The name Sucia comes from an early Spanish explorer who in 1791 declared the island “dirty” and named it Isla Sucia (literally: “Dirty Island”). I have no idea why – it’s one of the cleanest and prettiest places I’ve seen in a long time.

After my kayaking misadventure returning from James Island, I changed my plans for visiting Sucia Island and booked a day trip to Sucia by water taxi. The excellent Sucia Island Ferry by Orcas Enchanted brought me to the island and also rented an e-bike for me to use during the day.

That combination made it possible for me to see most of the island in one day. There are several miles of service roads on the island, which are also accessible for e-bikes. Those run through, shall we say, the more mundane parts of the island. From there, I could set out on foot on the smaller trails (not really viable for bikes) and focus my time on the more interesting and scenic parts.

Here we are, departing Eastsound en route to Sucia:

The island has many miles of hiking trails, which I had largely to myself.

On the north side of Shallow Bay, I found the so-called China Caves, which were used by smugglers in the Prohibition era to hide their then-illegal items if they were being pursued by authorities.

The state parks site refers to this island as a “boaters’ haven” and it’s so true. There are several coves that provide shelter from the open ocean and each one of them was occupied by numerous boats of all forms.

This tree has stories to tell!

I totally got photo-bombed here, and I kind of love it:

(That, by the way, is a view of Mount Constitution from Moran State Park, which I had visited two days prior, as seen from the south beach of Sucia Island.)

For more information:

• State Parks web site
• Orcas Enchanted