Rockport State Park old growth and the Concrete bridge

August 29, 2026

My daughter Caitlin and I spent a day up the Skagit at Rockport State Park and the town of Concrete. We walked the trail through Rockport's old-growth forest, then stopped in Concrete on the way back. I remember camping at Rockport with my family when I was much younger. These days the campground is closed. Storms blew down a bunch of trees, and the powers that be deemed it unsafe. It's still a nice park with old-growth forest, and it's well worth a stop.

Trail details

Washington State Parks lists four trails: Evergreen and Fern Creek through the old growth, and Sauk Springs and Skagit View, each an easy mile with views over the Skagit River. The park is at 51905 State Route 20 in Rockport, at the foot of Sauk Mountain. It's day-use only now, open 8 a.m. to dusk, and parking takes a Discover Pass ($10 for a day or $45 for a year). Dogs are allowed on leash, and the river itself is off limits inside the park. The park's ADA trail has been closed for storm damage since December 2025, and WTA says that's the West Loop Interpretive Trail (all checked November 2026).

Caitlin standing on a gravel trail beside a huge old-growth trunk, surrounded by ferns and vine maple

Old growth on the Skagit

The trees are the reason to come. State Parks says some of the old-growth trees here are 250 feet tall. We walked the Evergreen Trail, then went onto the West Loop Interpretive Trail, which has the best old-growth forest in the park. The trail is wide gravel and easy walking, with sword ferns and vine maple filling in underneath.

The West Loop is technically closed, I think. It's the park's ADA trail, which State Parks lists as closed until further notice while crews clear storm damage. Check the park's alerts before you go, and if it's still closed, stick to the Evergreen Trail.

A gravel trail winding through tall, straight old-growth trunks and green undergrowth

One big log beside the trail had been cut clean through, with shelf fungi growing in a row along the top edge of the cut.

The cut end of a huge fallen log with growth rings, a ring of moss on top and shelf fungi along its edge

The Baker River bridge in Concrete

On the way back we stopped in Concrete and walked out on the bridge over the Baker River. It's a pale green concrete arch bridge with lamp posts at each end. HistoryLink says it opened in January 1917 with a 185-foot span, one of the longest single-span concrete bridges in the West at the time. The town's two cement companies donated the cement. It's called the Henry Thompson Bridge, after one of the county commissioners behind it.

Caitlin on the sidewalk of the pale green Baker River bridge in Concrete, with lamp posts and forest behind

The plaques on the bridge tell the rest. One lists the 1916 contractor and engineers next to the contractor and engineers from 2004. Another is a memorial to Dewey Hyatt of One Way Construction, who was killed just before the bridge work was finished in 2004.

The original Baker River bridge plaque listing the county commissioners, the 1916 builders and the 2004 contractor

A lamp post on the bridge with a memorial plaque for Dewey Hyatt, 1942 to 2004

Is it worth it?

Yes. Rockport is an easy walk through old growth, close to Highway 20. Pair it with Concrete's bridge for a good day up the Skagit. For a lake hike in the same corner of the state, see my Baker Lake Trail post, or browse more Washington hikes.