A horseshoe of sandstone islands eroded into honeycomb and mushroom shapes, with fossils in the cliffs, madrona trees leaning…A horseshoe of sandstone islands eroded into honeycomb and mushroom shapes, with fossils in the cliffs, madrona trees leaning over the water, and a dozen separate anchorages inside a mile of each other. Bald eagles nest here and orca pass through the strait outside. Smugglers used these bays to run wool, opium and people into Washington in the nineteenth century, which is roughly what the Spanish name warns of. The island was quarried for sandstone, then bought by a local yacht club association and given to the state in 1960, which is why it is a park and not a subdivision. Anchorage: Echo Bay is the big one, 6-12m over sand with room for a fleet and buoys inshore. Fossil and Shallow are prettier and tighter, and Snoring Bay is one boat wide. Choose by wind and go round the corner if it shifts. Hazards: Tidal streams run hard in the passes around the island and Rosario Strait outside can get ugly against a spring ebb. Rock at the entrances to some bays, so read the chart. Plus