Padilla Bay National Estuarine Sanctuary & Interpretive Center

Padilla Bay is an estuary at the saltwater edge of the large delta of the Skagit River in the Salish Sea. It is about eight miles long (north to south) and three miles across. In 1980, this bay was selected to be included in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Because the bay is filled with sediment from the Skagit River, the bottom is very shallow, flat, and muddy. It is so shallow that almost the whole bay is intertidal. This means that it is flooded at high tide. When the tide goes out the whole bay empties out, exposing miles and miles of mud flats. This condition allows unusually large eelgrass meadows to grow. There are nearly 8,000 acres of eelgrass in Padilla Bay.

Distance: 4.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 30 feet
ADA Trail Type: Paved and hard-pack gravel. You'll need a key to unlock the wheelchair gate, which is available at the Brezeale Interpretive Center
Season: Year-round