Stuart Island Marine State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Turn Point Lighthouse — Remote 153-acre island with one of the most dramatic lighthouses in the Pacific Northwest — Turn Point Light marks the westernmost point of the San Juan Islands
Stuart Island Marine State Park is a remote 153-acre park on Stuart Island — the westernmost island in the San Juan archipelago. The island’s Turn Point Lighthouse (built 1893) marks where Haro Strait turns sharply — a dangerous navigational hazard that has caused numerous shipwrecks. Stuart Island has no ferry service — it’s accessible only by private boat or seaplane. The island supports a tiny year-round community of about 45 people who live entirely off-grid. Stuart Island offers what many consider the finest kayaking and hiking in the San Juans.
Visitor Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | San Juan Islands, WA (westernmost!) |
| Entry Fee | Discover Pass required |
| Size | 153 acres! |
| Lighthouse | Turn Point — 1893, shipwreck point! |
| Community | 45 people — OFF-GRID! |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get to Stuart Island?
Stuart Island has no ferry service — access is by private boat, kayak, or seaplane only. Most visitors kayak from San Juan Island (about 3–5 hours depending on conditions) or motor over from Roche Harbor. The park has dock space for boats and primitive campsites.
About Stuart Island
Stuart Island Marine State Park is one of the most remote and rewarding of Washington’s San Juan Islands parks. The island features the Turn Point Lighthouse — perched on dramatic cliffs at the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States. Orca whales pass so close to Turn Point that you can hear them breathe. The island has no roads and is accessible only by boat or floatplane.
Things to Do
Hiking to Turn Point Lighthouse (3 miles from Prevost Harbor — the most dramatic lighthouse hike in Washington), boat-in camping, kayaking, whale watching from shore, and exploring the one-room schoolhouse that still operates for the island’s handful of resident children.
🗼 Visit Stuart Island Marine SP
Westernmost San Juan — Turn Point Light, 45-person off-grid island!
Wildlife & Nature
Stuart Island Marine State Park — a 85-acre park on the northwestern San Juan Island, accessible only by boat — features the Turn Point Lighthouse with views of Boundary Pass (the US-Canada maritime border) and the Canadian Gulf Islands. The lighthouse marks the turning point where ships change course entering/leaving the Strait of Georgia. Orca whales — both Southern Resident and Bigg’s transient pods — pass through Boundary Pass regularly. Harbor seals and Steller sea lions haul out on rocks. Bald eagles nest in the old-growth.
Nearby Attractions
Roche Harbor (San Juan Island) — 5 miles southeast by boat — has resort and marina. Posey Island Marine State Park — 3 miles southeast. Patos Island — 5 miles northeast — has the Alden Point Lighthouse. Friday Harbor (San Juan Island) — 10 miles south.
Park Location
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