Rasar State Park – the mighty Skagit River

August, 2018

Where we left off at the end of the last post was … we were about to have lunch before we ventured out for a walk to the river.  Did you finish your lunch?  Yes?  Then let’s go for a walk to see the Skagit River!

There are three or four trails leading from the campground down to the river, all within this large state park.  Each trail has a sign posted at the head of the trail showing exactly where you are and which way to go to get to the river.  Nevertheless, as you can see in the photos below, there are lots of wiggly lines on the trail maps so confusion could set in easily.  On the other hand, this state park has exceptionally good signage at the intersections of trails so have no fear … we will not get lost.  Follow me!

The first glimpse of the mighty Skagit River.

One of several sandy paths down to the water’s edge.

Looking east upriver.

Those little people on the shore on the left give you an idea of the size of the river.  The river was about 600 feet wide where I was standing.  It’s much wider than that during other parts of the year when the water is higher (these photos were taken during this hot August camping trip when the river level was low).  As the river approaches Puget Sound to the west, it splits in two.  Just before it splits, at its widest point, it’s about 1,000 feet across.  It discharges about 16,500 cubic feet of water per second! into Puget sound.

Looking directly across the river, to the south.

Looking west downriver.

Ordinarily, the sun sparkles off the water, the sky is deep blue and/or has delightfully fluffy white clouds.  This year, with the horrendous wildfires in western Canada and the USA, everything was a bit muted because of the smoke from those fires.

But even with that, the river is so very impressive.

The Skagit River is truly beloved by many and is known for many things:

The Skagit River is the largest and most biologically important river draining into Puget Sound.  The river feeds and is home to millions of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and plants, some found nowhere else on earth.  The word “skagit” was borrowed from the name of the Skagit tribe of native people who lived near the river, although the word was not originally a native word but one used by European explorers and settlers.  Those native people were originally two separate and distinct tribes who did not call themselves “skagit”.

Farming … the rich soil of the huge Skagit River valley has been used for crops to feed animals and humans since the mid 1800’s.  In addition, this river valley is world-renowned for its hundreds of acres of fields brimming over with millions of commercially grown tulips in all colors.

Bird flyway … the valley is one of the largest wintering areas in the world for Snow Geese (more than 50,000 each year), as well as Trumpeter Swans and Tundra Swans.  There is also an extra abundance of various types of raptors.  And, of course, there is an extra EXTRA abundance of people who are out bird-watching.  🙂

Fish … the Skagit has spawning populations of all five species of Pacific salmon (chinook, chum, coho, winter steelhead, and summer steelhead) as well as bull trout and coastal cutthroat trout.  Steelhead hatcheries on the river have been closed to allow native populations of steelhead to return, and their count is on the upswing.  It has long been proven that man-made hatcheries are a detriment to native fish, not a benefit.  Fishing from shore and by drift boat on the Skagit are very popular pastimes.  The fish are food for people, bears and other mammals, eagles and other birds, and they are food for Orcas and seals and other marine mammals in Puget Sound and out in the Pacific Ocean.

Hydroelectric dams … the river boasts three major dams owned by Seattle City Light.  Just these three dams produce about 20% of the electricity used in Seattle.  Counting all of the hydroelectric dams owned by Seattle City Light in the State of Washington, they supply about 90% of the electricity used in Seattle.  [And there is a gorgeous campground at one of those dams further up the Skagit that I hope to be visiting soon.]

Bald Eagles … must be mentioned separately from the bird flyway.  The Skagit River is a perfect place to view Bald Eagles during the winter, particularly in January.  Eagles migrate into the area from Alaska, Canada, Idaho, and Montana.  According to online sources, the Skagit River supports one of the two largest wintering Bald Eagle populations in the United States.  In a good year, as many as 100 eagles can be seen just along Highway 20.  The eagles feed on Chum and Coho Salmon that have returned to spawn in the Skagit and its tributaries.  When the salmon run is plentiful, as many as 800 eagles overwinter on the river.  From late fall, through winter, and into early spring, there are many commercial float trip and river rafting companies that take people down the river to see the eagles … wear your mittens and a warm cap!

Lots more information about the river can be found in a wikipedia article HERE.  The Nature Conservancy has an article online HERE about their work to conserve large portions of the Skagit River and its valley.  And, of course, there are an amazing number of individual people who are working to restore, preserve, and conserve the area, not the least of them being the Rasar family who donated their land to the state park system.

The Skagit River is also home (or was home) to a large, wide-ranging community of Native American people.  I can’t find very much history of these folks online, so during my next visit to the area I will make a point of trying to find more information.  I do read online that in the mid 1800’s there was a large Indian village where the small community of Lyman is today.  That village had been there for thousands of years.  Back in the 1800’s, just that one village held thousands of inhabitants.  Lyman was settled right next to that village around 1880.  Sadly, a smallpox epidemic in 1920 took its toll on the Native people.

There’s one last reason why the Skagit River is important to me.  My momma was born there.  In 1910, she was born in her parents’ small three-room home less than a block away from the river in the tiny little community of Lyman.  She was the oldest of three children.  The family later moved to Birdsview, then to Burlington, and finally to Sedro-Woolley, always near the river.  Her dad worked in the timber industry, and later started the first feed store in Burlington.  He purchased the first automobile to be operated in Burlington.  It was so loud and cranky that it truly did scare the horses.  When he was younger, during the Alaska gold rush he had climbed the Chilkoot trail out of Skagway in Alaska in search of gold, and he came home with gold!  But he also came home with significant snow-blindness.  As a result, anytime he would start up the car (which would cough and spit and backfire and bang and rattle), the local fire department would sound their siren to warn everyone to clear the streets … half-blind Hal Howell was on the road!  My momma was one of the first women anesthetists in the State of Washington, she was a world-traveler (along with her husband and two kids), and she dreamed of being an astronaut though she knew she had been born too early for that.  When my momma died, we took her ashes back to Lyman and put them in the waters of the Skagit River just a block away from the still-standing house where she had been born.  So she’s back at home in her beloved river, but I like to think she’s also out there among the stars.

So … that’s my introduction for you folks to the mighty Skagit River.  The river is so large.  It’s so beautiful.  It touches so many lives and it’s so important.  And it’s such a friend.  If you get the chance, go see it and have some fun!