"Hiking, Biking and Art on Lummi Island" Lummi Island Things to Do Tip by Marianne2

Lummi Island is the smallest of Washington’s San Juan Islands, and also the least developed. It’s like visiting a time-warped island of 20-30 years ago, which remains untouched by the gentrification and yuppification of the larger San Juans. It’s old-style island life here, and the locals like it that way. It is sparsely populated. The Lummi Island Heritage Trust has purchased properties here, with the goal to keep the island rural.

This is a pleasant place for a laid-back holiday of a day or two. Bicyclists and hikers will enjoy the seven-mile loop on the island’s north side. Or, bring over kayaks from the mainland, and put them in the water at the island’s SE side near Reil Harbor (map on website). If staying at the Willows Inn, the owners can arrange a private boat trip over to sandy Clark Island for a picnic. Orca whales are sometimes spotted off the island’s west coast. Bird-watching is good, with 167 species.

My interests run to art, and the island has many local artists and artisans. This photo shows a Bellingham artist, Ben-Mann, installing pieces of his newest artwork at the Willows Inn, reflecting the island’s emphasis on organic farming of produce. The Willows Inn has rotating exhibits on its walls by local area artists.

From the Willows, a drive to the south brings you to artist Michael Oppenheimer’s outdoor wind sculpture garden (photo #2). His expansive property typifies not only the rural landscape, but showcases some intriguing large-scale sculptures that are wind-driven. In photo #3, two pieces of his kinetic sculpture are shown. To the left, “Chime Lines” has a weather vane that moves with the wind, and its clapper strikes a different musical tone accordingly to the wind direction. “Douglas,” at right, is a monumental sculpture in the shape of a Northwest Douglas fir tree, and rotates in the wind.

And, the artist’s signature quote neatly sums up this island – “I am compelled to make art that moves in concert with the environment.” That’s little Lummi Island in a nutshell.

Address: Lummi Island, Washington
Directions: Near Bellingham, Washington. See Transportation Tip on taking the 10-minute ferry to the island.
othercontact: www.willows-inn.com
Website: http://www.lummi-island.com