WDFW Beach Season Information
Clam, mussel, and oyster seasons OPEN for harvest year-round, ONLY north of the National Park Service dinghy dock to Bell Point (see below).
The area south of the dinghy dock is closed to all harvest year-round.
WDFW shellfish seasons indicate the specific times of year when harvesting is permitted. Before heading to the beach, please also check the Department of Health (DOH) information below which is related to health of the shellfish and may be updated daily. To harvest on this beach, it must be both during the WDFW approved season and approved by the DOH.
English Camp is located on the northwest side of San Juan Island along Garrison Bay. The tidelands south of the National Park Service dinghy dock are part of an archaeological site and remain closed to digging. Guss Island is also closed to digging. The tidelands to the north of the National Park Service dinghy dock to Bell Point feature 2,820 feet of shoreline that is open to harvesting. The tidelands can be accessed from several points along a park trail or by boat. The beach is primarily a gravel-mud substrate interspersed with rocky and muddy areas. There is good digging for native littleneck clams, butter clams, cockles, horse clams, and eastern softshell clams. Oysters are not common at this location.
From Friday Harbor, take Second Street and follow signs to English Camp, about 9 miles from Friday Harbor. This route will take you on Beaverton Valley Road to West Valley Road. From the parking area take the Bell Point trail to the beach.
There are pit toilets, hiking trails, interpretive signs, sites of historical interest, and a dinghy dock.