Getting there: Located near the Everett Animal Shelter just continue along that road, you will enter the water treatment plant, which makes you feel like you went the wrong way, but KEEP GOING, you will come to a sign that says 'No Parking Beyond This Point' but again, KEEP going. The road will turn to gravel and down a bit further there is a parking lot on the right side along with a small brown sign identifying the island. If you park here it is still about a quarter mile walk to the island. When I first read about Spencer Island on The Herald website and various parks and rec sites, they mentioned car break-ins, which can happen anywhere, but on both visits I saw small piles of window glass shattered in the lot. They weren't kidding so don't leave any valuables in the car! You can continue driving down the gravel road towards the bridge and there is an area to turn around but there isn't enough room to park. I think it serves as an access road for the plant which is on both sides of the road. We saw lots of birds on both visits and according to the website, the island is home to deer, coyotes, river otter, and much more! The entire island is an easy and level hike but keep in mind dogs and bikes are not permitted on the south end. There is a port-a-potty near the entrance towards the left after you cross the bridge. We have not seen the entire island so I am not sure if there are more. We also saw a few picnic tables along the way. Depending on the weather and which way the wind is blowing, it may be smelly (like the slough you occasionally smell while driving on I5 between Everett and Marysville.) It was pretty stinky on our first visit but the smell faded away as we got closer to the island and there was no smell on our second visit.
This first group of pictures are from the 'south end'
This next set of pics are from the North end of the island which is where dogs are allowed.
 |
| On the bridge over the Snohomish river. |
