Young Hill - English Camp San Juan Island National Historic Camp

Every destination has its most popular hikes. For San Juan Island, Young Hill is the most popular summit hike, offering views over Garrison Bay, the narrow straits to Victoria and the Gulf Islands. Young Hill is a good alternative to the island highpoint Mount Dallas which is located on private property. There is even some nice history to learn along the way.

WillhiteWeb.com - Washington Hiking Trails

Find your way to the English Camp parking area on the west side of San Juan Island. Or, save a few minutes of hiking by parking on the Westside Road where the trail crosses it.

Starting at the large English Camp parking area, find the trailhead at the far end of the parking area. A wide path climbs up the forest quickly reaching the Westside Road. Cross it and find another trailhead sign & gate. Continue up the easy trail to a signed turnoff for the English Camp cemetery. It's just a short side trip so take a look. Notice the big trees preserved around the graves. Back at the junction, continue up the trail as it soon makes a large switchback. Near the summit, a side trail branches out on the right to an overlook. These views are nice but the bigger view is at the top. Continue heading uphill until you reach the open summit. Views extend out to the Olympics and San Juan Islands. There is also a good view of Mount Dallas, the highest point on the island.

During the 12 years that the Royal Marines lived and toiled peacefully on San Juan Island - until the boundary dispute was settled - six British soldiers died and five were buried here. Four of the marines drowned, two drowning together: P Privates Ellis and Kiddy. Private Wensley's body was never found. Only his memory rests here, memorialized on Private Wood's stone. Private Davis, the youngest marine here, at 26 years, also drowned. Corporal Stewart, the first marine buried here, died in 1865. How, we don't know. William Taylor is the only civilian buried here. Tragically, he was accidentally shot by his brother. Two other bodies are also interred here, but their identities and causes of death are unknown.

The gnarled trees here are Garry oaks, named after Nicholas Garry, a former deputy governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1822. In Nicholas' time these oak trees - the only native oaks in Washington - were abundant on San Juan Island, but today they are rare. Prime oak habitat was once sustained by Salish Indians who burnt the island's woodlands to improve their hunting grounds. When the Royal Marines built their nearby garrison, Young Hill's slopes were grassy and dotted with Garry oaks. But after the marines departure in 1872, much of the area was logged and grazed. The oaks became fewer and fewer, and Douglas firs eventually filled much of its former range. Recent soil studies indicate that Young Hill once supported as much as 120 acres of suitable Garry oak habitat. Now only 50 acres of the oaks survive, but revival efforts by the park today are making a difference.