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HARVEST PROFILE: The best clam harvesting on McMicken Island State Park is on the west side of the island near the base of the sand spit that connects McMicken Island to Harstine Island. There are good numbers of native littleneck clams in this area as well as some Manila clams, butter clams and horse clams. A good nearby harvest alternative to McMicken Island State Park is DNR-24 which is located about 0.4 miles north of the Harstine Island end of the sand spit from McMicken Island.
DIRECTIONS TO SITE: McMicken Island State Park is located in south Puget Sound on the east side of Harstine Island (click here for photo). It is known primarily as a boat access beach, but it can be accessed at low tide via the land bridge (spit) that connects the island to Harstine Island. See DNR-24 for land access. Nearest boat ramps: Harstine Ramp (Latimer's Landing), located about 10 miles north of Shelton via Pickering Road, is about 10 miles by boat to McMicken Island. Fair Harbor Marina ramp (Grapeview Ramp), located about 4 miles south of Allyn on Grapeview Loop road, is about 6.5 miles by boat from McMicken Island.
FACILITIES: There are pit toilets and moorage buoys at McMicken Island State Park, but no other facilities are present.
FUN FACTS:
A surveyor employed by the US government reportedly named McMicken
Island after himself. The State of Washington purchased McMicken Island in
1974 for $133,000. Harstine Island -- often but incorrectly spelled
Hartstene, Harstene, and Hartstine -- was named for Lieutenant Henry J.
Harstine, a member of the Wilkes Expedition. Other islands in southern Puget
Sound named for members of the Wilkes Expedition include Maury Island and
Stretch Island (after the gunners mate Samuel Stretch).
DNR-24 and McMicken Island
Click here for aerial photos of the beach and surrounding area.
(Note: beach boundaries not shown)
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Please check the Fishing and Shellfishing Regulations for latest information on closures or emergency updates.