I just returned from sail camping with a group at Rainy Lake and Voyagers National Park near International Falls, MN. It belongs on this list. I hope to write an article soon for SCA, and I'll cover the items in the list. Stay tuned.
I'd add the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. Just adjacent to the San Juan Islands but on the Canadian side of the border. Fantastic anchorages, sandy beaches and great hiking. Montague, Bedwell, Princess Cove are fantastic.
Great list!! I've sailed small boats in all your coastal water spots listed, E of the Mississippi N, E and S.
Although my dreams regularly beg me most often to return to Killarney, Georgian Bay, I live & sail the SOBX, NC between Cape Lookout, Core Sound, Bogue Banks and the New River. Skimming through the marsh creeks behind the Southern Outer Banks and enjoying crystalline ocean tides through the inlets are a small boat heaven!!
**Local knowledge opinion (Neuse River waters are nasty, hog farm run-off, etc)
Come discover Bear Island (uninhabited), Hammocks Beach State Park is open year round, sail/kayak to beach camping.
Lots of detail, here! For more Puget Sound (aka Salish Sea), you can follow the Salish 100 route from Olympia to Port Townsend, or venture off that path at many points to explore Shelton and the islandst/towns of Case Inlet, the Hood Canal, or explore the east side of Whidbey Island as you head toward Anacortes. No end to the adventures!
Great list. I remember reading an article about Lake Champlain being a nice spot. But it was a long long time ago, possibly in Small Boat Journal. I wonder if it's still a good spot.
Nice, I'm envisioning a fabulous trailer sailor retirement expedition. I recall a multi issue article about some gran-dude who visited many small craft gatherings in a prior print article many moons ago. Maybe I can find this in the digital archives. Sweet.
Sucia Island in the San Juans has dinosaur bones. I have read that these deposits may have migrated, via plate tectonics, from as far south as Baja. There is good camping at Shallow Bay on the north west tip of the island, and also a group site at the S. E. tip at Ewing Cove. I believe one or two of the small islands in Echo Bay may be privately owned. They don't look very campable anyhow.
Also, in regards to the San Juans in general, many small islands and beaches are privately owned. Back when kayaks were rare (40 years ago or so), owners would welcome kayakers to at least step ashore, if not camp. But the huge proliferation of kayakers has led many to post no trespassing signs
The Spanish explored the Salish Sea in the 1790s, hence so many place names like Sucia (means dirty, as in rife with reefs (Hey, I like that; I may copyright it); also Lopez, Camano, and Hidalgo; in the Gulf Islands (B C) you have Saturna, Gabriola , Texada, etc., and on the Vancouver Island west coast, Zeballos and Zeballos Inlet. You can tell how far the explorers reached by the extent of Spanish names. All the rest are English/American. Supposedly Anacortes was named by an American naval Lt. in honor of his wife, Anna Curtis.
(Seems like I might have posted this info earlier; if so, my apologies)
Sucia Island in the San Juans has dinosaur bones. I have read that these deposits may have migrated, via plate tectonics, from as far south as Baja. There is good camping at Shallow Bay on the north west tip of the island, and also a group site at the S. E. tip at Ewing Cove. I believe one or two of the small islands in Echo Bay may be privately owned. They don't look very campable anyhow.
Also, in regards to the San Juans in general, many small islands and beaches are privately owned. Back when kayaks were rare (40 years ago or so), owners would welcome kayakers to at least step ashore, if not camp. But the huge proliferation of kayakers has led to many to post no trespassing signs
The Spanish explored the Salish Sea in the 1790s, thence so many place names like Sucia (means dirty, as in rife with reefs (Hey, I like that; I may copyright it); also Lopez, Camano, and Hidalgo; in the Gulf Islands (B C) you have Saturna, Gabriola , Texada, etc., and on the Vancouver Island west coast, Zeballos and Zeballos Inlet. You can tell how far the explorers reached by the extent of Spanish names. All the rest are English/American. Supposedly Anacortes was named by an American naval Lt. in honor of his wife, Anna Curtis.
(Seems like I might have posted this info earlier; if so, my apologies)
I just returned from sail camping with a group at Rainy Lake and Voyagers National Park near International Falls, MN. It belongs on this list. I hope to write an article soon for SCA, and I'll cover the items in the list. Stay tuned.
Excellent!
I'd add the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. Just adjacent to the San Juan Islands but on the Canadian side of the border. Fantastic anchorages, sandy beaches and great hiking. Montague, Bedwell, Princess Cove are fantastic.
Great list!! I've sailed small boats in all your coastal water spots listed, E of the Mississippi N, E and S.
Although my dreams regularly beg me most often to return to Killarney, Georgian Bay, I live & sail the SOBX, NC between Cape Lookout, Core Sound, Bogue Banks and the New River. Skimming through the marsh creeks behind the Southern Outer Banks and enjoying crystalline ocean tides through the inlets are a small boat heaven!!
**Local knowledge opinion (Neuse River waters are nasty, hog farm run-off, etc)
Come discover Bear Island (uninhabited), Hammocks Beach State Park is open year round, sail/kayak to beach camping.
Lots of detail, here! For more Puget Sound (aka Salish Sea), you can follow the Salish 100 route from Olympia to Port Townsend, or venture off that path at many points to explore Shelton and the islandst/towns of Case Inlet, the Hood Canal, or explore the east side of Whidbey Island as you head toward Anacortes. No end to the adventures!
Great list. I remember reading an article about Lake Champlain being a nice spot. But it was a long long time ago, possibly in Small Boat Journal. I wonder if it's still a good spot.
Nice, I'm envisioning a fabulous trailer sailor retirement expedition. I recall a multi issue article about some gran-dude who visited many small craft gatherings in a prior print article many moons ago. Maybe I can find this in the digital archives. Sweet.
Wow, that’s a bucket list and then some. Thanks for the tour. John
This is a great article!
Sucia Island in the San Juans has dinosaur bones. I have read that these deposits may have migrated, via plate tectonics, from as far south as Baja. There is good camping at Shallow Bay on the north west tip of the island, and also a group site at the S. E. tip at Ewing Cove. I believe one or two of the small islands in Echo Bay may be privately owned. They don't look very campable anyhow.
Also, in regards to the San Juans in general, many small islands and beaches are privately owned. Back when kayaks were rare (40 years ago or so), owners would welcome kayakers to at least step ashore, if not camp. But the huge proliferation of kayakers has led many to post no trespassing signs
The Spanish explored the Salish Sea in the 1790s, hence so many place names like Sucia (means dirty, as in rife with reefs (Hey, I like that; I may copyright it); also Lopez, Camano, and Hidalgo; in the Gulf Islands (B C) you have Saturna, Gabriola , Texada, etc., and on the Vancouver Island west coast, Zeballos and Zeballos Inlet. You can tell how far the explorers reached by the extent of Spanish names. All the rest are English/American. Supposedly Anacortes was named by an American naval Lt. in honor of his wife, Anna Curtis.
(Seems like I might have posted this info earlier; if so, my apologies)
Sucia Island in the San Juans has dinosaur bones. I have read that these deposits may have migrated, via plate tectonics, from as far south as Baja. There is good camping at Shallow Bay on the north west tip of the island, and also a group site at the S. E. tip at Ewing Cove. I believe one or two of the small islands in Echo Bay may be privately owned. They don't look very campable anyhow.
Also, in regards to the San Juans in general, many small islands and beaches are privately owned. Back when kayaks were rare (40 years ago or so), owners would welcome kayakers to at least step ashore, if not camp. But the huge proliferation of kayakers has led to many to post no trespassing signs
The Spanish explored the Salish Sea in the 1790s, thence so many place names like Sucia (means dirty, as in rife with reefs (Hey, I like that; I may copyright it); also Lopez, Camano, and Hidalgo; in the Gulf Islands (B C) you have Saturna, Gabriola , Texada, etc., and on the Vancouver Island west coast, Zeballos and Zeballos Inlet. You can tell how far the explorers reached by the extent of Spanish names. All the rest are English/American. Supposedly Anacortes was named by an American naval Lt. in honor of his wife, Anna Curtis.
(Seems like I might have posted this info earlier; if so, my apologies)
Error: Anacortes is on Fidalgo Is. not Hidalgo)