Hood Canal is not technically a canal — it is a natural fjord that branches off Puget Sound at Admiralty Inlet and runs 60 miles south and west before ending at the Great Bend near Belfair. The Olympics flank the west; the Cascades are visible on clear days to the east. Among the more dramatic cruising grounds in the Pacific Northwest, and one that gets a fraction of the traffic the San Juans attract.
For the canonical Hood Canal treatment see the Hood Canal Cruising Guide. The working blog companion below.
Getting there
From Shilshole or Anacortes, enter Hood Canal through Admiralty Inlet — the same passage to Port Townsend. Turn south at Point Wilson (leaving the Port Townsend ferry traffic to starboard) and the boat is at the mouth of the Canal. The Hood Canal Floating Bridge at the north end is typically open to boat traffic; the bridge lifts on request, monitored on VHF 13. Sailboats with masts above the working 40-ft fixed clearance hail the bridge before approaching.
The oysters
This is what Hood Canal is famous with boaters. The Canal’s cold, clean water produces oysters considered among the working best in the country. Recreational harvest is permitted at most public tidelands from October 1 to May 31 (check WDFW regulations for current-year status — closures happen on short notice due to biotoxin testing). Standard limit: 18 dozen oysters per person per day. Required: a Washington State Shellfish License (available online for about $14).
The working best spots for recreational harvest are the public tidelands on the west shore of the Canal between Hoodsport and Potlatch. Anchor out, launch the dinghy at minus tide, harvest from the exposed flats. The oysters here are flat-shelled native Olympia oysters (smaller, nuttier) and Pacific oysters (larger, more common). Open immediately with an oyster knife, squeeze of lemon, cold beverage of choice. There is no working better meal in the Pacific Northwest.
Working anchorages
Quilcene Bay. Northern Canal, well-protected. The town of Quilcene has a boat launch and limited supplies. Anchor behind the spit in 15–20 ft.
Pleasant Harbor. Mid-canal, the working best naturally protected anchorage on the Canal. Small state park marina with limited transient slips. The crabbing here is exceptional.
Potlatch State Park. Mooring buoys and anchoring in good holding. Right in the heart of working oyster country.
Hoodsport. Small marina, fuel, and a town with supplies and the working chowder at the Hoodsport Cafe.
Great Bend / Belfair. The very end of the Canal is extremely shallow — consult charts carefully. Not suitable for boats drawing more than 4 ft at low water.
Currents and navigation notes
Hood Canal has predictable tidal exchange but it is not dramatically strong compared to Deception Pass or the San Juan channels. The current runs along the centreline of the Canal; hug the sides in narrow sections. The floating bridge opens routinely for sailboats — call on VHF 13 before approaching. See Tides & Currents for the working framework.
Working best time to cruise
Spring (April–June) and fall (September–October) are the working ideal. Summer draws freshwater runoff from Olympic snowmelt that can reduce salinity and affect shellfish timing. Fall gives the working finest weather windows, peak oyster season, and the absence of summer crowds.
Closing notes
Hood Canal is the cruise most PNW sailors skip in favour of the San Juans. The cruisers who do go discover what the working PNW under-radar season looks like: empty anchorages, full crab traps, and a working bucket of oysters at the dinghy’s high-water mark with a dozen lemons aboard.
For working boat owners based in Seattle, Hood Canal is closer than the San Juans, requires no customs paperwork, and produces a working different cruise — quieter, lower-key, and the oysters are part of the menu rather than a side trip.
The boat that has spent a working week in Hood Canal in October has done one of the better PNW cruises that does not appear on most travel-magazine itineraries.
Related: Hood Canal Cruising Guide · Cruising Puget Sound · Best Puget Sound Anchorages · South Puget Sound Cruising Guide · Tides & Currents