In 1911 Robert Moran donated 7 sq miles of his property to create this park on the eastern saddlebag of Orcas Island. The park is dominated by 2409ft Mt Constitution , the archipelago's highest point. On a clear day you can see Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, Vancouver's north shore and a patchwork of tree-carpeted islands floating like emerald jewels on a blue crystalline ocean. To see above the lofty firs, a 53ft observation tower was erected in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corp.
For drivers, the mountain has a paved road to the summit, though the view is infinitely better if you earn it via a 4.3-mile hike up from Cascade Lake's North End Campground or a 5-mile cycle that begins just past Cascade Lake. Beginners beware: the grade is a persistent 7% with frequent hairpin turns.
The park's two major bodies of water, Cascade Lake and Mountain Lake , offer campgrounds, good trout fishing, rentable paddle boats and rowboats, picnic areas and swimming beaches. The lakes are also ringed by hiking trails and linked via a pleasant wooded ramble that passes the spectacular 100ft-high Cascade Falls .
Of the 38 miles of trails, about 11 are open seasonally for mountain biking. Get a trail map from the park headquarters at the southern end of Cascade Lake.
