Anacortes

Understand

The city of Anacortes comprises 15 square miles, approximately half of which is public park and recreational lands and waters. Its population was 18,000 in 2021.

History

The area was originally inhabited by the Samish and Swinomish peoples.

Spanish explorer and cartographer Salvador Fidalgo explored the area in 1790 with the fleet of Francisco de Eliza. Much later, Charles Wilkes discovered that it was an island rather than part of the mainland. (Before dredging began, the Swinomish Channel was narrow and shallow enough in places to wade across). He named it Perry Island in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, the American commander who won the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. When Henry Kellett reorganized the official British Admiralty charts in 1847, he removed Wilkes' name Perry and bestowed the name Fidalgo to honor the Spanish explorer. The highest point on the island retains Wilkes' original name, Mount Erie.

American-European settlement began in 1850s due to the Fraser River Gold Rush. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman. Amos Bowman established the town in the 1880s with aspirations that it would become a terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Instead, Anacortes became an important fishing and lumber center.

Local information

• City of Anacortes website

Get in

By car

State Route 20 (WA-20) is the main highway to Fidalgo Island. On the south edge of Anacortes, a roundabout for State Route 20 Spur leads to Commercial Ave, which runs through the heart of town and on to the Washington State Ferries terminal.

• From Interstate 5 (I-5), take the exit for WA-20 in Burlington and head westbound.
• From Whidbey Island, take WA-20 north over the Deception Pass Bridge.

Fidalgo Island is also attached to the mainland via the iconic Rainbow Bridge in La Conner.

By ferry

Washington State Ferries (WSF) operates the Anacortes / San Juan Islands route, serving Lopez Island, Orcas Island, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and Shaw Island:

Reservations are strongly recommended for vehicles, especially for summer weekends, when the wait for loading cars can be notoriously long. Walk-on passengers should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to sailing. Vehicle traffic with reservations should arrive about 60 minutes prior to sailing. Vehicles without reservations should prepare to wait several hours during peak afternoon and weekend sailing.

There is a cafe inside the passenger waiting room, and a couple of cafes and restaurants within walking distance of the vehicle waiting area. Long-term parking is available, a way to save some money and hassle if you don't need a car on the islands.

The Sidney (BC)-Anacortes ferry service has been suspended and will not resume until at least 2030.

By private boat

The city serves as a "home port" for boaters exploring local waters or on their way to Alaska. In fact, Anacortes has been named on many "best boating" destination lists over the years.

If arriving from Canada, Anacortes is an official U.S. port-of-entry and can process boaters through customs. Touch land at a customs dock before any other stops, fines for not doing so can be up to $5000. You will need a passport for everyone on board, your boat's license number, and User Fee Decal number. Customs enforces USDA guidelines for what foods are acceptable to bring into the country. These guidelines are constantly changing so it is best to check in with them before arriving. Boaters are responsible for knowing the prohibited foods and can be fined for not declaring them.

By plane

The nearest airport with flights from out of state locations is in Bellingham (BLI) and the nearest major international airport is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).

By bus

Get around

By public transit

The transportation hub (bus station) in Anacortes is the March's Park & Ride (P&R) on 8147 S March's Point Road, at the south shore of Fidalgo Bay, south of town. It is served by:

• Bus route 40x connects March's Point Park & ride to Mount Vernon on WA-Hwy 20 and 536.
• Bus route 409 circulates within Anacortes between the Guemes Ferry Terminal and 32nd Ave at Storvik Park. This route does not go to March's P&R. For public transit travel beyond Anacortes, riders must transfer at March's Point Park and Ride on WA-Hwy 20.
• Bus route 410 travels between the Washington States Ferries' Anacortes Ferry Terminal and March's Point Park and Ride through Anacortes.
• Bus route 513 connects March's Point Park & ride to Chuckanut Park & Ride in Burlington on WA-Hwy 20, Higgins Airport Way, and Peterson.
• Bus route 615 connects March's Point Park & ride to Mount Vernon through La Conner via a different route than 40x.

• Bus route 411W connects Whidbey Island to March's Point P&R, near Anacortes, via Deception Pass.

Go next

• Deception Pass State Park, over 4,100 acres (17 km2) of forest, campsites, trails, and scenic vistas of the San Juan Islands, Victoria, Mount Baker, and Fidalgo Island.
• San Juan Islands, famous for abundant eagles and orca whales
• La Conner, home of the Tulip Festival
• Whidbey Island, the longest island in Puget Sound

Anacortes is on the North Cascade Loop itinerary.