Cypress Island, WA

Location Overview
The airstrip sits on the eastern slope of Cypress Island, roughly midway across the island near its center, perched on a ridge top hundreds of feet above the surrounding water. Cypress Island itself is the westernmost part of Skagit County, Washington, positioned roughly halfway between the mainland and the offshore San Juan Islands, separated from Blakely Island to the west by Rosario Strait and from Guemes Island to the east. The strip offers panoramic views of the San Juan archipelago from both ends — a remarkable setting by any measure.

Camping & Recreation
Overnight visitors must camp, and the island offers two small DNR camping areas — Pelican Beach and Cypress Head — both located on the eastern shore. They are first-come, first-served, with pit toilets but no other services. Visitors must bring everything including water and firewood, and pack out all trash. The island has roughly 20 miles of hiking trails leading through forests, past small lakes like Reed and Duck Lakes, and up to dramatic viewpoints such as Eagle Cliff, which offers sweeping views of the San Juans and the Salish Sea. The old airstrip itself serves as a trail junction connecting several of these routes.

Notes & Warnings
The airstrip is now maintained exclusively for emergency services such as firefighting and is no longer open to recreational aviation. In its active days, it was never more than a narrow flat strip of gravel surrounded by growing forest, known primarily to local recreational flyers who used it to practice touch-and-goes under the sometimes challenging conditions of island wind, weather, and rough landing surface. Pilots should be aware the strip is officially closed to public use, and the surrounding terrain — steep ridgelines, water on all sides, and unpredictable marine weather — made it a demanding environment even when it was operational.

History
The airstrip was originally built as part of an ambitious development scheme for Cypress Island. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a Spokane industrialist and inventor named Raymond Hanson acquired the island and proposed transforming it into a major resort — the last large undeveloped island in the San Juans. He spent an estimated $12 million constructing the airstrip, roads, and a dike. His plans ultimately collapsed due to permitting obstacles and public opposition, and the state of Washington eventually purchased the land. With the majority of the island now managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources as a Natural Resources Conservation Area, the focus shifted to ecological preservation, and a reforestation effort was undertaken to restore the airstrip site to its natural forested state — an ongoing reclamation project using native Douglas fir, cedar, and hemlock seedlings collected directly from Cypress Island trees.