Visitors brave the ferry system in the San Juans for many reasons: family, orcas, camping, climbing Mount Constitution, kayaking and hiking.
One option that is unlikely to make the top of the must-do lists is exploring the Roche Harbor Resort Trails, mostly because of its relative obscurity compared to the usual visitor attractions.
The trail system has now been designated a National Recreation Trail by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service which, if nothing else, will bring it some attention.
One aspect of this 9.1-mile system is that it is on privately owned property and open to the public, a rare combination. Resort owners have joined with volunteers to improve and maintain the trails, a partnership with the community that has worked for more than 15 years on more than 800 acres.
The interlocking paths offer multiple environments and history, open to walkers, bikers and horses. Walk long enough on this network of paths, most of which are 6 feet wide, and you’ll see marshes, lagoons, pastures, quarries, forests and meadows. The average grade is 3 percent and the highest point is 225 feet above sea level.
The resort is adjacent to a National Historic Park and National Monument lands that are connected by trails out of the resort or a very short car ride. Sections near the village are paved, and all trails are signed.
Trails connect the resort to the Roche Harbor Mausoleum, the San Juan Island Sculpture Park and Nature Preserve, and English Camp.
English Camp features three separate trails that, along with an English garden, blockhouse, officers’ quarters and hospital, provide an historical perspective as well as views from the summit of Mount Young (650-foot elevation).
The 1⁄2-mile interpretive loop and the 2-mile loop to Bell Point on Garrison Bay are easy. The hike to Mount Young is a moderate outing because of the short (1 mile) but steep climb. Views at the top are across the west side of San Juan Island and the water.
Stop at the tiny cemetery where a few British Marines are buried. They died during the 12-year Pig War, aka the Pig and Potato War. In 1859, the U.S. and Great Britain were seriously quarreling over the boundary between the U.S. and Canada, which put the San Juan Islands in the center of the dispute.
Every war has a trigger and, in this case, it was almost pulled after an American farmer (there was a question as to whether he owned the property) got tired of a free-roaming pig trashing his garden and eating his potatoes. So he shot it. He offered $10 to the owner, an Irishman who worked for the Hudson Bay Company. The counteroffer was $100. The farmer withdrew his offer because the pig was on his property.
The Brits stood up for their citizen and one thing led to another. British warships were dispatched (can’t have American squatters taking over the island). U.S. Marines were sent to prevent a landing. It didn’t take long before five warships with more than 2,000 men sat offshore while 462 Americans with 14 cannon protected the shore.
The ships’ commander was ordered to attack; the U.S. Marines ordered to defend the shore. But neither side wanted to fire the first shot and the commander refused to act in a war over a pig. The two nations, after nearly 12-years of negotiation, agreed to each have a very small force on opposite ends of the island — thus English Camp and American Camp.
The dispute over ownership lasted for 12 years. All of the English Marines who are buried in the cemetery died during the Pig War but were killed by accidents.
For more information and maps, go to www.rocheharbor.com/activities/trails or call 800-451-8910.
The maps are well done, and there is a separate map on Roche Harbor Highlands trails and English Camp trails.
Columnist Sharon Wootton can be reached at 360-468-3964 or www.songandword.com.
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