intersection for SR20 and Deception Pass Road. Instead, we head to the round-a-bout in Anacortes and follow it all the way around to Commercial Avenue.

Mount Erie is the highest point on Fidalgo Island. It offers great views to the east, west and south.

We wind through the neighborhood to H Avenue and Heart Lake Road. This road takes us through the incredible park known as the Anacortes Community Forest Lands.

According to a Wikipedia article, the area was once a city revenue source from logging, the local community banned together in the 1990’s to stop logging operations and create multi-purpose trails for hiking, horse and motorized use. Within the 1,500-acre ACFL park is Mt Erie. At 1,273-feet, Mt. Erie is the highest point on Fidalgo Island. Riding up the paved and twisting road to the top opens an incredible view of the San Juan Islands, Cascade Mountains, Mount Baker and even the Olympic Mountains on particularly clear days. After taking in the views, which includes Whidbey Island to the South, we fire up the Suzuki V-Strom 650 and stroll back down the hill to Heart Lake Road and continue South. At the “Y” intersection, keep the left and Campbell Lake Road will connect with SR20, Deception Pass Road.

Motorcycling past Cranberry Lake in Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island, WA.

Originally, explorers thought that Whidbey Island was a peninsula. Explorers make mistakes and the small passage of Deception Pass is aptly named for it’s trickery of the famous Vancouver Expedition. Lucky us motorcyclists, the Deception Pass Bridge carries road-goers 180 feet above the turbulent tidal waters below. We ride slowly along the nearly quarter-mile long bridge expanse to soak in the views as we cross. At the intersection past the bridge is the entrance to Deception Pass State Park. A Washington State Discover Pass is required to enter. The gate keepers insisted that we hang our pass on the bike or risk a $99 ticket. It wasn’t the best welcome to a paying customer. We feel unwelcome at Deception Pass State Park and leave.

Now officially on the island, there is one main route north to south comprised of two roads, SR20 and SR525. These roads are busy. There are many side roads that provide a more scenic experience. We trodded off along the northwest portion of the island before arriving to Oak Harbor. The map below shows the actual route, but I highly suggest putting the map away. You’re on an island. You’re not going to get lost, but attempting to is the beauty of being on Whidbey Island.

We find ourselves on Dike Road by accident. To the west, the buzzing traffic of SR20 was visible. It looked hectic, but was well camouflaged by the views of the water trapped by the dike and surrounding grassy field. My head turns to the east jus as my wife chimes in in over the wireless intercom, “Look there’s a Bald Eagle perched right over there.” Just 100 yards into the tidelands was the large bird feasting on young minnow-sized fish. Nature and wildlife is abundant on the island. All you have to do is let the beaten path sink into the camouflage, slow down and enjoy it.

Bald Eagle as seen from a dike on Whidbey Island. Wildlife is abudant on the island.

My #1 pillion and I take turns calling the preferred direction of travel at each intersection. We run into several dead ends. Some were well forested, while others developed communities. Most dished up scenic views of what makes the island life so enticing.

Eventually our somewhat random calling of directions brings us to downtown Oak Harbor. We walk the main strip, grabbing ice cream at Popsies (http://www.popsies.com) and coffee at Whidbey Island Coffee as we meander in and out of seas of antiques, gifts and Paint Your World — a great little store where you paint your own pottery.

After the caffeine and sugar sink in, we mount the V-Strom and continue south. Without giving away too many mapped constrictions, I suggest you zig to the numerous state parks while you zag to the little towns that dot the island. Just be aware of the state park gate keepers as they aren’t friendly to motorcyclists. The views are worth dealing with their poor service.

Ala Spit offers great views of the Skagit River mud flats and spectacular bird watching from northeast Whidbey Island.

If at any point you need to get home, then SR20 or SR525 will get you on the way. Our next trip to Whidbey Island will likely include a tent. The island can easily be zoomed through and looped with I-5 for road trips out of Seattle. A tent or bed and breakfast would enhance the experience.

A few interesting stops on Whidbey Island include:

• Useless Bay Coffee in Langley
• Meerkerk Gardens just south of Greenbank
• Greenbank Farm, which is a former farm and Chateau Ste. Michelle-owned winery that is now art galleries, café, trails and more.

The town of Clinton is the final stop on Whidbey Island. From here, the ferry crosses over to Mukilteo. As traffic builds the hustle and bustle is hard to escape. The Tin Fish is where I often go for incredible fish tacos while I sit on the patio and let the mainland sink in. It is my personal hyperbaric chamber that helps me safely handle the mainland pressures.

Lake Cavanaugh in Skagit County, Washington is deep in the heart of the Pacific Northwest logging country. Soon after settlers heeded the words, “Go West” the market for logging products was born. The vast forest products in the Lake Cavanaugh area brought a flurry of activity around the turn of the 20^th century. Logging is still a staple in this rural area of Skagit County, but it is now a popular location for vacation homes.

Frailey Mountain Reflection on Lake Cavanaugh

Lake Cavanaugh is on the northern base of Mount Washington and Frailey Mountain, along the line dividing Skagit and Snohomish counties. Haystack Mountain and many other peaks of the North Cascade foothills surround the lake to the north and east. Lake Cavanaugh Road is the only paved surface bringing the few vacation home owners to this incredibly beautiful area.

Lake Cavanaugh Road joins Washington State Highway 9 just south of the town of Big Lake. The road climbs, dips, swerves, swoops and twists its way between the hills, creeks and rivers that fed the logging boon of years ago. The scenic beauty of this terrain brings a tranquil peace to the pounding of your heart that come from enjoying the road on a motorcycle.

I’ve never counted the number of corners on this 15-mile stretch of Pacific Northwest motorcycling bliss. The leaning of the motorcycle, surrounding views and ample wildlife keeps my brain cells far to busy to track such things.

This is a common sight on Lake Cavanaugh Road.

Lake Cavanaugh Road quickly transports you from the Skagit Valley farm fields to the backwoods of the Cascade foothills. As the elevation climbs from 150 feet at Hwy. 9 to roughly 1,000 feet the moss-covered trees tighten their grip on the prime pavement seemingly made for motorcycles. Eventually, the road comes to a “Y’ where North Shore Drive and South Shore Drive circumnavigate the tranquil waters of the 844-acre Lake Cavanaugh. The lake is only 80-feet deep, but the reflections of the surrounding mountains will reach much deeper into your soul than that.

If you’re on a motorcycle with limited ground clearance then wrapping around the lake and back down Lake Cavanaugh Road is you only real routing option. About seven miles west of the lake is Granstrom Road, which leads back to Highway 9. Granstrom Road offers more tree-lined pavement with more than enough twists to keep your attention.

Even on the few straight stretches, the tree-lined view is beautiful.

If you’re on a dual sport or adventure motorcycle, then options abound for exploring dirt roads and single track trails in this area. For true dual sport riders, you passed by at least a couple entry points to Walker Valley Off-Highway Vehicle area along the north side of Lake Cavanaugh Road. There are enough gnarly single track trails at Walker Valley to entertain you for several days.

For riders of larger adventure touring motorcycles, there are other options. Leaving from the southeast part of the lake is Deer Creek – Lake Cavanaugh Road. This six mile stretch of dirt road is a hoot. On the southern face of Frailey Mountain the views from the road are incredible. The North Fork Stillaguamish River cuts a narrow valley that reaches out to the Puget Sound. Immediately south of the river is Ebey Hill, Wheeler Mountain and increasingly more rugged mountains to the east. The road drops down the mountain and connects with Highway 530 near the hamlet of Oso, between Arlington and Darrington. From this intersection you need to decide if you’re heading toward the sunrise or the sunset. Heading west will end your ride a bit sooner, but no worries as this route will be memorable nonetheless.

Connect this route to others nearby for a truly memorable and adventurous motorcycle ride:

• Finney Creek Road, over the hill we go
• Cascading views along Washington’s Mountain Loop Highway
• Skirting the North Cascades Highway
• Bucolic Mosquito Lake Road

Please post your comments below about this route and others in the area. The more we share, the more adventure there is to be had by all.