Probably the most remote campsite on the Cascadia Marine Trail, Point Doughty is well worth the effort necessary to get there. The small bay to the southwest of the point is too shallow for most power boats, often resulting in a peaceful solitude becoming ever more difficult to find in the San Juans.
Location: At the northwest corner of Orcas Island
Hazards: Rock and sand shoals of the point create significant rips
Sites: 1
Water: None
Sanitation: Vault toilets
Overflow: None
Fires: Fire rings available
Extras: Picnic tables
Fees: Free
Special Considerations: Located within a Natural Area Preserve. The forest is closed to the public. Nearby YMCA Camp Orkila often uses the site for environmental education.
Natural History: The adjacent Natural Area Preserve protects a natural forest community dominated by douglas-fir and ocean spray, representing the "rain shadow" vegetation which occurs in the San Juan Islands. Bald eagles feed and nest on the preserve, and seals haul out on the rocky shoreline. As the Preserve is off-limits for hiking, be sure to bring binoculars to enjoy the wildlife and remember to scan the water for a glimpse of whales, porpoises, or scuba divers.
Max People:
Max Nights:
Reservations: No
Latitude: 48.711366
Longitude: -122.949433
One thought on “Point Doughty”
Three of us camped at Point Doughty on the night of August 3, 2024. I was a bit concerned about the site after reading reviews on various sites that the stairs were missing or in bad repair. (Most recent reviews I could find were almost a decade old.). It turns out that it is a beautiful site. Some infrastructure money came from somewhere – the stairs have been totally replaced, new signs welcoming people and describing the history of the place are present, and a top-notch-looking composting toilet is almost finished. I counted four campsites – picnic tables with a fire ring and associated flat spots for tents. At high tide, it is all a beautiful beach. At low tide, there are large rocks – but head all the way to the east and there is a channel wide enough for one kayak to land or launch at a time to land. This seems like a frequent location for locals – some came to watch sunset, and we saw two sets of paddlers in “tours” from the nearby airport/harbor.