What makes a good dinghy beach? Scroll to the bottom for my number one and number two choices when sailing the San Juan Islands
When planning a trip to the San Juan Islands, choosing the right dinghy beach can make or break your experience. At first, I was simply going to list key features of good dinghy beaches, but then I realized that newcomers might need a heads-up—not all "good" dinghy beaches are worth visiting, and some "bad" ones might still be worth a stop.
Why the Right Dinghy Beach Matters
Even if you plan to stay at a dock, remember that dock space in the San Juans is not reservable. More often than not, you’ll need to anchor and go ashore by dinghy—and if the beach isn’t dinghy-friendly, it could seriously impact or even ruin your visit.
Considerations for Different Activities
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Camping – A poor landing spot could make unloading gear difficult or even dangerous.
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Hiking – If you're leaving your dinghy for the entire day, you'll need to ensure it's safe from rising tides, strong currents, or theft.
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Precautions – Some beaches require extra planning, such as a long rope, transport wheels, or even a chain and padlock to secure your dinghy properly.
Being prepared can make all the difference. A little foresight ensures that an inconvenient beach doesn’t turn into a major headache. Forewarned is forearmed!
In my opinion, a good dinghy beach simply allows you to get to shore and back to the boat with a minimum of fuss and bother, but there is a lot to consider
In no particular order, lets make a list of likes and dislikes.
- not getting feet wet getting into and out of the dinghy is really nice.
- ditto for all tide levels, so the angle (slope) of the beach is crucial
- gravel versus mud is a no brain-er
- sand is better than mud, but both track into the dinghy and back to the boat (gravel doesn't track)
- something nearby to tie the painter to, like a massive old log
- a cool view of my boat when I turn around
- a nearby restroom is handy
- not smelling like dead seaweed is a plus
- fires permitted and driftwood is always nice for evenings
- nearby tide pools for exploring
- security is something some spots lack (theft of dinghy or contents)
- free-roaming dogs! or other wildlife
- how about a lack of bugs and bird droppings
- what about a western view of the setting sun
- protection from weather-driven waves and nasty wakes
The Perfect Dinghy Landing
My idea of a perfect dinghy landing starts before I even reach shore. As I paddle (or motor) toward a likely spot just a hundred feet away, the water is crystal clear—so clear that I can see the pristine bottom, free of rocks or reefs. There’s no cross current or headwind to fight, just smooth, easy progress.
I scan the shoreline, watching for “No Trespassing” signs. Instead, I spot a friendly deer eyeing me, as if to say, "Welcome." A perfect channel opens through the eelgrass, and with a single stroke of my oar, I glide effortlessly toward the beach.
The shore consists of medium-sized gravel—ideal for landing. As I ship the oars, I lean back slightly, raising the dinghy’s bow a few inches. When she softly grounds, I shift my weight forward, holding her in place. If I have passengers, we move carefully toward the bow to keep the boat locked onto the shore. The first person off, steps onto dry, not soggy ground, and steadys the boat without pulling it up—angling the dinghy too soon could cause water to pour over the stern.
Once everyone is ashore, I take the extra-long painter up the beach and secure it to a massive driftwood log, beached for the summer. As I turn to take in my new domain, the waiting deer approaches, either looking for a handout or a head rub.
Scanning the woodsy area, I spot a sign:
“Clean restroom with flush toilets, 50 feet.”
I glance down at the gravel—it's laced with agates and perfect skipping stones. Testing my luck, my first five throws skip six, seven, even ten times across the calm water. Just above the high tide mark, I find a fire pit and picnic tables, with dry driftwood nearby, ready to gather for tonight’s fire.
Okay, okay—maybe I stretched the truth a little about the flush toilets and agates. But the rest? Those are all real moments I have experienced.
What makes a good dinghy landing beach is a lot of features all coming together just for you. If the beach is too flat you will ground out before your bow gets to dry land, and when the tide goes out you will be stranded a quarter mile from the water. Too many rocks and you will get high grounded before reaching shore and possibly do damage as well. Eel grass is a pain to row through and sometimes means a mud bottom and mud beach at low tide. Landing on a strange beach without anything to tie to will force you to carry your dinghy above the high water mark, and you should still tie to something or break out the little anchor if you are not sure.
A real surprise after a few hours away on a hike is to return to find two foot waves breaking on shore right behind your dinghy. Now try getting back to the mother ship without getting your feet and possibly everything your wearing soaked. The point is, some beach landing sites are exposed to long stretches of open water and conditions can change in literally minutes due to a far away storm or even a ship that recently passed. Beaches that face any of the straits are subject to sudden change.
Best dinghy beaches
My first choice is Pelican Beach on Cypress Island and a close runner up, due to spectacular sunsets is the west shore on Clark Island. BTW Cypress is DNR land and so there are no fees for camping or using a buoy overnight.
Updated 2019 - it's been seven years since I made these choices and now I feel I should add a few caveats. First of all, what good is a great dinghy beach if there is nothing there (on shore) of interest? Second, beaches change with each winter storm, case in point, all the great skipping stones at Pelican Beach were gone during one of my visits. Replaced by sand. Third, my new number one choice is Jones Island, north cove. The beach at Jones has never failed to please me.
Now you detail oriented boaters may point out that Cypress and possibly Clark are considered not part of the San Juans
by some technically tweaked logic, but they are never the less part of our cruising grounds.
Feel free to nominate your favorite dinghy beach.
Worst dinghy beaches
Shallow Bay on Sucia Island rates pretty low, but exploring China Caves is a real attraction and somewhat offsets the low tide mud flats. Fossil Bay beaches also on Sucia are muddy as well and the mosquitos at the head of the bay don't help either.
On the other hand Echo Bay beaches on Sucia are pretty nice and there is a large community fire pit up in the shore grass near the bathroom.
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| Pelican Beach cove gets you out of the current for easy landings |
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| Perfect skippers at Pelican Beach |
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| Free beachfront campsites |
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| Clark Island has some current issues on both sides |
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