Spencer Spit State Park

Boating features

Located in San Juan County on San Juan Islands, Spencer Spit offers 11 moorage buoys on the Cascadia Marine Trail. There are eight buoys on the north side of the spit and three on the south side of the spit.

Boat moorage

Moorage fees are charged year round for mooring at docks, floats, and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. Moorage permits are available at parks offering moorage.

Latitude: 48º 32' 23" N (48.5397) Longitude: 122º 51' 15.84" W (-122.8544)

this park offers phone in buoy registration

How it works:

• When you arrive at a buoy, call the phone number on the mooring ball.
• Provide your buoy number and length of stay (3 nights maximum).
• Pay with a credit or debit card or provide your Annual Boat Moorage permit number.
• There is a $4.50 convenience fee to register by phone.
• All buoys are first come, first served and $15 per night.

Campsite information

The park has 37 standard campsites, seven hiker/biker sites, one dump station and two restrooms. There are no showers or hookups. There are Cascadia Marine Trail sites available to those arriving to the park by wind- or human-powered watercraft.. Most of the park's tent sites are large and private. Seven walk-in beach sites have limited privacy. Campers may enter the grounds until 10 p.m.

Check-in time is 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time is 1 p.m.

Group accommodations

The park provides three group camps. G1 is for tent camping only and accommodates up to 24 guests and has three walk-in sites, one of which is an Adirondack (three-sided) shelter with eight bunks. G3 is for tent camping only and accommodates up to 24 guests. The site includes a kitchen shelter with electrical outlet, water spigot, and three picnic tables. There is a pedestal barbeque and a fire pit. This site accommodates a kitchen trailer, six tents and four vehicles.

Reservations & fees

Reservations can be made online or by calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688. For fee information, check out our camping rates page.

Services & supplies

The island is serviced by Lopez Island Medical Center.

Historical information

Spencer Spit State Park sits on the traditional territory of the Central Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Samish tribe, which originally hunted and fished in the area and used the abundant cedar wood for clothing, shelter and canoes.

The spit was originally homesteaded in the 1870s by Katherine and Franklin Troxell. The Spencer family acquired the area in the late 1800s. Spencer Spit was sold to the state of Washington by the Spencer family in 1967. The log cabin on the point was built between 1913 and 1920. The cabin was patterned after the pioneer cabins used by early settlers. In 1976, it was removed due to extensive rot, and rebuilt then and again in 2009. It now serves as a picnic shelter with tables and interpretive panels.