 | [ ISLAND HOPPING ]
Sucia Island State Park
Sucia Island State Park covers 564 acres and is the largest marine state park in the San Juans. Sucia offers campsites, toilet facilities, picnic sites, potable water, six miles of trails, and nine miles of waterfront to explore. Enjoy the beautiful sandy beaches, clamming, crabbing, explore the water-carved sandstone formations, search for marine fossil deposits in Fossil Bay, or enjoy the rare opportunity to Mountain Bike on an island only accessible by boat! Trails are open to bikers year-round and offer something for every skill level!
Great place for camping!! |  |
Location:
Sucia Island State Park is 3 miles north of Orcas Island, San Juan County.
Acreage:
564.08 acres with 77,700 feet of saltwater shoreline on the Strait of Georgia.
Acquired:
Sucia Island State Park was acquired in five parcels; the first in 1952 and the last in 1974, for a total cost of $6,818.67.
Facilities:
Two docks with 12'x160' mooring floats, 48 mooring buoys, 5 pit toilets, 9 composting toilets, 2 water systems with 4 reservoirs totaling 22,700 gallons, potable water, drinking water available April through September , shop building, 55 campsites, 16 picnic sites, 7 bulletin boards, 2 trail system information map boards, 6.2 miles of trails, 3.5 miles of service road, 3 picnic shelters, 2 reservation group camps, and 1 underwater scuba park with locator buoy. Garbage: pack-it-out.
Activities:
Primitive camping, picnicking, hiking trails, mt. biking, salt water related activities, clamming and crabbing.
Of Special Interest:
Marine fossil deposits at Fossil Bay.
Maps:
Topographical map of Sucia Island.
Historical Background:
The island's name originated with the Spanish Captain Eliza on his map of 1791. He named it "Isla Sucia". Sucia in Spanish means "dirty" or in a nautical sense "foul". This word was chosen because the shore was deemed unclean and reefy.
More information:
Here's a great article about the history of the islands by William Dietrich of the Seattle Times. On the Edge: Isolation shapes the land and lore | |
|
