Permit· Desolation Sound Marine Park· Salish Sea — San Juans, Gulf Islands & Desolation Sound

Desolation Sound Marine Park Rules and Camping Fees

50° 5.8′ N · 124° 41.7′ W

Desolation Sound Marine Park covers the coves from Malaspina Inlet to Prideaux Haven and Tenedos Bay. Anchoring is free, but the park has strict rules on fire, sewage and shellfish. Shore camping needs a BC Parks backcountry registration.

San Juan Islands & Anacortes Southern Gulf Islands & Sidney Desolation Sound & Discovery Islands

Practical

Coordinate is the OSM centre of the park. Boating: BC Parks lists no anchoring or mooring fee and has no park docks or mooring buoys here. Sewage discharge is banned throughout the park; federal rules also ban discharge within 3 nm of shore and at anchor, and Prideaux Haven, Roscoe Bay, Squirrel Cove, Cortes Bay, Mansons Landing/Gorge Harbour and Carrington Bay are federal Designated Sewage Areas. Pump-out is at Lund. Fire: campfires are banned at all times in the park and at all its campsites. Water: no potable water; treat creek water. Camping: one registration covers Copeland Islands, Malaspina, Roscoe Bay and Desolation Sound parks; the 2025 BC fee schedule lists $5 per person per night. From 2026 BC Parks adds a $20 non-resident fee (per person per trip for backcountry camping, $20 per vessel where mooring buoy or dock fees apply); confirm the current rate when you register. Anchoring is restricted to protect eelgrass: stay outside the no-anchoring buoys around Williams Island and between the buoys at Copplestone Island. Rockfish Conservation Areas ban hook-and-line fishing; check DFO shellfish closures. Dogs on a leash, not on beaches. Park operator RLC Park Services 1-250-474-1336; reservations 1-800-689-9025.

Desolation Sound Marine Park Rules and Camping Fees

Practical

Best for

Season

Nearby