Jones Island Marine State Park, Marine park in San Juan County, United States
Jones Island Marine State Park covers all 188 acres (76 ha) of Jones Island, one mile west of Orcas Island's southwestern corner and reachable only by boat. The island has no resident population; its terrain rises to about 31 metres and holds four miles of hiking trails, 24 primitive campsites, and a dock with two mooring buoys at North Cove.
The island was named in 1841 by the Wilkes Expedition for naval officer Jacob Jones. Washington State Parks later made the whole 188-acre island a state park, and it remains uninhabited, reachable only by boat.
The island's name comes from the Wilkes Expedition, which named it in 1841 for naval officer Jacob Jones. Today the park is a stop on the Cascadia Marine Trail, and two of its 24 campsites are reserved for non-motorized voyagers paddling that route.
Access is by personal watercraft only. North Cove has two mooring buoys available year-round and 128 linear feet of dock moorage; that dock is removed in October and reinstalled at the end of March. South-side anchorages require knowledge of tides, currents and bottom depth, and kayakers should watch for strong tidal exchanges and campsites booked by tours.
The island was named in 1841 by the Wilkes Expedition for naval officer Jacob Jones. Its black-tail deer are so used to visitors that they will eat from a hand, though feeding them is illegal.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,483 contributors worldwide.