Public access to Big Ditch will be closed for summer

Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 13, 2017

STANWOOD — Public access to Big Ditch, a popular spot near Skagit Bay north of Stanwood, is closing through the summer.

The tide gate is set to be replaced, and work will block the parking area and the berm where people usually walk. The closure starts Monday and is expected to continue into mid-October. Big Ditch should reopen in time for the fall waterfowl hunting season, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The water access site is about two miles north of Stanwood, off the Old Pacific Highway. For more information, go to wdfw.wa.gov/lands/water_access and select “Big Ditch” under the “Site Name” category.