Hood Canal
★ Featured Anchorage
Pleasant Harbor — Hood Canal
Holding: Excellent
Shelter: Excellent
10 mooring buoys
Shore access
Anchorage Pacific Northwest
About This Anchorage
Pleasant Harbor is one of Hood Canal's premier anchorages — a near-circular basin punched into the western shoreline that functions like a natural bowl, cutting wind and swell from every direction. Washington State Parks maintains mooring buoys inside the harbor, and Pleasant Harbor Marina at the entrance offers fuel, guest moorage, and the only services within a dozen miles. Oysters, clams, and Dungeness crab thrive in Hood Canal's cold, clean waters.
Highlights
- Outstanding shelter in the circular harbor basin
- Hood Canal's famous shellfish — oysters, clams, shrimp in season
- Olympic Mountain views from the anchorage
- Pleasant Harbor Marina nearby for fuel and provisions
- Warm summer water temperatures for swimming — Hood Canal warms early
Cautions & Notes
- Check WDFW shellfish harvest status before harvesting
- Hood Canal Bridge (SR-104) adds current to north end of canal
- Low oxygen events (hypoxia) can occur in summer — watch for fish kills
- Marina entrance bar — enter near high water with a deep-draft vessel