Picture an island with turquoise inlets and craggy coves. The northern San Juan Islands may not come to mind at first, but Stuart Island Marine State Park could surprise you.
Stuart Island, near the U.S.-Canada border, is one of the northernmost islands in the famed archipelago, and you can only reach it by boat.
Anchored in two harbors, boaters mingle as they fish, crab, dive or swim. Hikers can walk up to higher ground or hoof it to the Turn Point Light Station outside the park. Canoeists and kayakers can pitch their tents in the primitive campsites near Prevost Harbor or on the spine of the island. In the evening, all faces turn west as the sky glows red and the sun falls below the horizon.
Counting waterways and anchorage areas, Stuart Island Marine State Park is a 433-acre marine camping park with 33,030 feet of shoreline. The park is part of the Cascadia Marine Trail and offers camping and moorage at Reed and Prevost harbors. Some campsites are for the exclusive use of those arriving by human- or wind-powered watercraft.
Located in the San Juan Islands in San Juan County, Stuart Island State Park offers 20 buoys and 448 feet of dock, as well as a pumpout station. Additionally, there are plenty of good anchorages the entire length of the harbor. Please respect the private buoys, docks, and property surrounding the park.
Moorage fees are charged 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. year-round. All boaters must register and pay upon arrival. Boaters must also pay for boats rafted to another boat.
Reid Harbor has 13 buoys and a 96-foot dock (192 feet total).
Prevost Harbor has seven buoys and a 128-foot dock (256 feet total).
