Kukutali Preserve

The Kukutali Preserve State Park Heritage Site preserves a long spit of land on Samish Bay that Coast Salish peoples have traditionally used for hunting, gathering, and spending summers. The sandy spit, also known as a tombolo, connects a small island to the mainland. When you wander onto the driftwood-laden shoreline, you can spot both Deception Pass State Park and Hope Island. Kukutali means “place of the cattail mat." Women of the Coast Salish tribes gathered cattails here in the summers to weave into mats, while men hunted elk using nettle bark root nets. Although Kukutali is part of the Swinomish Indian Reservation, it had several private owners in the 1900s. It ultimately became a park in 2010 with a historic agreement between the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, who co-manage the park. Swinomish tribal members can now return to Kukutali for clamming and traditional ways of life.