A classic San Juan Islands marine state park where a long sandspit and tidal lagoon offer mooring buoys and anchoring on either side, so you can tuck behind the spit out of whatever wind is blowing.
Spencer Spit sits on the northeast shore of Lopez Island, where a slender sandspit reaches out toward Frost Island and wraps around a shallow tidal lagoon. It is one of the most popular stops in the San Juans, with a low sandy beach, walk-in campsites, and a couple of miles of flat shoreline trails for stretching your legs after a day underway.
The park maintains eleven mooring buoys, eight on the north side of the spit and three on the south side, plus room to anchor off either side. The real appeal is that flexibility: when a northerly is forecast you tuck in south of the spit, and when the wind backs around you move to the north side. Holding is generally good in sand and gravel, though the south side carries eelgrass beds and softer mud lower in the intertidal, so set with care and check your set.
Frost Island stands close off to the east, giving the anchorage a sense of enclosure, but it is no fortress; the spit is low and the surrounding waters of Lopez Sound funnel breeze through, so this is a fair-weather hook rather than an all-weather refuge.
Approach notes, hazards to watch for, and what's available once you're tied up.
Approach from the north through Swifts Bay or up Lopez Sound from the south. Currents run through Lopez Sound and the channels around Frost and Flower Islands, so time your transit and watch your set on approach. The biggest hazard is the spit itself: it extends a long, shallow sand shoal underwater well beyond the visible beach toward Frost Island, so favor deeper water and do not cut close to the tip when rounding from one side to the other.
The anchorage is exposed and offers limited protection from prevailing winds; it is open to the east and northeast across Lopez Sound toward Rosario Strait, and seas can build with wind against current. Anchor in moderate depths and avoid the eelgrass beds on the south side both for holding and for habitat protection.
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 Spencer Spit 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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