Patos Island

For the island in Venezuela, see Patos Island (Venezuela).

Patos Island Marine State Park
Aerial view of Patos Island
Map showing the location of Patos Island Marine State Park
Map showing the location of Patos Island Marine State Park
Location in the state of Washington
Map showing the location of Patos Island Marine State Park
Map showing the location of Patos Island Marine State Park
Patos Island (the United States)
LocationSan Juan County, Washington, United States
Coordinates48°47′04″N 122°57′16″W / 48.78444°N 122.95444°W / 48.78444; -122.95444[1]
Area207 acres (84 ha)
Elevation102 ft (31 m)[1]
DesignationWashington marine state park
Established1974
AdministratorBureau of Land Management, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
WebsitePatos Island Marine State Park
Patos Island Light Station

Patos Island is a small island in the San Juan Islands of the U.S. state of Washington. Since 1893, it has been home to the Patos Island Lighthouse, guiding vessels through Boundary Pass between Canada and the United States. The name comes from the Spanish pato, meaning "duck," which was given to the island in 1792 by Commander Dionisio Alcalá Galiano of the Sutil and Captain Cayetano Valdés y Flores of the Mexicana.[2]

The island and adjacent islets comprise Patos Island State Park, a 207-acre (0.84 km2) marine park with 20,000 feet (6,100 m) of saltwater shoreline. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission began operating Patos Island as a state park under a lease agreement with the Bureau of Land Management in 1974.[3] The entire island is owned by the federal government and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management's Wenatchee Office. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission operates a small campground facility at Active Cove near the west side of the island, maintains a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) loop trail, and has two offshore mooring buoys.[3][4]

The entire island, including the lighthouse, is part of the San Juan Islands National Monument, created in 2013.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b "Patos Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-95158-3.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference wasp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference blm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference blm2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference blm3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).