South Beach Trail
in Washington · centroid 67 mi from Seattle
The South Beach Trail is a 1.0 mile trail that traverses the American Camp prairie, connecting the Parade Grounds and South Beach at American Camp. The trail begins just after the historic structures at American Camp, heading straight and on level ground directly below The Redoubt. The trail slopes gently as you walk down towards South Beach at the trail's end.
To the east, the trail provides fabulous views of the North Cascades dominated by Mount Baker, the waters of Griffin Bay, Lopez Island, and the vibrant coastal prairie, where foxes, rabbits, voles, snakes, and eagles can be found. To the west, visitors can take in the waters of the Salish Sea and view the Olympic Peninsula a mere 13 miles away. This hike can be combined with the Coastal Bluffs Trail for an easy 2.0 mile loop trail which gives visitors access to the beaches at Grandma's Cove and South Beach.
It can be wet and slippery during the winter, so plan accordingly to stay safe.
- States
- Washington
- Trail type
- National Historical Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Seattle, WA · 67 mi · ~1.9 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 48.4627°, -123.0180°
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/south-beach-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 South Beach 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
Old Military Road (American Camp 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.