Clark Island, located north of Orcas Island, offers mooring and camping facilities at designated sites for visiting boaters. Clark Island has a great variety of beaches. Marine State Park.

Doe Island, located off the eastern shore of Orcas Island, encompasses 6 acres with over 2,000 feet of shoreline. There are designated campsites, picnic areas and a dock with float, but no drinking water. Marine State Park.

Freeman Island, located off Orcas Island's northwest shore, is a less than an acre in size. Overnight camping is not permitted, but it's fun to explore. Marine State Park.

Jones Island is one of the most visited of the San Juan Marine Parks. It encompasses 188 acres and is just east of the southwestern tip of Orcas. There's good anchorage, mooring buoys a dock, sandy beaches, campsites, wonderful walking trails, potable water, and is supposed to be wheel chair accessible..

Matia Island (Pronounced ma-TEE-uh. Means no protection in Spanish) Most of the 145 acres of Matia Island, located north of Orcas Island, is a San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, but 5 acres on the western end form Matia Island Marine State Park. It has a dock, mooring buoys & designated camping facilities.

Patos Island, 209 acres, is north of Orcas Island and is mostly a Marine State Park. A lighthouse occupies 2 acres on the western tip. Mooring and camping facilities are available only at designated sites for visiting boaters. Patos is the setting for Helene Glidden's book, The Light in the Island. She lived there as a child and has vivid accounts of smugglers, Indians, visits by Col. Teddy Roosevelt, and general life on the island.

Stuart Island Marine State Park, off the southeast side of Stuart Island, encompasses 88 acres including over 4,000 feet of waterfront within Reid and Prevost Harbors. Those harbors often provide shelter for boats coming from and going to Canada. There are state park docks, mooring buoys, basic campsites and picnic areas, but no other facilities.

Sucia Island, 749 acres, lies north of Orcas Island. 564 acres are a Marine State Park, one of the most popular boating parks in the islands. There are numerous campsites, picnic areas and shelters, mooring buoys, docks, fireplaces, walking trails, composting toilets and potable water.

Turn Island, 35 acres, just offshore from the eastern edge of San Juan Island, became part of the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 1960. Over night camping in designated spots is allowed and there are several fun beaches to explore.

Most of the information in this Island section was derived from three books: The San Juan Islands, Afoot & Afloat by Marge & Ted Mueller, San Juan Islands by Don Pitcher and Pig War Islands by David Richardson. At Home Magazine contributed material about San Juan, Lopez, Orcas and Shaw Islands.

Photos courtesy of Washington State Dept. of Ecology