Jones Island Marine State Park #1

LISTING FOR INFORMATION ONLY - NOT AVAILABLE FOR RESERVATION

This is a mooring buoy owned and operated by Washington State Parks. More info at https://www.parks.wa.gov/525/Jones-Island or https://www.parks.wa.gov/648/Moorage. Actual moorage condition may differ from this listing.

Among the most enchanting of the San Juan Islands, Jones Island Marine State Park is the place to let your heart and feet wander. Your wheels can wander too, as the paved trail through the park's interior meets ADA standards. Stroll down that trail, through a forest of moss-covered nurse logs and trees, to a lawn with a small apple and pear orchard. Rest there, grill up a picnic in the shelter and take a short stroll to an untamed beach. Deer may approach in search of a fruit handout. Please don't be swayed by their big brown eyes. Feeding wildlife does not benefit them and is discouraged.

Enjoy a hike on the island's perimeter. Check out cliff-side campsites (first come, first served) and picnic tables with million-dollar views of Spieden Island. Pitch a tent and settle in, or keep exploring. Look for elusive cacti, or check out a book from the informal ""Jones Island Public Library,"" that's located in one of the restrooms. Whether you stay for one day or three, you'll be enthralled by the park's diversity. You will leave Jones Island with the recognition that you just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and you'll long to return.

PARK FEATURES Accessible only by boat, Jones Island Marine State park is a 188-acre marine camping park with 25,000 feet of saltwater shoreline on the San Juan channel. The park provides mooring buoys on two coves, a dock, an ADA trail, a Cascadia Marine Trail (PDF) campsite and 24 primitive campsites.

Drinking water is available May through September. There is no garbage service to the park. Visitors must pack out what they pack in.

Visitors often feed the deer resulting in their becoming dependent on handouts of unnatural foods and potentially dangerous interactions between wild animals and humans. Feeding wildlife is prohibited by law in state parks. Violators may be fined and evicted.

BOATING FEATURES Located in San Juan County on Puget Sound, Jones Island provides seven mooring buoys and 128 linear feet of dock moorage at the North Cove. The dock is removed early October through early April to prevent winter storm damage. All floats will be installed no later than May 1. Mooring buoys remain in place year-round.

Anchorage is good at both the North and South Coves, but boaters are exposed to continuous boat wakes due to heave boat traffic during summer months. There are no good anchorage sites on the east or west side of the island.

During periods of high atmospheric pressure, strong northerly winds may develop causing rough water conditions at the North Cove moorage area. During low atmospheric conditions, the South Cove may be subjected to strong southerly wind. There is a marked reef at the northeast entrance to North Cove and several unmarked, but charted rocks along the southeastern shore. Mariners should consult their charts in these areas.

BOAT MOORAGE Moorage fees are charge year round from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. All boaters must register upon arrival. Boats rafted to another boat, on a park facility, must also pay the appropriate fee.

Latitude: 48º 37' 4.99"" N (48.6180) Longitude: 123º 2' 47.76"" W (-123.0466)