By Leslee Jaquette
As we motor into the marina at Blake Island State Park, a bald eagle flies “thwumpa, thwumpa” across the bow of our hosts’ 39-foot powerboat. Oblivious to our arrival, a raccoon combs the nearby tide line as John and Candy Temple of Seattle secure the lines on Bigger Juan II.
The Temples’ 80-pound boxer, Tiger, is too well mannered to bark at the eagle or the raccoon. But the deer grazing at the top of the gangway sets Tiger to tremble. All the while, Puget Sound slowly recedes to a chorus of sand squeaks and clam burps. Saltwater and seaweed smells surround us with the potent scent of life.
According to the chart, Blake Island State Park is only eight miles from where the Temples moor their boat at Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle. Running at a leisurely 10 knots it has taken us slightly more than an hour to reach the 475-acre island. Named in 1841 after U.S. Coast Surveyor George Smith Blake during the Wilkes Expedition, the island sits near the entrance to Rich Passage, roughly two miles equidistant from the south end of Bainbridge Island, the north end of Vashon Island and Manchester on the Washington mainland.
The only state park of its kind south of the San Juan Islands, Blake Island has long been one of the region’s favorite getaways. It offers miles of hiking trails, beaches, camping, wildlife viewing and picnicking. This refuge provides everyone from kayakers to yacht owners as well as guests on board the Goodtime tour boats to Tillicum Village, the kind of profound natural experience we relish in the Northwest.
Close and undeveloped
“It’s such a unique gem because there are no other undeveloped islands accessible to the boating public in Puget Sound,” says State Park Manager Pete Wood. “Here, we can be in the middle of a deep dark forest and look out at the Seattle skyline and say, ‘This is what is was like in prehistory.’”
During the summer months, the marina’s 1,500-feet of dock space will host up to 60 boats a night that range in length from runabouts to 50-foot yachts. “It’s so wild that people bring lawn chairs to watch the new boaters land,” observes Paul Rupert, head ranger, Blake Island State Park.”
“Visitors love Blake Island because it feels remote, even though it is only an hour away from Seattle, Tacoma or Bremerton,” adds Rupert, who notes that lots of boating clubs use the marina as a gathering place. “Also, boaters love the exclusivity. Most of the other marine parks in Puget Sound are contiguous to land.”
Blake Island State Park Information
By Leslee Jaquette
Moorage and camping at the 55 campsites are available on a first come, first-served basis. Throughout the year, boaters can moor for free at the docks, floats and buoys from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. After that, they are asked to pay 50 cents a foot or a minimum of $10.
During the summer, boaters have access to about 45 mooring buoys as well as linear moorage that can accommodate another six boats. The moorage buoy fee is $10 a night and annual moorage permits can be purchased at a rate of $3.50 per foot, with a minimum of $50. For picnic shelter reservations call: (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.
Besides private vessel, individuals can access Blake Island Marina and Tillicum Village Longhouse on the Goodtime II from Seattle’s Pier 55. The four-hour tour includes the cruise, Northwest Indian-style salmon bake and stage show. Guests also enjoy about 45-minutes free time to walk the Interpretive Nature Trail adjacent to the longhouse or stroll by the marina to the beach. Visiting boaters and campers are always encouraged to sign up for dinner and/or the show.
Under the aegis of Tillicum’s Blake Island Adventure, the Goodtime II also transports individuals and their camping gear to and from the island. Operating on a separate fee schedule, the tour vessel offers an easy and cost-effective way for non-boaters to access the island for day-use or camping.
Blake Island State Park Features:
1,500 feet of moorage & 45-50 mooring buoys and a linear moorage system are available for overnight boaters.
There are no marina reservations.
During the summer, be prepared to use a mooring buoy or raft up.
Look for Marina Host volunteers to help you dock and answer your questions.
Moorage fees are charged year round for mooring at docks, floats and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m.:
Daily moorage fee is 50 cents per foot, with a minimum of $10.
Annual moorage permit fee is $3.50 per foot, with a minimum of $50.
For more information, call Blake Island State Park (360) 731-8330 or Washington State Parks (360) 902-8844
Blake Island Historical Timeline
1780’s Legend says Chief Seattle was born here.
Capt. George Vancouver noted “a small round island” in his journal.
Lt. Charles Wilkes named Blake Island in honor of George Smith Blake who was head of the U.S. Coast Survey.
Mid-1800’s Island was owned & logged by G.A. Meigs and W.P. Sayward, who operated a sawmill at Port Madison on Bainbridge Island.
1900 or so William Pitt Trimble purchased Blake Island.
1917 – 1923 – The Trimble family including William and wife, Cassandra “Cannie,” and their five children lived on the island continuously.
Tragedy struck! Cannie Trimble drowned in a freak accident when the family automobile plunged off the King Street Pier into Elliott Bay. The family never went back to the island to live and the estate was abandoned.
Washington State acquired the island and set it aside for a park.
Bill Hewitt built Tillicum Village and a 324-foot public pier with a 180-foot float.
1993 President Bill Clinton and other dignitaries attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference (APEC) on Blake Island.
Every year Around 100,000 people visit Tillicum Village
Information:
Blake Island State Park
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Blake%20Island
