Young Hill
Washington, United States, North America

Young Hill

Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 48.58374°N / 123.13784°W
Additional Information County: San Juan
Activities Activities: Hiking
Additional Information Elevation: 650 ft / 198 m
Sign the Climber's Log
Sign the Climber's Log!

Overview

View from the summit of Young Hill
View from the summit of Young Hill with fellow hiker cheering

Young Hill, located on San Juan Island is a historically significant peak. It was located at a site where the United States and Britain were on the verge of a great war due to a pig slaughter back in 1859. The issue the brought both US and British ships face to face until 1872 when the Chancellor of Germany arbitrated that all of San Juan Island belonged to the United States. Luckily cooler heads prevailed and the island maintained relative peace throughout the "Pig War". The camp below Young Hill was the English Camp. There is also a cemetery located halfway up on a side trail from Young Hill summit trail.

The stand on the viewpoint
A stand identifying everything that is seen on the summit viewpoint.
Views from the summit
Stunning views


Now a 650 foot hill does not sound so exciting. But this hill is a massive exception. Young Hill is a special hill with a great 180 panorama of Victoria Island, the western San Juan Islands, and the Haro Straight that separates the United States and Canada. This summit clearly has a lot of blame for the buck and is a great summit for in shape and slightly more out of shape peak baggers along with historians as well.

From the viewpoint
From the viewpoint

 

The exact summit
The exact summit from the viewpoint.
From the viewpoint
The viewpoint.

Getting There

The ferry to San Juan Island
The ferry to San Juan Island which is required

From Friday Harbor on San Juan Island (FERRY REQUIRED): Get on Spring Street from the Ferry Terminal. Head on the road two blocks. Make a right on 2nd Street. Make a left on Guard Street and stay on it as it becomes becomes Beaverton Valley Road and later West Valley Road for 8.8 miles to the road turnout or 8.6 miles to the English Camp turnoff. Make a left and go 1/2 mile to the trailhead. 

Route

Map of the Route
Map of the Route

The official trail that uses a former road and goes all of the way to the summit. It is about 1.8 miles roundtrip and 500 feet elevation gain. The trail travels through nice forest and field before hitting the summit area. The true summit is located roughly 200 feet from the amazing viewpoint off to the west.

It should be noted that I saw a number of people coming up from the English Cemetery via a steeper trail. This shorter and steeper trail travels through in open field and steeply goes all the way to the summit. It is unofficial and not listed on any map therefore as an author of the page I would not recommend taking this route.

One can also link this hike to nearby Mitchell Hill and to Bell Point as well if one desires.  

Red Tape

There is no official red tape on the trail pull out on West Valley Road. The English Camp Trailhead appears to have no fee as well.

When to Climb

BearQueen celebrates
BearQueen celebrates her 100th summit on April 30, 2017. You can do this peak at anytime. 

This hike can be done at anytime however weather in the San Juan Islands can be cold and damp in winter. Though no extra gear is needed during the winter, conditions can vary. I would recommend this hike on what is a hot summer day in Seattle. Temperatures can be up to 10 degrees cooler on the hike and most of this hike is shaded.


Images

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