Barnum Point County Park Grows to 127 Acres

The final pieces are coming together nicely for Barnum Point County Park on Camano Island. This September, the Whidbey Camano Land Trust assisted Island County in acquiring two more key beachfront properties to help make the vision of this expanded county park a reality.

The Whidbey Camano Land Trust assisted Island County in acquiring two additional beachfront properties at Barnum Point in September 2018, adding 10 more acres to the county park.

The addition of the two parcels at Triangle Cove includes the only natural low-bank beach access in the park. By gaining roughly 10 more acres and 950 feet of beach, Island County’s newest park has now grown to 127 acres and expanded to a full mile of beach.

“This is the original vision that emerged when we sat down with the County in 2015 and looked at Barnum Point. This is what we wanted to accomplish,” said Ryan Elting, the Land Trust’s conservation director.

But the Land Trust is not done yet. The nonprofit nature conservation organization is still working to acquire a final piece for the County and has already secured funding to acquire a 40-acre adjoining property. This property will allow for a larger parking area and other uses, as well as adding diversity to the park habitats, including a small lake with an island.

Originally only 27 acres, the park has already expanded to nearly five times that size led by the fundraising efforts of the Land Trust in partnership with Island County. Over the past three years, the Land Trust has secured more than $6 million in grants and private donations toward the project.

Barnum Point County Park isn’t officially scheduled to open to the public until the spring of 2019, though limited access is presently allowed to much of the park.