Old Military Road (American Camp Trail)
in Washington · centroid 67 mi from Seattle
The Old Military Road Trail (also known and more often signed as “The American Camp Trail”) is a 1 mile trail that takes visitors from the American Camp Visitor Center to theFrazer Homestead Preserve. It passes through forests and wetlands where deer and foxes live. The trail continues another 5 miles beyond the Frazer Homestead Preserve, ending in the town of Friday Harbor.
The route is only partially off-trail, with hikers routed onto Cattle Point Road and Golf Course Road for a significant portion of the trail. At the end of the golf course, the trail crosses the road and continues next to the Friday Harbor Airport, allowing excellent opportunities to watch planes take off and land.The Old Military Road has a storied history. The first formal roads on San Juan Island were built by theHudson’s Bay Company, primarily utilizing contract laborers from the Cowichan Tribe, to connect a series of sheep runs on this island operated by their subsidiary, The Belle Vue Sheep Farm.
The Old Military Road utilized and improved upon that road network to create a route that connected American Camp and English Camp during the Joint Occupation of San Juan Island (1860-1872). This route allowed the commanders of both militaries to communicate quickly and resolve disputes that emerged during the Joint Occupation. Towards the end of the Joint Occupation, a telegraph line was laid to provide even quicker communication, demonstrating the importance of the Old Military Road in helping to keep the peace on San Juan Island.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Seattle, WA · 67 mi · ~1.9 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.4647°, -123.0239°
About San Juan Island National Historical Park
This trail is inside San Juan Island National Historical Park, a national historical park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/old-military-road-american-camp-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/sajh/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Old Military Road (American Camp Trail) and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
South Beach Trail
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Coastal Bluffs Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Mount Finlayson Loop Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Agate Beach County Park and Iceberg Point Trail
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Dungeness Spit
22 miles from this trail's centroid
Upper Gray Wolf River Trail
43 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.