In 1911 Robert Moran donated 7 sq miles of his property to create this park on the eastern saddlebag of Orcas Island. The park is dominated by 2409ft Mt Constitution, the archipelago's highest point. On a clear day you can see Mt Rainier, Mt Baker, Vancouver's north shore and a patchwork of tree-carpeted islands floating like emerald jewels on a blue crystalline ocean. To see above the lofty firs, a 53ft observation tower was erected in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corp.
For drivers, the mountain has a paved road to the summit, though the view is infinitely better if you earn it via a 4.3-mile hike up from Cascade Lake's North End Campground or a 5-mile cycle that begins just past Cascade Lake. Beginners beware: the grade is a persistent 7% with frequent hairpin turns.
The park's two major bodies of water, Cascade Lake and Mountain Lake, offer campgrounds, good trout fishing, rentable paddleboats and rowboats, picnic areas and swimming beaches. The lakes are also ringed by hiking trails and linked via a pleasant wooded ramble that passes the spectacular 100ft-high Cascade Falls.
Of the 38 miles of trails, about 11 are open seasonally for mountain biking. Get a trail map from the park headquarters at the southern end of Cascade Lake.