San Juan Islands make Travel + Leisure’s Top 5
    For the second year in a row, Washington’s San Juan Islands have been named the No. 4 island destination in the continental U.S. and Canada by Travel + Leisure magazine.

    Rounding out the top five are (in order): Cape Breton Island, Vancouver Island, Mount Desert Island and Cumberland Island. The picks were the result of the magazine’s 13th annual reader survey, and were featured in the August issue of the magazine. Criteria included natural attractions, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people, and value. For everything you need to know about visiting our local island gems, go to www.VisitSanJuans.com.

WTA releases annual Endangered Trails Report
    The Washington Trails Association released its annual Endangered Trails Report in late June, calling for Congress to take action and commit funding to save a federal trails system that has suffered from more than a decade of inadequate funding.

    According to the report, the 10 most endangered hiking trails in Washington are:
Circle Peak/Crystal Lake – Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

1. Icicle Gorge Loop – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
2. Headlee Pass – Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
3. Gee Point – Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
4. Colnonel Bob – Olympic National Forest
5. Loowit Trail – Gifford Pinchot National Forest
6. Middle and South Fork Cascade River – Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
7. Miners Ridge – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
8. Foggy Dew Ridge – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
9. Boundary Trail – Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest

    For details, or to read the Endangered Trails Report, visit www.wta.org.

Great Northern Land Co. launches Acre for Acre program
    Great Northern Land Co. (GNLC) is a family-owned, Seattle-based developer committed to green building projects. But they are also doing much more than sustainable building. With its Acre for Acre program, for every acre developed, Great Northern Land will buy and permanently preserve an equal amount of land with a commitment that the land will never be developed. In its first phase, the program acquired 800 acres north of Chelan based on GNLC’s anticipated development in urban areas over the next five years.

www.greatnorthernland.com

Cama Beach State Park opens to acclaim
    Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island opened in late June with a grand opening celebration. The park’s old resort area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a Native shellfish and hunting/gathering site for 2,000 years. It also housed a logging operation in the late 1800s and was a family fishing resort from the 1930s until 1989.

    Located less than a 90-minute drive from Seattle, the picturesque waterfront park is a convenient day trip and has proven to be so popular with overnight guests that the camp is booked through October. The park features 24 rustic waterfront cabins and seven deluxe cabins available for rent. The Center for Wooden Boats will offer rental boats and hands-on history programs and activities at the park.