Hope Island Marine State Park in Mason County is a quiet, peaceful island only accessible by boat. This island is a Puget Sound oasis filled with Doulgas-fir, hemlock, alder, and cedar trees. Shellfish harvesting is popular here in season, although you’ll have to compete with the bald eagles and great blue herons that swoop down for a tasty shellfish lunch. You may also decide to enjoy the loop trail around the island, or even fall asleep to the gentle lap of waves in one of the primitive campsites.
In the century before Hope Island became a state park, the island was owned by a couple different families who lived and vacationed on the island and cultivated an orchard. The fruit and nut trees of this historic orchard still stand today, making a great shady place for a picnic. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission purchased the island using a Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program grant in the 1990s, in part because this island was one of the only remaining undeveloped islands in the Puget Sound.
