Eagle Island is a small water-access only park in the south Puget Sound, located between Anderson and McNeil Islands. (You may remember that McNeil Island was, until a decade or so ago, a federal and then state penitentiary.)

Surprisingly it is not named for our national bird, but rather for one Harry Eagle, a member of an expeditionary group who visited the area in the 1840s.

I put in from a public road-end a bit south of Longbranch, which made for a fairly easy 2½ mile paddle each way to the island.

The best experience of the island is to arrive at a lower tide and walk around its shore …

… or enjoy the sound of waves crashing onto shore.

Once on the island, you’ll find a picnic table …

… and some occasionally-trimmed areas that might charitably be described as a “trail.”

For more information:

• State Parks web site