• American Camp prairie and Mount Finlayson.

    San Juan Island

    National Historical Park Washington

  • American Camp Visitor Center on Daily Schedule

    The American Camp visitor center will be open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily through Friday, June 2. Grounds are open sunrise to 11 p.m. The English Camp visitor center opens June 2. Grounds are open 8 a.m. to sunset. More »

Big Leaf Maple

bare_maples_small
Mike Vouri
 

Big leaf maple
(Acer macrophyllum)

This tree has the largest leaf in Washington at 6 to 10 inches long, and is divided into 5 prominent lobes. Look for the specimen nearest the formal garden at English Camp. At 330 years old, it was once proclaimed as the "World's largest Bigleaf maple." Two branches, which broke in the 1970s, reduced the claim as the largest, but it may still be the oldest. The Bigleaf maple next to the barracks, actually a cluster of several trees that have grown together over the centuries, is an island favorite. Please resist climbing its branches, as this will wear down the bark and shorten its life.

 

Location in park: English Camp

Learn More:

British Columbia Tree Index (Canada)

Did You Know?

orca

Orca whales are far and away the biggest attraction in the San Juan Islands and most especially on San Juan Island's western shore, from Lime Kiln Point State Park to American Camp. More...