The exhilaration of beating through a wet and windy early spring storm was surprisingly fun. Then, the taste of a warm bowl of soup was made more delicious because we’d just set the anchor, shed our foulies, and turned on the heat in the salon below. And the cozy feeling of optimism when we’d bundle up in the cockpit with a hot cup of coffee on a calm, crisp morning made it feel that much more memorable. There’s something special waiting out there for those who venture onto the waters of the Pacific Northwest this time of year.

South Puget Sound is a great area for cruisers in any season, but doesn’t have the draw of north Puget Sound and the San Juans Islands. That’s really too bad. It’s home to scores of anchorages and many of Washington’s marine state parks. It also plays host to an abundance of wildlife, from migratory birds to seals to pods of Bigg’s killer whales.

In the offseason, when whatever crowds summer brought south are gone, the wind is more reliable, and the shorter days and cooler temps make nearby destinations that are often overlooked in the high season even more attractive. The chilly months are our favorite time to explore the myriad of islands, harbors, and coves south of Tacoma.

Most stops have easy access to shore so you can stretch your legs with a beach walk or a hike. And once south of Tacoma, there’s little shipping traffic, save for the occasional barge hauling logs to and from Olympia.

Best of all, once you’ve made it south of the Tacoma Narrows, most gunkholes are a pleasant sail (or motor) of only an hour or two from each other, making it easy to put together a cruising itinerary that can fit into a long weekend, a holiday break, or anytime weather windows are limited.

A quick note to newcomers venturing here: There are very few shops and restaurants within walking distance of cruising stops once south of the Narrows. That can be a plus or minus, depending on your outlook. Just be sure to provision ahead of time if you are coming from the north. Or, plan to include a stop in Olympia, where there are plenty of services within walking distance of the waterfront.

Another tip: If your boat is under 45 feet, consider picking up a Washington State Park annual moorage permit before heading south. While anchoring is possible in most places, all of the parks here have mooring buoys.

When we untie the dock lines for an offseason cruise, our itinerary planning begins with some of our favorite South Puget Sound cruising spots, listed from north to south. Maybe we’ll see you out there this winter!

Quartermaster Harbor

Located between Vashon and Maury Islands, Quartermaster Harbor technically is north of Tacoma. But it’s a great stop for boaters coming from the north who are looking for a peaceful anchorage with easy entry and great holding before sailing south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

We love to visit this harbor especially in the fall and spring. Come autumn, the foliage surrounding the anchorage turns a beautiful yellow and orange. And when storms roll through in the late winter and early spring, we can always find refuge here. While winds from the north sometimes sneak over the spit formed between the two islands, we can always find a protected spot tucked behind the Vashon hills.

We enjoy watching the rowers navigate the buoys in the nearby rowing course, and dropping our kayaks so we can paddle, too. When it’s time to get off the boat, nearby Dockton Park has facilities, a playground, and hiking trails.

Penrose Point State Park

On the east side of Key Peninsula is Penrose Point State Park, a 230-acre park with 2.5 miles of hiking and biking trails, picnic tables, and lots of shoreline to explore at low tide.

We usually tie up at one of the mooring buoys at the south side of the point. On a clear day, you’ll get a photo-worthy view of Mt. Rainier. On any day, you’ll find access to the trailhead hidden in the trees. A quick note: Portions of the trail are closed for restoration as of this writing.

Kayak or take your dinghy toward the point as the tide goes out, and you’ll find crabs scuttling across the bottom and buried clams spitting from the beach. We once found a sunflower star here, too.

Penrose is one of the bigger parks in the South Sound, and even during the busy summer, you can find some solitude. This time of year, though, you might get the whole place to yourself.

Eagle Island Marine State Park

Located between McNeil and Anderson islands, Eagle Island is a good stopover for boaters heading to points farther south and west. It has a tiny shoreline that is only accessible during low tide and no trails, but that’s OK with us. We always stop here for one reason only: to watch seals!

Eagle Island is a popular haul out for harbor seals, and a prime spot during seal pupping season. We incidentally visited for the first time during the pupping season and found the shoreline completely covered with the mottled gray, white, and black chunksters.

As evening approached, we sat in the cockpit and watched the seals splash, play, and fish. At night, we could hear them growling like zombies at each other. There are only two mooring buoys here, so coming in the offseason means you’re more likely to find one available.

McMicken Island Marine State Park

Just off the east coastline of Harstine Island in Carr Inlet is McMicken Island.

It’s a 200-acre, heavily wooded island with a 1-mile hiking trail, a picnic bench, and two vault toilets. There is no camping on the island and no services at all. A small portion of the island’s southside is still privately owned. Low tide reveals a tombolo that extends between McMicken and Harstine, allowing people to walk between the islands.

We love to drop the kayaks to explore the shallow water near the tombolo.

There are several well-placed mooring buoys, but if they are taken, there’s good anchoring on the north side of the island.

We found refuge here recently when winds from the south against an ebbing tide made for an uncomfortable sail south through Carr Inlet on our way back toward Olympia. In the lee of McMicken’s north side we found calm, protected waters in those conditions.

Jarrell Cove State Park

This lovely spot, on the northwest side of Harstine Island, has a private marina on one side, and the state marine park on the other side. It has one mile of hiking trails, a large campground with several campsites and picnic tables, a dock with electrical hookups, and a pumpout. During the summer, the fuel dock and the store nearby on shore are open.

We always opt for a buoy close to the entrance as it gets quite shallow the farther you go into the cove.

We love Jarrell Cove for its protected waters, which make kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and dinghy sailing a lot of fun. There are several little nooks and crannies around the cove to explore and because it gets so shallow, you can see the bottom easily in many places.

Jarrell Cove also offers a lot of places to explore on land. It has an amphitheater, horseshoe pits, and an area to play badminton (you will need to bring your own gear).

We recently enjoyed a fantastic sail from McMicken Island to Jarrell Cove, which is located on the other side of the northern tip of Harstine Island. We lucked out, too, when we rounded that corner and came across a pod of orcas.

Hope Island State Marine Park

Hope Island State Marine Park is located just south and west of Squaxin Island and at the entrance of Totten Inlet. Accessible only by boat, it is popular with kayakers who paddle in from Olympia, Harstine Island, and other communities in the South Sound.

The entire island is a state park, and has 2 miles of hiking trails among old growth trees, boasts multiple campgrounds, an interpretive trail, and an apple orchard that bears enough fruit to attract the deer and raccoons we often see when we visit.

Because of the wildlife that call Hope Island home, dogs are not allowed on the island.

We always grab a mooring buoy when we come here, though anchoring also is possible. The currents that rush in and out of nearby Totten Inlet can make kayaking and rowing a bit of a workout at times.

But Hope Island also gives us a mix of our favorite things about cruising: Time to play on water or explore on land; access to wildlife and gorgeous scenery; and opportunities to get away from the frenetic, attention-sucking energy of modern life.

The last time we visited Hope Island, I met a kayaker from Seattle who was visiting the island for the first time. “This place is amazing,” he told me. “I wonder why there aren’t more people down here,” he asked. I wonder that sometimes, too.

Key Cruising Amenities

• Quartermaster/Dockton Park

  • Mooring buoys
  • Dinghy dock
  • Restrooms
  • Playground
  • Hiking trails

• Eagle Island

  • Mooring buoys
  • Wildlife viewing

• Penrose Point State Park

  • Showers
  • Recycling and trash dropoff
  • Restrooms
  • Mooring buoys

• McMicken Island State Marine Park

  • Restrooms
  • Mooring buoys
  • Hiking trail

• Jarrell Cove State Park

  • Restrooms
  • Showers
  • Recycling and Trash
  • Dock for boat and dinghies
  • Mooring buoys
  • Pumpout

• Hope Island State Marine Park

  • Restrooms
  • Mooring buoys

Tamara Miller and her husband, Charlie, live, work, and cruise the Salish Sea on their Nauticat 39, Polaris. Miller writes about her family’s experiences on and off the water at www.fouleduplife.com.