Chapter # 4 Lopez Island Group

Odlin County Park, Spencer Spit Park, Fisherman Bay, Lopez Village
    Odlin County Park   
  Spencer Spit State Park   
   

      When navigating around the San Juans you will find yourself going past certain places again and again.  For instance if your heading to Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Jones Island or over to Canada you will likely go around the North end of Lopez Island and quite possibly skipping distance from Spencer Spit Park and Odlin Park.  And if you are like us, you prefer spending time and not money, so a handy place to anchor for free is appreciated, especially if its going to be dark in an hour or so. Odlin is very handy, as is Spencer Spit.  Fisherman Bay is just a short hours run off the beaten path and may be your real ultimate destiny with creamy ice cream, nutty fudge or a tasty breakfast omelet waiting for you at Lopez Village. 

   

  Tip   Avoid running around in the dark unless you know the area including the destination. An exception may be an experienced skipper and well found yacht going to a marina with lights and a slip waiting for you. Anchoring in the dark in an unfamiliar place while quite doable is no fun, leads to stressed out admirals and isn't part of a good plan.

I've never seen the big attraction drawing people to Spencer spit, but it seems to have a lot of supporters. It does not have a dock or float, and getting to the bathrooms on shore is a long walk after the dinghy ride. There is oodles of room and it's really easy to anchor or grab a buoy plus you have your choice of which side of the spit to hang from, maybe that's it.  The wind can get cranking here, if you look at your chart you will see its out in the middle of a long open stretch.  This is a State Park with car camping so you will be commingling with landlubbers.  On shore is a concession that rents bicycles, maybe that's it.  Lopez Island is the most bicycle friendly of the three that people bike (San Juan and Orcas are the others)  The close proximity to Thatcher Pass and Rosario Strait make Spencer Spit a good place to wait for daylight or the fog to lift before continuing. 

Since I brought up bicycling, I need to comment that I would not bring my bike here to begin a island bike ride, it's just too much trouble getting a two wheeler to shore and then lugging it a half mile, instead I would go to Odlin Park or one of the marinas inside Fisherman Bay.

This is the beach on the north side of Spencer Spit where you will land your dinghy, that little building is a replica of the old Spencer cabin with a few historical signs you may look at. Frost Island is in the background. The campground is behind me about a quarter mile.

 Fisherman Bay 

Try clickng on pic to see if it gets bigger

  Lopez Village  
See the red dot in the image below?  The red dot is where you want to bring your dinghy ashore to go to Lopez village. Within a block of landing is everything you want, (trinkets, sweets, restaurants, restroom with showers, major grocery store, museum, etc.) and I highly recommend you plan a day visit at the least, or spend the night anchored just inside the bay.  You can anchor by the red dot but you will be rocked all night. Your choice! Or of course you can spend some boating units and tie up at one of the two marinas in the bay.  BTW at low tide it gets pretty thin for a short stretch just inside the channel, pay close attention or get stuck. 

This easily spotted public stairway is where you access Lopez Village, just tie your painter to the steel stairway post
This stairway is almost directly opposite the red dolphin nav. aid marking the spit and entrance to Fisherman Bay

Here's the lonely float at Odlin County Park, sorry no overnights.   Lopez village is too far to walk but an easy 20-30 minute bike ride.  What we do is offload the bikes and then anchor as close as we want, then drag the dinghy up onto the float. This way were not hogging the dock, and our home sweet home is waiting for us when we get back dog tired.
 The parks four buoys are $10-$12.  Just a short walk takes you to  bathrooms and the campground.
I say lonely because we never see many boaters here, probably because we rock and roll all night,
but we never feel insecure at anchor like some places where we worry all night if we are dragging into someone.

You can see Odlin has a nice beach, but that water in the background is the mainline to and from Friday Harbor so you will feel some wave action when anchored.

    Tip    Odlin County Park would be an excellent place to meet up with friends that are car camping in the San Juans. Be sure to check on reservations for camping. In a pinch your friends could camp at Spencer spit, its just a short drive. I know your thinking why not meet at Spencer Spit State Park, you can except there's no dock there, but you have a dinghy so check on reservations at Spencer also.