Sucia Island

Sucia Island is a 564-acre marine state park made up of a curving, horseshoe of ridges enclosing a cluster of protected bays and coves. With extensive shoreline, docks, mooring buoys, and campsites spread across bays such as Echo, Fossil, Shallow, and Fox Cove, it is regularly ranked among the top boating and sea-kayaking destinations in the Pacific Northwest.

The island is geologically famous: its Chuckanut sandstone is honeycombed into dramatic wind-carved shapes and packed with plant and marine fossils, and Washington's only dinosaur fossil was discovered at Fossil Bay in 2012. Miles of trails wind past tafoni-pitted cliffs, tide pools, and viewpoints, making it a rewarding stop for hikers as well as mariners.

• Wind-sculpted Chuckanut sandstone formations and honeycomb tafoni cliffs
• Fossil Bay, where Washington's only dinosaur fossil was discovered
• Echo Bay, a large anchorage that fills with boats each summer
• Shallow Bay and Fox Cove with sandy beaches and tide pools
• Miles of shoreline hiking trails and viewpoints across the island
• Sea kayaking, camping, and marine wildlife watching in sheltered coves

The boating season peaks from late spring through early fall, when weather is warmest and driest and drinking water is turned on at the bays. Summer weekends bring hundreds of boats to Echo Bay, so weekdays are calmer. Pacific Northwest winters are cold, wet, and windy, and open-water access becomes difficult.

Sucia Island has no ferry service and is reached only by private boat, water taxi, or sea kayak, typically launching from Orcas Island or Anacortes. As a marine state park it offers docks, mooring buoys, and campsites across its several bays, with Echo Bay and Fossil Bay the busiest anchorages. Seasonal potable water is available at Fossil Bay from spring and at Echo and Shallow bays in summer.