Stuart Island Marine State Park, San Juan Islands

Stuart Island

A two hour run at low speed brought us from Sucia Island to Stuart Island. Another pretty island with lots of empty space on the state park dock, where we joined a delightful Canadian couple.

Stuart Island is privately owned and inhabited at either end of the island.

The state park is located at the center and narrowest part of the island and encompasses Prevost Harbor on the North shore and Reid Harbor to the south. Primitive camp sites are available in addition to the dock and mooring buoys. Pay stations for registration are available at each location.

We walked the short distance across the narrow part of the island to Reid Harbor, another state parks dock and moorage area.

We learn something new each day as we cruise the Pacific North West. When we walked across to Reid Harbor, we encountered a mooring that we have not seen before.

Two long ropes are tied to anchor buoys. A vessel side ties to one or other of the ropes, looping the ropes through rings positioned at intervals along each rope. There is room for two or three boats to tie-up on either side. Not ideal in my opinion but it works.


Early May finds the park staff preparing for a busy summer, cutting the grass, manicuring camp sites and clearing fallen trees. Some of these trees are to big to move so they cut them up and make camp seats using a chain saw.

It was a beautiful, sunny, warm and calm afternoon so we took a dinghy trip around the island and were treated to a great view of Mount Baker.

We had planned to stay on Stuart Island for 3 nights but decided to head out after just two. There was a foul stench where we were tied to the dock and were informed that a resident otter lives beneath the dock and some of his culinary delicacies become rank before they finally sink. We also encountered a lot of flies, attracted I'm sure by the foul, rotting smell.

Happy Hour was enjoyed on the dock along with dock mates Larry & Heather and their friends Dean & Arlene Hislop, long time writers for Waggoner Pacific North West Cruising Guide. Both couples have cruised this area for many years and were a wealth of knowledge for us newbies. Nothing beats local knowledge.