Who owns the Shoreline above and below the high tide line in the San Juan Islands?

         Probably since before exploration, men have claimed ownership of just about everything above and below the surface of the ocean, and this includes the San Juan Islands.

         The good news is that the arguments of who owns what and where are pretty much settled.  The bad news is that, as a boater staring across the water at some desirable beach or mudflat (if there is such a thing) you don’t know what to do, or where to land.

       For the most part, you may anchor anywhere you want, except vessel navigation channels and marked farms. It doesn't take much common sense to figure out not to anchor in the middle of a boat congested narrow thoroughfare, (marked or not) but some daydreamers will do just that. 

        Just because it’s legal to anchor doesn't make it a good idea.

 You can walk most beaches, below the normal high water line, but many properties own the adjacent tidelands and may or may not be marked. Not all shorelines have beaches and so private land will extend to the water’s edge.  Most of the dry land (above high water) is private and you will be trespassing if you come ashore and hike into the woods.  Some landowners don’t care if you come ashore, and some do.  Many will have signs that alert you to their wishes and you should respect their wishes.  If it were me I would not anchor off shore from a sign that said no trespassing, why ruffle someone’s feathers by anchoring or walking in their backyard.

      There are places, marked and some not marked, where seagrass has been damaged, and signs ask you to anchor elsewhere.

Who’s not for being an environmentalist? Just move along, there’s plenty of other places to drop a hook.

      At resorts and marinas, (Roche, Friday, Deer, Rosario, Fishermans, etc, etc etc., you will usually see boats anchored nearby, just follow their lead and anchor your boat too. Ask someone where the dinghy dock is and go spend some money.  You may be thinking, how long can I anchor and what’s the cost, so I remind you it’s public, it's free, and you can anchor as long as you want.

       There are some exceptions, but we don’t need to discuss them now, or ever, so go have a good cruising day. 

Did you know you can land your Dinghy at Lopez Village?

       Right along the bank in the center of the Village by the fudge shop 

is a short stretch of public beach.

(update 2024, the fudge shop is gone) 

 The property on each side of this beach is private, but the stairs are public  There are two little access places that I will locate in a minute. What this means is that you may anchor your boat and then come ashore by dinghy right in Lopez Village. You wont have to walk from one of the resorts almost a mile away in Fisherman Bay.

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 The beach beyond this stairway in the background is private, but you may land your dinghy here and find yourself in the center of Lopez Village. Its only a hundred feet to the restrooms and free showers. The grocery store is five minutes.

This is a Google images snapshot of popular Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island. The red dot is located where the public stairs and beach are located. 

You don't need to walk over a mile from Fisherman Bay to get groceries.

The village is adjacent to the stairs so you can get ice cream and fudge with minimal effort. The grocery store is about a one-block walk. Btw, only fifty yards from the stairs is the public restroom with a donations-only hot and cold shower. Suggested donation is $2, the water is really hot, and there is no timer, now how welcome and cool is that?

If you have a navigation chart, you will find the stairs is almost directly opposite the red dolphin nav. aid marking the submerged spit at the bay entrance. (this means you will drive your boat within a couple hundred feet of the stairs, you can't miss em.)

The other beach access is south of the red dot (toward Fisherman Bay) about 1-2 blocks, its a low bank gravel parking lot with about fifty feet of frontage there are no signs. The stretch between the two accesses is not public beach. Be sure to drag your dinghy all the way up and tie it to the stairs.  At the highest tides the beach is pretty much gone. 

Click below for a satellite view of  the Lopez Village beach access stairway