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Idyllic settings, simple joys lure boaters to San Juan marine parks
By BILL KNIGHT 
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
NATIONAL SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
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There are no heated swimming pools, fuel docks, hot showers or laundromats. There's no dockside power for boats that don't generate their own electricity to keep microwave ovens and television sets functioning.
Welcome to the marine parks of the San Juan Islands.
The remarkable marine parks program established by the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission in the early 1950s provides boating enthusiasts with some of the finest cruising destinations in the world.
Most parks are in protected waters and are accessible only by boat. While similar facilities are found from Olympia in the south to the Canadian border in the north, the favorites are in the San Juans.
Experts in such matters can't agree on how many islands there are in the San Juans. The most popular figure is 172, but some of those are no more than piles of rock that turn into unseen obstacles to be avoided when the tide is high.
The San Juans typify boating in the Northwest: generally protected waters surrounded by a wide range of terrain -- lush green hills, high bluffs forming a backdrop for waves crashing on rocky shores and secure harbors where calm seas lap sandy beaches.
Lack of development in the parks is by design. Most offer little more than small floats, which give access to shore, and state-installed mooring buoys in protected harbors. Many parks have picnic tables, trails and primitive sanitation facilities.
State officials have resisted making extensive improvements. It's not only expensive, but most boaters are serious about keeping the settings natural. There are plenty of resorts and marinas elsewhere for those who want creature comforts.
The lure of marine parks, carved out of property donated by boating groups or purchased by the state, is a chance to enjoy beachcombing, crabbing, paddling a dinghy in an idyllic cove, wading, bird watching, taking photographs, hiking to a nearby scenic vantage point or snoozing on the bridge in the summer sun.
Here's a brief rundown of some of the favorite San Juan marine parks:
Sucia -- The largest facility in the San Juans, Sucia is a horseshow-shaped cluster of 11 islands covering 433 acres that includes several distinct anchorages. It is situated north of Orcas Island. The most protected is Fossil Bay, but Echo Bay on the east side is larger if somewhat less protected.
Matia Island -- Due east of Sucia, this smaller and lesser-known island is a favorite of many. Picturesque and heavily wooded, Matia (Mah-TEE-ah) has three mooring sites: a bay on the northwest side, a smaller cove at the western tip and a more protected bay on the southeast side.
Stuart Island -- There are two large, well-protected coves -- Reid and Prevost harbors -- each with mooring buoys and floats provided by the state. There's ample room to anchor at this popular destination. There are campsites on the isthmus that separates the two harbors. A trail stretches up a high bluff to a dazzling view on the Reid side.
Jones Island -- A designated wildlife sanctuary, this 179-acre island is a popular and attractive destination, so finding a vacant mooring buoy isn't always easy. The wooded terrain is inhabited by deer and other critters.
Clark Island -- Side by side with Barnes Island, Clark is long and slender and has a sandy beach, but it is exposed to winds off the Strait of Georgia. There are mooring buoys between the two islands and in a cove on Clark's east side.
Blind Island -- It's not much more than a big chunk of rock at the entrance of Blind Bay on the north side of Shaw Island, but several mooring buoys have been installed inside the bay (on the south side). Warning: Check your charts carefully on entering and don't try to go west of Blind Island.
Doe Island -- Tiny, 6-acre Doe is situated off the east shore of Orcas between Obstruction Pass and Lawrence Point. A summer float on the west side of the island offers access to campsites and a low-bank beach.
James Island -- James is shaped like an hourglass and covers 134 acres, including some steep terrain for hikers. Mooring buoys and a float on the west bay are protected from the wake of passing boat traffic in nearby Rosario Strait, but it can be hard to set an anchorhere.
Turn Island -- Situated off the southeast corner of San Juan Island, 35-acre Turn is a few miles south of Friday Harbor. It has several mooring buoys on the west side, but no dock. Trails line the island, which has been designated a wildlife preserve.
Spencer Spit -- The campsites are accessible by ferry and car from Lopez Island, enhancing its popularity. A long, narrow finger of land next to Frost Island, Spencer Spit has 16 mooring buoys and additional space to anchor.
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