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Odlin Park float on Lopez Island at high tide holds one big or two little boats
This is one of those really handy but easily overlooked places you may be driving by. San Juan County Parks allow two-hour tie-ups but I have left my dinghy all day, tucked in out of the way while bicycling the island or running to Lopez Village.
You can anchor as close as you want and stay as long as you want. If you are really a rule stickler, simply drag the dinghy up above high water. The park bathrooms, fire pits, and parking lot are just a 200 foot walk away. If you bring your bike like me you can ride into Lopez Village, it's only about 2 1/2 miles.
Since all of Odlin Park is totally exposed to wakes from Upright Channel, anchoring is always very rolly polly and boats at the dock get smacked around too. You can use one of four park buoys for a small fee and still flop around. Other than that, Odlin is a great place to expand your horizons.
I don't think bicycles and dinghy's work well together, what do you think?
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Since parks aren't marked on charts, this snapshot may help you find Odlin Park.
Update: We have dropped the kids here again (Odlin Park). This time they had reservations for a campsite (smart idea). They left their car at Washington Park in Anacortes, and came by bicycle on the ferry to Orcas.
I know that may seem confusing since Odlin Park is on Lopez.
So here is the quick low down.
We started at Squalicum Harbor - Bellingham and anchored at Jones Island.
Two days later we picked them (our adult children) up at the county dock in Eastsound (Orcas) Went back to Jones where they camped on shore.
The next day we ran over to Stuart and rode bikes to the lighthouse, then came back and camped at Jones again. The next day we dropped them at the county dock at Odlin Park on Lopez, and we took a slip at Friday Harbor.
Two days later, we picked them up off the beach at Odlin Park (bikes in dinghies), had an ice cream break at Blakely's, and then hiked Eagle Bluff on Cypress.
We tried to camp at Cypress Head, but because of wind ended up anchored for a calm night at Saddlebag Island Park where they slept on shore again.
On the kids last day we dropped them and their bikes at the dock at nearby Washington Park where their car was parked. We then ran back to Bellingham and slept at the dock in Squalicum Harbor.
If you have read this far, you should see that mixing ferries, foot passengers, bicycles,
and camping on shore, can all come together for a custom outing in the San Juan's.
Did I mention the visit to the brewery in Eastsound?
If Lopez Village is on your bucket list (free showers) try this link. How to land your dinghy at Lopez Village
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Click below for a satellite view of the Odlin Park dock