Fort Casey mixes disappearing cannons, a 1903 lighthouse, and orca: According to reports

Shutterstock
Where cannons meet the coast
Fort Casey sits on a high bluff on the west side of Whidbey Island, right where Puget Sound runs into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can walk through a real coastal defense fort from the early 1900s, climb into concrete gun batteries, and tour a lighthouse that went up in 1903. Wide grassy fields open onto water and mountain views in every direction. The military history alone would be enough, but the beaches, trails, and wildlife make it something else entirely. Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel
Three forts formed a “Triangle of Fire”
Fort Casey was one of three forts built to guard Admiralty Inlet, along with Fort Worden and Fort Flagler. The military called them the “Triangle of Fire” because their combined gun range could stop any enemy ship trying to pass through. The Army named the fort after Brigadier General Thomas Lincoln Casey, a U.S. Army Chief of Engineers. By July 1902, the fort was fully operational. But the guns never fired a single shot at an enemy. By the 1920s, warships and aircraft made them obsolete. Wikimedia Commons/mikelehen
Climb through dark tunnels under the guns
Long concrete gun batteries stretch along the bluff, and every one of them is open for you to explore. You can climb ladders, duck through dark rooms, and poke into tunnels that run beneath the gun platforms. Bring a flashlight. The underground spaces get pitch black in spots. The Army designed these batteries to hide the guns and crews from enemy ships at sea, and when you’re standing inside them, you can feel how well that worked. Wikimedia Commons/ Timothy A. Gonsalves
Guns that rose to fire and dropped to hide
Two 10-inch “disappearing” guns sit mounted in their original emplacements on the bluff. These guns rose up above the concrete walls to fire, then dropped back down behind them to hide and reload. Two smaller 3-inch guns are also on display nearby. Very few of these disappearing guns survive anywhere in the country, so what you see here is rare. The ones at Fort Casey came from the Philippines in the 1960s to replace the originals, which had been scrapped for metal. Wikimedia Commons/Ruth Hartnup
A 1903 lighthouse with Olympic Mountain views
The Admiralty Head Lighthouse stands about 30 feet tall and went up in 1903.

Pacific Northwest lighthouse architect Carl Leick designed it. You can climb the tower and look out across Puget Sound toward the Olympic Mountains from the lantern room, which gives you one of the best viewpoints in the whole park. Docents up top share stories about lighthouse keepers and the history of the light itself. They limit tower access to small groups to protect the space. Wikimedia Commons/Abhinaba Basu
Kids can handle real lighthouse keeper tools
Inside the lighthouse, an interpretive center fills out the story with exhibits and a gift shop. Hands-on displays let kids pick up and handle tools that lighthouse keepers actually used, which keeps them busy while you read through the history. The exhibits tie everything together and give context to what you see outside on the batteries and bluff. You walk out understanding the full picture of how the fort and the lighthouse worked side by side. Wikimedia Commons/Iwanafish
Two miles of shoreline below the bluff
More than two miles of saltwater shoreline run along Admiralty Inlet below the fort. Rocky stretches and sandy patches sit at the base of the bluff, and tide pools and driftwood line the water’s edge. You can beachcomb for hours down there. The views open wide toward Port Townsend and the Olympic Mountains across the water. On a clear day, the mountains look close enough to touch, and the light off the inlet changes by the hour. Wikimedia Commons/Compdude123
Scan the inlet for whales from the bluff
Fort Casey is an official stop on The Whale Trail, a network of shore-based whale watching sites. The bluff gives you an elevated vantage point with long sightlines across Admiralty Inlet and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Seals pop up regularly in the waters below. Bring binoculars, because whales sometimes pass farther out in the inlet and you’ll want the reach. The moving water below the fort keeps marine life circling through all year. Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel
Short-eared owls hunt the winter grasslands
Open grasslands around the fort attract short-eared owls in winter and northern harriers that cruise low over the fields. Down by Keystone Ferry Landing, pelagic cormorants nest on the old wharf. Bald eagles, loons, grebes, and scoters are all common sightings depending on the season. The mix of shore, field, and forest packs a lot of habitat into one park, and the big open views make it easy to spot birds without fighting through brush. Wikimedia Commons/Chris Light
Dive with giant Pacific octopus offshore
The Keystone Underwater Dive Park sits just offshore from Fort Casey, and divers come from across the region to get in the water here.

Read more from this brand:

San Juan Island’s west side has a lighthouse, old lime kilns, and orcas passing by daily

The strangest army base in Washington never saw a single battle

Puget Sound has a secret island fort with big artillery and even bigger mountain views

The post Fort Casey mixes disappearing cannons, a 1903 lighthouse, and orca-watching bluffs appeared first on When In Your State.

Giant Pacific octopus, wolf eels, and lingcod move through the protected waters around the jetty. The site draws divers of different skill levels, from beginners to experienced cold-water divers. It adds an entire underwater world to a park most people visit for the history above ground. You don’t have to dive to appreciate it, but it helps to know what’s down there. Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel
Fly a kite on the old parade field
The old military parade ground in front of the fort is now a wide, grassy open space that backs right up against the historic batteries. Steady Whidbey Island winds hit this field hard, which makes it one of the best kite-flying spots around. Families spread out for picnics with water and mountain views in front of them and concrete fortifications behind. There’s room to run, throw a ball, or just sit in the grass and let the wind do its thing. Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel
Trails connect to a coast-to-Rockies route
About 1.8 miles of hiking trails wind through the park and along the Admiralty Head Marine Preserve shoreline. One of those trails connects to the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail, which runs from the coast all the way to the Rocky Mountains. Nearby Crockett Lake and Keystone Spit are loaded with birds and marine life if you want to extend your day. The historic town of Coupeville sits about three miles north, inside Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel
Visit Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, Washington
You can reach Fort Casey Historical State Park at 1280 Engle Road in Coupeville, on Whidbey Island. The park stays open from 8 a.m. to dusk year-round, and you’ll need a Washington Discover Pass to park, which costs $10 for a day or $45 for the year. The lighthouse and gift shop open from noon to 4 p.m. on varying days from March through December, with daily hours in July and August. Check the current schedule before you go. And fair warning: Navy jets from nearby Naval Air Station Whidbey Island fly over sometimes, and they’re loud. This article was created with AI assistance and human editing. Read more from this brand:

San Juan Island’s west side has a lighthouse, old lime kilns, and orcas passing by daily

The strangest army base in Washington never saw a single battle

Puget Sound has a secret island fort with big artillery and even bigger mountain views

The post Fort Casey mixes disappearing cannons, a 1903 lighthouse, and orca-watching bluffs appeared first on When In Your State.