Harnden Island

Editorial profile. This island is not our listing. It is profiled from public record. Figures and status reflect the sources below at time of writing and may have changed. Sources: public listings.

Summary

Harnden Island is a compact 1.9-acre freehold island in Washington's San Juans, just off Orcas Island and bordering the Sucia Island Marine State Park at Fossil Bay. It carries a simple A-frame cabin and is pitched for recreational, off-grid use. We flag it as a quiet listing: reported prices have ranged widely and one record shows it sold, so current availability needs confirmation. It nonetheless represents the archetypal small San Juan island retreat in one of the Pacific Northwest's premier cruising grounds.

Land & Waterfront

Though under two acres, the island's position is its strength — perched near the marine state park with views over Fossil Bay to surrounding islands and mountains, in the sheltered, current-rich waters of the San Juans. The nearby Sucia Island Marine State Park guest dock extends the anchorage and boating amenity well beyond the island's own footprint. This is a boater's island, where the value lies in the cruising grounds and outlook rather than developable acreage.

Access & Utilities

Access is by boat, roughly 2.5 miles north of Orcas Island and about 16 miles west of Bellingham. The A-frame cabin is marketed for off-grid use, which implies self-contained power and water, though the specifics — solar, generator, well or cistern — are not confirmed in the listing and should be verified. As a small island in a heavily protected archipelago, San Juan County's strict shoreline and environmental rules bear directly on any change of use.

Ownership & Use

Tenure is freehold with no foreign-ownership restriction. The realistic use is a modest off-grid recreational cabin and boating base rather than an estate, given the small acreage and stringent local permitting. The overriding diligence issue is status: reported asking figures have spanned several hundred thousand dollars and at least one record marks it sold, so confirming whether it is genuinely available, and on what terms, is the essential first step before any deeper review.

Specification

Status	Quiet
Offering	For sale
Region	north-america · San Juan Islands, Washington, USA
Country	United States
Size	1.9 acres · 0.77 ha
Tenure	Freehold
Development	Developed
Type	Private island
Access	boat
Nearest airport	About 2.5 miles north of Orcas Island; 16 miles west of Bellingham
Power	off-grid (implied)
Water	not specified
Communications	mobile
Structures	A-frame cabin
Foreign ownership	Permitted (see notes)

Legal & Ownership Notes

United States imposes no foreign-ownership restriction; freehold title with San Juan County shoreline and environmental permitting, which is notably strict in the archipelago.