Padilla Bay Educational Tour

We love starting our day with a hot breakfast at the Farmhouse Restaurant or Calico Cupboard. Hearty and healthy, their breakfasts offer a wide variety ranging from garden omelets with fresh vegetables to more traditional breakfast fare and are very children-friendly. When breakfast is finished it’s just a short drive to the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Do you love learning about the ocean and sea life?  Would you eat Bread Crumb Sponge or Sea Lettuce for lunch?  Did you know that how we treat our land affects how we treat our oceans?  A visit to the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve will teach you all about the waters of the Salish Sea.  Allow enough time to explore the grounds and walking trails in the area, making sure you walk under the road to access a long staircase that descends down a cliff to a small beach located below.

Before (or after) you go, take a look at the the Reserve’s website, where they have a fun and interactive kid’s page. It’s very cool!

Add to your adventure …

  • Can you find a hermit crab or mud snail?
  • Can you find the eel grass?
  • How many stairs down to the beach below?

Driving Directions
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
10441 Bayview-Edison Road
Mount Vernon, WA 98273-9668

Take Interstate 5 north from Seattle or south from Bellingham to exit 231,near Burlington. Just west of the freeway bridge (near the State Patrol Office), take Josh Wilson Road west toward Anacortes about 6 miles. At the end of Josh Wilson, turn right onto Bay View-Edison Road. Drive north less than one mile, past Bay View State Park. The Breazeale Interpretive Center will be on your right, 1/4 mile past the State Park.

Click Here for a Map of our Location

Hours

  • The trails and parking lot are always open and free of charge.
  • The Breazeale Interpretive Center (offices, exhibits and fish tanks) is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 to 5:00 – closed on official State holidays.
  • There’s someone to answer the phones seven days each week from 8:30 to 5:00 except on official State holidays.