A nearly landlocked all-weather hole on the east side of Finlayson Channel, Bottleneck Inlet hides behind a narrow, shallow slot and opens into a snug, steep-walled basin that is one of the most secure anchorages on the main Inside Passage route north.
Tucked into the northwest side of Roderick Island off Finlayson Channel, Bottleneck Inlet earns its name: the entrance is a thin gap in dense forest that is easy to miss until you are nearly on top of it. Slip through the narrows and the inlet opens into a spacious bowl with plenty of swinging room for several boats.
Forested hillsides climb steeply on every side to nearly 2,000 feet, and the trees along the shoreline are famously trimmed flat and low - a tell-tale sign that wind and swell rarely reach inside. The result is one of the calmest, most protected stops on the Central Coast, popular with northbound and southbound cruisers waiting out weather on the Inside Passage.
It is a quiet, wild place - curious seals surface around anchored boats, owls and thrushes call from the forest, and there are no services or development of any kind.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
The approach is from Finlayson Channel into a narrow, shallow entrance on the channel's east side. The least depth in the narrow entry is just over one fathom (about 6-7 ft), so deeper-draft vessels should time their entry for a rising or higher tide and proceed slowly. A rock shelf extends from the south shore at the narrowest point - favor the north shore going through.
Just inside the entrance the bottom drops into an 11-13 fathom hole (not well shown on older charts) before shoaling to the 25-30 ft anchoring basin. Enter cautiously, watch your sounder, and do not rely on chart detail for the inner depths.
Wind protection summary and tide planning at a glance. Full per-direction and 7-day detail with Plus.
Live readings from the nearest OpenWeather station and WorldTides; refreshed every few minutes.
Source: OpenWeather One Call API + WorldTides.
A curated photo + map walkthrough showing approach, mooring options, and points of interest.
A guided walkthrough of Bottleneck Inlet with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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Cruising-distance picks near this anchorage.
