A 475-acre, boat-only Washington state park just a few miles off Seattle, Blake Island combines easy anchoring and 24 mooring buoys with the cedar longhouse of Tillicum Village, making it one of central Puget Sound's most popular weekend destinations.
Blake Island Marine State Park is reachable only by boat, which keeps it surprisingly wild despite sitting in plain view of the Seattle skyline. The park offers about 1,500 feet of moorage dock, 24 mooring buoys grouped near the campgrounds, and plenty of room to drop the hook off the island's shores. Moorage is first-come, first-served and fills fast on summer weekends.
Most cruisers prefer to anchor rather than fight for a buoy, and the bottom here has a reputation for being very sticky, so holding is good. The west side is the favored spot for a quiet night away from the marina, while the east side catches wakes from passing ship traffic and can be rolly.
On shore, Tillicum Village's cedar longhouse hosts salmon dinners and Coast Salish cultural performances, with tour boats arriving from Seattle and briefly turning the quiet cove busy. Miles of trails, beaches, campsites, and frequent deer sightings round out the park.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
Blake Island lies between Yukon Harbor and Rich Passage, and there can be a brisk current in Rich Passage and around the northeast end of the island; boats crossing toward the NE end should swing wide of the stronger current. The south side also runs some current, occasionally strong enough to pull mooring buoys partly underwater.
The marina and dock are on the east/northeast side, and the channel into the marina runs between buoys 1 and 2, with shoals on each side that must be given a wide berth on entry. The east shore is open to wakes from commercial ship traffic in the main shipping lanes. Anchor depths off the shelving shores are moderate, roughly 15-35 feet at typical anchoring distance, deepening quickly offshore.
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Source: OpenWeather One Call API + WorldTides.
A curated photo + map walkthrough showing approach, mooring options, and points of interest.
A guided walkthrough of Blake Island with approach photos, depth notes, and points of interest — written by members who have been here recently.
Member-uploaded images of this anchorage.
Real first-hand reports and questions answered by members who have actually been here.
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