Nestled in Lopez Island, the third largest of the U.S. San Juan Islands and the first ferry stop on the Washington islands run, Spencer Spit Park is so named for the quarter-mile long spit (sand formation), containing a saltwater lagoon marsh, off

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Nestled in Lopez Island, the third largest of the U.S. San Juan Islands and the first ferry stop on the Washington islands run, Spencer Spit Park is so named for the quarter-mile long spit (sand formation), containing a saltwater lagoon marsh, off the coast. The park is far away from town, houses, and farms, through a wooded entrance and past thick underbrush. Campsites are private, nestled into the greenery and dense bushes that cover the area, and best suited to tent and car camping. You can also come in for the day to enjoy a picnic and playing on the beach.

You’ll find plenty of trails for hiking and bird-watching. The spit is also a popular spot for clamdigging and crabbing, the beach is covered with driftwood kids can use for building and digging, and you may see heron around the salt marsh. A restored log cabin and the original Spencer House stand both as picnic shelters and as monuments to the homesteaders that developed the area, while the Indian campsite gives clues about the lives of the area’s original human residents.

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