Anderson Lake State Park

There are ten trails circling Anderson Lake, just eight miles south of Port Townsend. Bring the kids, the dog, your mountain bike, and even your horse, and mix and match the trails to your heart’s content to explore a little over eight miles of multiuse serene and shady forest trails.

For an easy 3.14 mile counter-clockwise loop around the lake, park at the small gravel parking lot next to the bathroom facilities. Head down the hill to the pay station and information kiosk, where you can grab a map at the shore, and then take the Lakeside Trail (Trail A), which starts to the left of the boat launch.

This trail offers the most intimate encounter with the lake, passing through grassy marshes, patches of wild strawberries, salmonberries, and huckleberries, over tidy walking bridges, and through a forest of young and old cedars, firs, and deciduous trees with lots of interesting exposed roots and long branches that sometimes reach over the trail and dip into the lake.

There are several junctions where you can decide whether to add on or switch trails to heighten your experience. The first junction arrives at about 0.3 miles where you have the option of hitching up to the San Juan Trail (Trail D) which loops up through more woodlands. Otherwise continue onto the Lakeside Trail. The next junction meets you at approximately 0.9 miles where you can access the Anderson Trail (Trail B), which runs parallel to the Lakeside trail, only it’s big enough to accommodate horses and smooth enough to allow mountain bikes.

The Lakeside trail officially ends at 1.51 miles where you have even more trail options that will eventually wind you back around the lake. Check some of these out, or if you’re ready to find your car, hook up to the Savage Memorial Trail (Trail F), named in honor of United States Representative Charles R. Savage, which leads you so close to Anderson Lake Road that you can catch glimpses of traffic speeding past.

The Savage trail will eventually bring you to the Lake Anderson entrance road in which you will stroll north about half of a mile to where you parked.

NOTE: Do not swim in the lake or allow pets to drink from it. Anderson Lake has been prone to algae toxicity problems and has been closed to recreational activities in recent years.

Although The Lakeside trail is very well maintained, the tree root system is quite extensive and often exposed so as to be a possible tripping hazard. Also, since the trail brushes right up against the lake, it can be muddy in some low areas. Anderson Lake prides itself for its multiuse trails. Many, but not all trails are accommodating to mountains bikes or horses, so please check the information kiosk first.

WTA Pro Tip: There are 2 outhouses for bathroom facilities. If you’d rather have access to a flushable toilet, head towards Port Townsend on SR 20, eight miles away, but here are several gas stations along the way.