Vendovi Island Preserve
Vendovi Island
Year protected: 2010
Land protected: 217 acres
Shoreline protected: 2.8 miles
Hiking Trails: 3 Miles
Trail Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Vendovi Island Preserve is open to the public Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday), 10:00am to 6:00pm, from April 1 through September 30.
The restroom is closed—so, boaters, hit the head before you hit the island!
This 217-acre island gem is small enough to explore in a day, but large enough to find a sense of solitude. Just under two miles of well-marked, interconnecting trails stitch together Vendovi’s tapestry of forests, meadows, and beaches. While you admire the sweeping vistas, take time to slow down and enjoy the close-up beauty, too.
Douglas fir and maple forest cloaks most of Vendovi’s uplands. You may notice that the understory of this forest is particularly rich, with tall salal, Oregon boxwood, sword fern, and salmonberry. This is, in large part, because deer are rare visitors to Vendovi Island.
On the island’s south-facing slopes, the forest is interspersed with rocky prairies. In spring, these sunny openings sparkle with the colors of thousands of native wildflowers, including camas, paintbrush, and fawn lily.
Vendovi’s beaches—including aptly-named Sunrise Beach and Sunset Beach—offer endless scenic views and fascinating intertidal life. These beaches are important resting areas for harbor seals; many give birth to their pups on the island. Please watch for seals when you visit a beach, and give them plenty of space.
When open to the public, access to the island is via the North Cove only. A 70-foot dock just inside the breakwater is available for side-tie moorage on a first-come, first-served basis. Please observe a time limit of three hours. Kayaks and other small watercraft may land on the beach inside this protected cove.
We are working to manage a delicate balance between protecting the ecological integrity of the island and human enjoyment of this property.
Learn about the history of this preserve

Visitor guidelines:
- Dogs on leash & all waste packed out
- Day use only; no overnight camping or fires
- Pack in and pack out all litter
- No hunting or collecting except by special permission (where suitable)
- Stay on designated trails
- Respect adjoining private property and do not trespass
- No motorized vehicles
No groups larger than 10 unless prior arrangements made (email vendovi@sjpt.org to make arrangements). This does not guarantee dock space, which is first come, first served.
Share Your Experience at This Preserve
Reviews of this Preserve
Our go to island when we have guests on board
We visited your island this Spring with our Marine Technicians who use Fluke meters – we loved it!
It’ll become an annual trip for our Skagit Valley College students.
Check out the video we put together, and feel free to post anywhere you want!
Thanks for all you do!!!
-Mike Beemer
Thank you! Elaina, Thyatira and baby Raeya welcomed us with stories and smiles. You brought the island alive before we ever stepped ashore. We counted at least 22 species of plants as we strolled. Sprawled in the sun for lunch and took in every moment. What a gift!