New website details public beach access

Published 12:16 pm Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The state Department of Ecology unveiled a new feature on its Coastal Atlas website that will help anyone planning a day at the beach.

It provides directions, photos and details on where to access the beach legally. It shows real time information on whether a beach is closed for swimming and why. It tells whether campsites have bathrooms and picnic tables and if pets are welcome. It shows boat launch sites, hiking trails and much more. It even links to weather and tide information.

“The Atlas lists 172 public access beaches in San Juan County, including about 110 that are boat-in only,” said Joe Thoron, the communications director at the SeaDoc Society on Orcas Island. “Most of us living here don’t know about all these public lands. Hopefully this new web-based tool will help more people get out to the beach and onto the water, and that will motivate people to help save the Salish Sea.”

To visit the website, go here.