Rotary Viewpoint at Cap Sante
Accessible • Scenic • Safe • Welcoming
The Anacortes Rotary Club and the Anacortes Parks and Recreation Department have put together a plan for a new viewing platform at the top of Cap Sante that will provide better access for all and create a welcoming, more spacious area offering new opportunities for reflection, rejuvenation and appreciation of nature.
Proposed is an east-facing, 1,950-square-foot viewing platform adjacent to the existing parking lot that will feature panoramic views of Mount Baker and Padilla Bay. Designed to fit the topography of the site with a compact footprint, the ADA accessible, two-tiered platform will have ramps and seating, and planters to separate the view space from the parking lot. The platform will have interpretive signs that explain the history and natural features of the area.
The plan is in the permitting stage, with construction anticipated to be completed in early fall 2024. The club first started working with the city on the viewpoint in 2018. Rotary has raised about $525,000 to date, with the final cost expected to be around $550,000.
The viewpoint will be the highlight of Anacortes Rotary’s work to enhance Cap Sante Park as its Centennial Project. In 2022, 100 years after the club was founded, Rotary and the city completed upgrades to the Rotary Viewpoint Trail, including an enhanced trail entry, new interpretive kiosk signs, directional signposts and improved walking connections from the trailhead near the Anacortes Yacht Club to the summit.
The trail project was an important first step, creating a way for people to park at the base and walk to the top of Cap Sante, reducing traffic at the summit.
Location
The roughly 1,950-square-foot platform will be adjacent to the eastern edge of the current parking lot, well away from the rocks people walk out on now. It will not use any of the existing parking space. It will be about 85 feet in length. It will extend out from the parking lot about 35 feet at the widest point. It’s situated to match the site topography and to take advantage of views of Mount Baker and surrounding waters. It will not be visible from downtown Anacortes.
What’s There Now?
A rocky slope with blackberry bushes and a few dozen native shrubs. The shrubs will be replaced 2-for-1 in other areas. No live trees will be cut down.
Design
The viewpoint would have a concrete block retaining wall from 2 to 8 feet tall to accommodate the slope. It will be topped with steel guardrails. The enclosed area would then be filled and compacted to the desired grading (ADA compliant), and then capped with a concrete surface.
Access
The ADA accessible, two-tiered platform will have ramps and seating. Ramps will be 6 feet or wider to accommodate two wheelchairs passing. There will be one adjacent ADA parking space. There will be three entry points.
Features
About 40 feet of two-sided bench seating. (No picnic tables.) Interpretive signs will explain the history and natural features of the area. A monument sign will welcome visitors to Cap Sante. Planters will separate the viewing space from the parking lot.
Cost
Rotary expects the project to cost roughly $550,000. The club has raised about 95 percent of that total to date and fundraising is ongoing.
Studies
A critical area study and a traffic/parking study have been completed and have been included in the land-use permit application.
Permits
Application has been made for a land-use permit from the city. Decision will be made by the Planning Director. Next would be a building permit application.
Timeline
Permit reviews and approvals complete by Spring 2024, with construction complete by Fall 2024.
Traffic
The study calls for one additional parking space in the vicinity to meet peak demand. The study forecast 22 additional vehicles coming to the viewpoint on Sunday, and 8 additional vehicles on weekdays.
Trail Linkage
The recently completed Rotary Viewpoint Trail, a half-mile path from the base of Cap Sante near the Anacortes Yacht Club, connects the marina and the downtown to the summit. It was designed to reduce the numbers of car trips to the top of Cap Sante. See article and map below.
Rotary Viewpoint Trail:
A Better Way to the Top
New path links downtown and marina to summit, reducing the number of car trips and congestion
The first phase of Anacortes Rotary’s Centennial Legacy Gift was the recently completed Rotary Viewpoint Trail. The half-mile path invites all to leave their cars behind and enjoy woodland views and rocky ridges as they make their way up the hillside to the Cap Sante summit. Thanks to our generous donors, we now have a direct walking path that connects downtown and the marina with the vistas at the top of Cap Sante.
The trail link from Rotary Park (near the Anacortes Yacht Club) to the summit was designed to encourage park visitors to park at the base and walk to the summit, reducing the number of car trips to the top of Cap Sante.
Rotary worked closely with the Anacortes Parks and Recreation Department and invested $25,000 in upgrades that include trail signs, a gravel path, kiosks with interpretive signs and a new entry. The project relied on more than 550 volunteer hours from Rotarians and community members.