Hunter Bay County Dock is one of the best kept secrets on Lopez Island. If you are looking for a…read morerelatively private beach, or a place to launch your boat, this place is a must visit! The graded concrete ramp is in good shape, and easily accessible. Hunter Bay is well-sheltered by tall cliffs to the south, so the water is relatively calm. The beach and surrounding environs make for a truly gorgeous setting. The beach is next to the ramp and dock, and there's plenty of soft, pebbled sand. It's a great place to sit on a driftwood log and listen to the birds sing. I spent an hour at this beach and never encountered a single person. That says a lot for Lopez Island in July, the busiest month of the year. Visitors will find parking on a hill just above the dock, with designated spots for cars and boat trailers. Boat trailer parking is limited to 72 hours, which is pretty impressive given there's no charge for parking in this space. Please be respectful and quiet when parking in the vicinity of the dock, it's a residential setting with neighboring vacation rentals and primary residences. Dogs are allowed on leash, but warnings indicate pets running free are subject to confiscation due to local livestock. I brought my dog and didn't feel she was in any danger - but I kept tabs on her the entire time I was there. I highly suggest checking out this lovely and serene beach when you visit Lopez Island next.

Watmough Bay Preserve surrounds the beautiful Watmough Bay which is a National Monument. The bay…read moreand the preserve share the same pull-off from Watmough Head Rd and the same parking lot. The trail system around and bordering the sides of the Bay are part of the Bay Preserve. I have been to this Preserve a few times, both on my own and with family. When I went most recently, on the 29th of April 2020 I hiked farther than I had before south-east wards along the trail system away from the bay. The trails are well maintained and the views stunning. Trees are tall and there is a variety of flowers and mosses interspersed in the area as well. Looking at the map provided on the San Juan County Land Bank's website I didn't realize just how beautiful the trail and views would be. One of those things you need to come in person to take in fully. I guess what I am trying to say is that I spent two hours on the trail system and only covered about a third of the entire trail system. Mind you, I was stopping frequently to take pictures and look at the different plants and wildlife and views. When I arrived at the preserve/bay parking lot I was the only car there and there were no boats in the bay. At the time I departed there were three other cars in the parking lot and a sailboat in the bay. What to know before you go? Mosquitos. When I was hiking southwards from the bay I reached a portion of the trail past the sign laying out the hunting and non-hunting regions in the Preserve area that had many mosquitos. If mosquitos don't love your blood and they don't bother you then this isn't a big deal. However, mosquitos love my blood and I didn't come with insect repellent, nor was I covered head-to-toe. The mosquitos ended up being the reason I turned around when I did, so I'd recommend insect repellent. Also, the restroom was temporarily not open due to COVID-19 during my most recent visit. An enjoyable and beautiful place to visit on Lopez Island, I would recommend a half-day or whole-day dedicated just to the Watmough Bay Preserve and Watmough Bay to explore. My two hours were not nearly enough time in my opinion. Watmough Bay is especially lovely on a clear or partially cloudy day where you can see the mountains in the distance with ducks swimming in the foreground. When the tide is out, there is lots to explore on the shore.

I love all of the parks and beautiful beaches that can found in the San Juan Islands. Be sure to…read moreinspect your maps, and don't forget to look in residential neighborhoods because that is where you will find some of the best spots! Otis Perkins Day Park sits on a slender spit, in between several residential neighborhoods. There's plenty of space to pull off the road to park on the curb, but you'll also find several gravel areas along the spit to park as well. Be sure to allow plenty of time for beachcombing, I found a lot of treasures on this long stretch of beach. And there is so much beautiful driftwood lining the beach. It makes for a lovely spot to sit and listen to the waves. I've been to this location twice, and never encountered anyone else during either of those visits. Be sure to follow the rules about visitation hours, and park responsibly. Lopez Island is a small island, but there are many beautiful sights to see. Enjoy!

Nearly a mile long, Otis Perkins Day Park is a popular spot on Lopez Island to picnic and…read morebeachcomb. The park sits along the slender spit that borders the west side of Fisherman Bay and looks out on the San Juan Channel and the shoreline of nearby San Juan Island. Fantastic spot to relax, walk along the beach, birdwatch, look at the sunset. Lopez Island's annual Fourth of July fireworks is set off along the park's shoreline. This public park and the nearby Tombolo Preserve are an area of Lopez Island not to miss.

Watmough Bay is located within the larger Watmough Bay Preserve. The Bay itself is a national…read moremonument thru the U.S. Department of the Interior while the Watmough Bay Preserve is run through the San Juan County Land Bank. Watmough Bay is also called the San Juan Islands National Monument. The view of the Cascade mountains and the Bay itself are beautiful. There is a small parking lot off a short drive from Watmough Head Rd with a number of parking spaces. The Bay and the Preserve share a parking lot and trailhead. A short trail takes you to the Bay and the beach. The Cascade mountains are visible straight-out from the beach. Depending on the time of year you go, they might even be snow-capped! The rocks on the beach are beautiful to look at (no taking/collecting though!) and the water crystal clear. The driftwood makes for a nice seat if watching the ducks swimming in the water. Occasionally one would dive down beneath the surface of the water, and it was fun waiting and watching to see where they would pop up again. The rocky cliffs forming the sides of the Bay were also beautiful. A great place to go and clear one's mind and take in the beauty of the San Juan Islands and the Pacific Northwest.

Love everything about this place! My friends and I found a place to sit and chill by the water…read more We watched people on their paddle boards and boats, so peaceful. There's a trail nearby that goes up, takes you through trees, and when you get to the top, breathtaking views!

We went on the Orcas Only tour in the 3 oclock time slot. The process to check in was smooth and…read moreeasy. A thing to note: parking right by their building is about $13. I believe there was street parking farther away, but we didn't look. TJ and Sophia were great hosts to us. Sophia was very knowledgeable and so willing to answer any questions we had. On the tour, we saw a grey whale from a ways a way. Orcas were being scarce today but we traveled near Seattle and pungent sound. They really went the extra mile to make sure we were able to see orcas as this was not close by. The pod had a NEW BABY! Such an exciting experience. Not only that, they were also having fun socializing and slapping their tails. Then we saw some glorious breaching. It was honestly such a great experience. We were in awe!

I've only experienced them through assistance through the booking process. Called and spoke with…read moreEthan twice cause I needed help. He was so hospitable! Can't thank him enough! If the rest of my experience is compared to how Ethan took care of us, I know we're going to have the best time!

I've been to Lopez Island twice now, and thoroughly enjoyed it both times! The island lifestyle is…read moreso laid back. No one is in a hurry, everyone is friendly. There is so much natural beauty. I drove past the senior center and they do tennis on Saturdays. I can picture myself retired on Lopez Island playing tennis and hiking some of the trails that offer spectacular views!

Well, what a difference! We went from being stared at on Orcas Island, to having everyone wave at…read moreus, which they do do here, so get used to it. They smile often too. The road coming up off the wharf is wide. People drive slower here than the other place, I guess because they're enjoying it all, and want to soak up as much as possible. The hills are minimal, and the traffic is friendly, so biking around here is popular. We legged it about 8km to the main village. (5 miles - you people are supposed to go metric already, ref the Treaty of the Meter 1875, the USA Metric Conversion Act of 1975, and the current NIST metric program to attempt conversion). We saw the sea - a public park: campground no less, with free public facilities. Lots of beautiful properties, several Earth flags - heartening to see. It was a pleasure to walk. Then we got to the Bay Cafe - a highlight of the trip, see next review. Lopez has more appeal than J Lo's arse.

Did a whale watching trip with Gabe and Elliot and it was incredible! The boat is just the right…read moresize (wouldn't want to be in one of those tiny Zodiac boats or one of the giant boats with 50 other people!!) and both Gabe and Elliot were so knowledgeable about the whales and other sea life that we saw. I was very impressed and will definitely book again!

I'm extremely disappointed with how my situation was handled recently. Due to a family illness, I…read morehad to cancel my whale watching trip and provided what I believed was plenty of notice. Despite that, they refused to issue a full refund. When I booked, I expected a reasonable level of customer service and flexibility, especially for something as unpredictable as getting sick. Instead, I was met with rigid policy. It felt like they cared more about keeping my money than doing right by a customer who couldn't safely attend. I understand that businesses have cancellation policies, but there should be some level of compassion and common sense--especially when someone gives advance notice and isn't canceling last minute. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression. I would hesitate to book with them again and recommend others read the fine print very carefully before committing... because even with advance notice, you will not get a full refund if you need to cancel.

I love that Lopez Island requires public beach access so there's never a monopoly on prime…read morewaterfront in the area. What results is a 25 feet wide strip of public access in between multi-million dollar properties. While I'm sure the folks who are paying local property taxes hate this level of access being granted to the general public, I'm ALL for it! Lopez Village offers a very narrow strip of beach at the bottom of two flights of stairs just off the main street. You'll find several parking spots right at the top of the stairs, but visitors are also able to walk to the beach from practically any location in the village. It's a very small, but charming town. There are lots of rocks and large pieces of driftwood to sit on, however you won't find much shelter in terms of tree cover or cast shadow. All in all, the beach makes nice addition to a stroll through the village.