Anchorage· Lopez· Salish Sea — San Juans, Gulf Islands & Desolation Sound
Watmough Bay (Lopez Island)
48° 26.0′ N · 122° 48.6′ W
A small, cliff-sided bay at the south-east corner of Lopez with a pebble beach and forest trails, part of the San Juan Islands National Monument. It feels remote and is lovely in calm weather.
Practical
Coordinate is the OSM bay. Coast Pilot: good protection from west and south weather near the head of the bay. It is open to the east toward Rosario Strait, so leave if easterlies are forecast. Watmough Bay is a voluntary no-anchor zone for eelgrass (Northwest Straits Commission map): anchor in deeper water outside the eelgrass. No buoys or dock; land on the beach for the forest trails. Colville Island and Davidson Rock lie off the point to the south: give them a good berth, and note the shipping lane just south of Davidson Rock.
Best for
Quiet scenic anchorage and a beach walk
Season
Settled weather May-Sep; avoid in easterlies
Nearby
- Hunter Bay (Lopez Island)2.5 NM away
- Mackaye Harbor (Lopez Island)2.7 NM away
- Iceberg Point (Lopez Island)3.4 NM away
- James Island Marine State Park (James Island)5 NM away
- Burrows Bay (Fidalgo Island)5.7 NM away
- Rosario Beach and Rosario Head (Fidalgo Island)5.9 NM away
- Washington Park (Anacortes)5.9 NM away
- Bowman Bay and Sharpe Cove (Fidalgo Island)6.3 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).