Qualla: Camano Island

Camano Island: Introduction

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit SounderBruce, CC BY-SA 2.0. The bridge from Stanwood deposits visitors onto an island that feels more rural than its proximity to Seattle might suggest. Camano Island sits between Whidbey Island and the mainland, separated from its larger neighbor by Saratoga Passage - a name that survives from the Wilkes Expedition of 1841, when American explorers honored naval victories in naming the features they mapped. The island itself carries a Spanish name, bestowed by British cartographer Henry Kellett in 1847 after the explorer Jacinto Caamaño. It's a quiet place, home to artists and retirees, its beaches offering views across the passage to the Cascades.

Read more: Camano Island on Qualla

Image: SounderBruce | CC BY-SA 2.0

Camano Island: Spanish Names on American Charts

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit OceanLoop, CC BY-SA 4.0. The naming history of Camano Island reflects the tangled colonial claims to the Pacific Northwest. When Charles Wilkes led his U.S. Exploring Expedition through these waters in 1841, he named the island for Thomas MacDonough, hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 181...

Read more: Camano Island on Qualla

Image: OceanLoop | CC BY-SA 4.0

Camano Island: The Bridge and Beyond

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ron Clausen, CC BY-SA 4.0. Unlike many Puget Sound islands, Camano connects to the mainland by bridge. State Route 532 crosses the Camano Gateway Bridge near Stanwood, making the island accessible without ferry waits or boat ownership. This accessibility has shaped the island's character - it's a bedroom c...

Read more: Camano Island on Qualla

Image: Ron Clausen | CC BY-SA 4.0

Camano Island: Water Views

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Amit Chattopadhyay, CC BY 2.0. Camano Island State Park anchors the island's southwestern tip, offering camping, beaches, and trails through second-growth forest. The park's position provides views across the Sound - Olympic Mountains to the west, Mount Baker to the northeast, the water dotted with boats headi...

Read more: Camano Island on Qualla

Image: Amit Chattopadhyay | CC BY 2.0

Camano Island: Island Time

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US), CC BY-SA 3.0. Despite the bridge, Camano retains something of island rhythm. Small farms grow produce for local markets. Artists have established studios in converted barns. The local events calendar fills with craft fairs and community gatherings that bring together the few thousand year-roun...

Read more: Camano Island on Qualla

Image: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) | CC BY-SA 3.0