This trail is a flat out-and-back route easily hiked by those of all abilities. The path is compacted gravel easily navigated by not only hikers, but wheelchairs, strollers and bicyclists.

Wheelchair users need to contact the Breazeale Interpretive Center to check out a key for the gate at the trailhead.

The trail runs atop a dike constructed to gain farmland from what was once a large marsh. The route crosses several sloughs, including Indian and No Name.

The Padilla Bay Reserve covers about 11,000 acres and is a Mecca for birds. Thousands of shorebirds stop over during their spring and fall migrations, bringing the entire area to life.

Distance: 4.5 miles

Destination: End of trail

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation gain: None

Getting there:  Highway 20 to Farm to Market Road. Turn north. Drive two miles to Josh Wilson Road. Turn left and drive one mile to Bayview-Edison Road. Turn left and drive to Second Street. Turn left and drive about one block to the parking area on the left.

To reach the trailhead, walk down Second Street to Bayview-Edison Road and go left. After about 100 yards, the trailhead is on the right.

There is also a new lot at the trail’s north end. To reach this lot, continue on Josh Wilson Road until reaching Bayview-Edison Road. Go left on Bayview-Edison Road and follow it for about 2.5 miles to the trailhead.

The Trek: After parking in the lot next to the Skagit County Historical Society Farm Annex and hiking to the trailhead, locate the sign and get your bearings. It’s not difficult. This trail is about as straightforward as the come.

Make your way through the gate and set out. Almost immediately, the salty air invades one’s nostrils. The smell is a combination of saltwater and decaying plant and animal life.

After about 100 feet, reach another sign. Actually, there’s two. The first explains the Padilla Bay watershed and the second has to do with clean water.

The trail is bordered along its entirety by farmland on the left and Padilla Bay/sloughs on the right. Across the bay, steam rises from the refineries on March Point.

Just pass the eighth-mile marker is a bench overlooking Padilla Bay. Look closely along the shoreline. This area is a buffet for great blue heron. On this day, over a dozen slowly made their way along the tide line in search of prey.

After the three-quarter-mile marker, reach No Name Slough. An sign explains that the slough drains 4.3 square miles of the watershed. Ditches, tidegates and a pump station at the mouth regulate the slough’s drainage, which allows for farming in the surrounding fields.

At one mile, pass the remnants of what appears to be an old dock. There is nothing left but the rotting pilings emerging from the bay’s waters. Along with pilings, small islands dot the landscape.

Pass several benches as you continue down the trail before reaching the Indian Slough picnic area just before the 11⁄4-mile mark. A sign explains the many types of birds that frequent the area, both those in the process of migrating as well as year-round residents.

A short distance farther, reach an old barn built upon pilings. Just past the barn, what appears to be an old wench sits atop the rotting boards of what used to be a small barge. The area is littered with pipes and various rusted implements.

Continuing along, a hawk soars high above the slough’s waters. Reaching the trail’s southern end, learn about the area’s open bay/mudflat before turning around and heading back to the rig.