Join us in the forestlands!
Our easy-breezy family hikes are typically offered on the third Saturday of each month, 10am - noon.
Our gentle senior hikes are offered on the third Wednesday of each month, 9 - 11am.
Our community hikes are typically scheduled on Saturdays or evenings outside of traditional working hours.
New! Quarterly hikes with the Anacortes Public Library are the first Saturday of January, April, July, and October. Guided hike plans are also available for self-led exploration—pick one up at the library or the Forest Discovery Center and enjoy the hike at your own pace.
Forest Discovery Center General Open Hours
Join us in the Forest Discovery Center! Our exhibits will be open, we will have tabletop activities, and lots of gifts in the gift shop!
As always, admission is free!
Thursday, December 4th, 2025
Open 10am - 3pm
Thursday, December 11th, 2025
Open 10am - 3pm
Saturday, December 13th, 2025
Open 12:30pm - 4pm
Thursday, December 18th, 2025
Open 10am - 3pm
Saturday, December 20th, 2025
Open 12pm - 4pm
Trails Less Travelled: Whistle Wetlands
Each quarter, we are teaming up with the Anacortes Public Library to celebrate the less-traveled trails of the ACFL. New and seasoned hikers welcome!
Homeschool Days in the ACFL (1/13)
Bring your homeschooler to the ACFL to explore the forest by using their senses, making observations and practicing other science skills!
Procession of the Species Workshop: Make a Frog or Tree Costume!
Interested in making a costume for the Parade of the Species at Anacortes Earth Day?
Join artist and instructor Shannon Pickens from the Procession of the Species in the Forest Discovery Center to make a Frog costume or a Tree costume. We will have supplies and instructions to create a headdress/ mask to take home.
Procession of the Species (POTS) is part of the Earth Day Celebration. We create costumes, art pieces, music, and dance to share with the community at the Day Parade, Saturday, April 25, 2026.
The workshop is fun for kids and adults alike! Email Shannon Pickens at pickenshannon@gmail.com to RSVP or with questions!
Homeschool Days in the ACFL (1/14)
Bring your homeschooler to the ACFL to explore the forest by using their senses, making observations and practicing other science skills!
Family Hike: Mosses, Lichens and Algae, Oh My!
Witches butter, ink caps, puffballs and more! Join Friends of the ACFL for a mushroom scavenger hunt!
Trees, Sea, and Marbled Murrelets with the Salish Sea School!
Join Friends of the ACFL and The Salish Sea School for a morning of trees and sea as we explore the connection of old growth forests and the Salish Sea through the eyes of the endangered Marbled Murrelet.
Community Hike: Lichen Walk
Freddy Fungus and Alice Algae took a lichen’ to each other, and maybe you know the rest?
Family Hike: Animals!
Join Friends of the ACFL as we learn about our feathered forest friends. We’ll talk about and look for common birds in ACFL, practice moving like birds and make our own nests to help us learn about baby birds.
Friends of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands Annual Meeting
Join us for an evening of education and updates with Friends of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands! Hear from our staff about everything we did in 2025 and a peek into 2026. Have questions answered by Assistant Parks Director & ACFL Manager, Bob Vaux. And listen to an insightful presentation by our guest speaker (still to be announced!).
Members and non-members alike are invited to join us for this informative event!
Snacks & refreshments will be provided.
ACFL Naturalist Club
Join us for a five-week immersive learning series about the Anacortes Community Forest Lands!
2026 Dates: Wednesday evenings & Saturday mornings | April 8 - May 9th, 2026
Connect with fellow life-long learners, and complete projects that will deepen your connection to and curiosity about the natural world.
Priority registration opens for members January 15th, 2026.
General registration opens February 15th.
Interested? Click here for more information, and to register!
December Senior Stroll
This month, we’ll explore the mysteries of the old growth forest at the south end of Heart Lake! Wander through towering stands of Douglas-fir and western redcedar, and close out the year in celebration of our community forests.
We keep the pace of these hikes slow as the group’s curiosity guides our learning. Feel free to bring your own field guides, binoculars/magnifiers, and whatever gear you’ll need for walking on trails. Hikes range in length from 1 - 2 miles, typically over gentle terrain.
Family Hike: Mushrooms!
Witches butter, ink caps, puffballs and more! Join Friends of the ACFL for a mushroom scavenger hunt!
Open Hours during the Walk With Santa Holiday Parade
Join us in the Forest Discovery Center! Our exhibits will be open, we will have tabletop activities, and lots of gifts in the gift shop!
As always, admission is free!
Learn more about Anacortes Lions “Walk with Santa” Holiday Parade
Open Hours during Anacortes Tree Lighting
Join us in the Forest Discovery Center! Our exhibits will be open, we will have tabletop activities, and lots of gifts in the gift shop!
As always, admission is free!
Stewardship Hike: Happy Holly-Days
Celebrate the holly-day season with an oh-so-satisfying stewardship hike with Friends of the ACFL!
Small Business Saturday in The Forest Discovery Center
Join us in the Forest Discovery Center! Our exhibits will be open, we will have tabletop activities, and lots of gifts in the gift shop!
As always, admission is free!
Elves Night Out
Join us in the Forest Discovery Center for Elves Night Out! We will have loads of festive fun with decorations, our elves selling merchandise (including some new goods!), and our educational exhibits - as well as a free festive photobooth!
Community Hike: Old Growth
Join us for a community hike through the old growth of the ACFL!
Family Hike: Beavers!
November is a time to celebrate and reconnect with families, both human and forest critters. Join us on this family hike to learn about beavers and their families while searching for beaver evidence in the ACFL and engineering our own beaver dams.
November Senior Stroll
This month, we’ll explore the scenic wetlands around Little Beaver Pond! Wind through stunning alder stands, peek at several active beaver lodges, and maybe even spot a mushroom or two.
Work Party
Grab your gloves and meet us at the Little Cranberry Lake parking lot! We’ll be spending the morning improving the trail surface near the lakeshore observation platform. Expect wheelbarrows, shovels, plenty of crushed rock, an a few other key trail tools to help get the job done.
Forest Discovery Center Hours during Anacortes Trick-Or-Treat
Trick-Or-Treat this Halloween at the Forest Discovery Center!
Community Hike: Halloween Night Hikes!
Celebrate the spooky season with Friends of the ACFL! We'll start by exploring an old copper mine before heading out to search for anything that glows, hoots, or creeps in the night. While we walk, we'll get a chance to appreciate our own adaptations for nighttime exploration. Wear sturdy shoes and make sure to bring your headlamps and/or flashlights!
NOTE: Please consider your group’s comfort with being out in the woods in the dark, and plan accordingly. We suggest that groups with younger kiddos attend the early hike option to make sure that everyone has a positive nighttime forest experience!
EARLY Hike: 5- 6pm | LATE Hike: 6:30 - 8pm
Or register directly on Eventbrite: Early Option | Late Option
Trees, Sea, and Marbled Murrelets with the Salish Sea School!
Join Friends of the ACFL and The Salish Sea School for a morning of trees and sea as we explore the connection of old growth forests and the Salish Sea through the eyes of the endangered Marbled Murrelet.
Forest Mysteries
What goes bump, screech, or hoot in the night? Have you ever encountered a “forest mystery” on the trails of the ACFL? Join Friends of the ACFL at our Forest Discovery Center!
Family Hike: Bats!
Join Friends of the ACFL as we explore bats in the ACFL through games, a hike to our cave and a bat craft!
Trails Less Travelled: Pine Ridge Loop
Each quarter, we are teaming up with the Anacortes Public Library to celebrate the less-traveled trails of the ACFL. New and seasoned hikers welcome!
Community Hike: Sugarloaf Sunset
Join us for a hearty hike to the top of Sugarloaf for a calm September sunset. The challenging hike up is rewarded with a stunning summit view of the San Juan Islands and Olympic Mountains.
Family Hike: Spiders!
Join Friends of the ACFL as we look for and explore spider webs, learn about spider silk, and practice moving like spiders.
September Senior Stroll
This month, we’ll explore the wet and low lying places around Big Beaver Pond! Join us to find evidence of beavers and learn more about these incredible ecosystem engineers.
August Senior Stroll
This month, we’ll explore areas around Mitten Pond! Join us for a gentle stroll through stands of mossy maples, sleeping wetlands, and fern-covered rocks.
Community Hike: Summer Ethnobotany
Join this hike to learn more about the plants of the ACFL and to celebrate how plants can be used to enrich our own lives.
Libraries Love Lakes: Whistle Lake Loop
Libraries love lakes, and so do the Friends of the ACFL! Throughout the month of July, we are partnering with the Anacortes Library and Skagit County Public Works to celebrate the lakes of Fidalgo Island. Join us as we tread on trails less-travelled and learn why these lakes are the backbone of our community forest lands.
Libraries Love Lakes: Buckets of Bugs!
Explore the world of tiny creatures that inhabit our local lakes and how they relate to water quality! We will bring crawly critters found in macroinvertebrate surveys and equipment to view them up close.
Libraries Love Lakes: Little Cranberry Lake Loop
Libraries love lakes, and so do the Friends of the ACFL! Throughout the month of July, we are partnering with the Anacortes Library and Skagit County Public Works to celebrate the lakes of Fidalgo Island. Join us as we tread on trails less-travelled and learn why these lakes are the backbone of our community forest lands.
July Family Hike: Lakes!
Join Friends of the ACFL as we celebrate lakes through looking for lake critters, getting our hands wet and talking about how to keep our lakes clean and healthy.
July Senior Stroll
This month, we’ll explore areas around the ACFL’s deepest lake! Join us for a gentle walk along the scenic lakeshore and under towering madrones.
Libraries Love Lakes: Heart Lake Loop
Libraries love lakes, and so do the Friends of the ACFL! Throughout the month of July, we are partnering with the Anacortes Library and Skagit County Public Works to celebrate the lakes of Fidalgo Island. Join us as we tread on trails less-travelled and learn why these lakes are the backbone of our community forest lands.
Fire Ecology in the ACFL
In 2016, a wildfire burned nearly 18 acres of the west ridge of Little Cranberry Lake. Thanks to the speedy action of the Washington DNR and other firefighting agencies, the 2016 fire was contained quickly and greater damage was avoided.