How do you get to shore at Lopez Village?
What you need to know is that there is a short stretch of public beach directly opposite the village. And, there is a public stairway running from the beach to the village.
That's the good part, the bad part is that anchoring the mother ship directly offshore subjects you to all the wake action of boats going to and from Fisherman Bay.
The solution is to anchor inside Fisherman Bay or take a slip at one of the marinas and run back outside in the dinghy.
The property on each side of this beach is private, but the stairs are public. There is one other access place that I will locate in a minute. What this means is that you may anchor your boat and then come ashore by dinghy right in the middle of Lopez Village. You won't have to walk from one of the resorts, almost a mile away in Fisherman Bay.
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The beach beyond this stairway in the background is private, but you may land your dinghy here and find yourself in the center of Lopez Village. It's only a hundred feet to the restrooms and free showers. The grocery store is a five-minute walk. |
This is a Google images snapshot of popular Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island. The red dot is located where the public stairs and beach are located.
You don't need to walk over a mile from Fisherman Bay to get groceries.
The village is adjacent to the stairs, so you can get ice cream and fudge with minimal effort. The grocery store is about a one-block walk. Btw, only fifty yards from the stairs is the public restroom with free hot showers. Suggested donation is $2, the water is really hot, and there is no timer that shuts off in the middle of your rinse, now how welcome is that?
If you have a navigation chart, you will find the stairs are almost directly opposite the red dolphin nav. aid in marking the submerged spit at the bay entrance. (This means you will drive your boat within a couple of hundred feet of the stairs, you can't miss them.)
The other beach access is south of the red dot (toward Fisherman Bay), about 1-2 blocks, it's a low-bank gravel parking lot with about fifty feet of frontage. There are no signs. The stretch between the two accesses is not a public beach. Be sure to drag your dinghy all the way up and tie it to the stairs. At the highest tides, the beach is pretty much gone.
I would like to inform you that the Beaches in between the two access points is PRIVATE. Each beach is the width of the respective parking area.
ReplyDeleteWe need to respect what anonymous has said. I relied on a long time local Realtor for my private versus public remarks, and apparently I got it wrong. I remember he had a fondness for ice cream, as do I, maybe we were day dreaming. Regardless, there is no need to walk down the beach when going to Lopez Village, just be sure to pull your boat ashore at the stairway and not in front of someones house.
ReplyDeleteThanks to anonymous!
John