About Us

San Juan Wilderness

In October of 1976 the San Juan Wilderness was established, which added the purposes of the Wilderness Act (Sept. 3, 1964) including “. . . to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness” to all units of the refuge except for Smith, Minor, Turn, Jones Islands, and a small portion of Matia Island.

Note: Bold language is from the original establishing legislation.

The San Juan Wilderness designation includes 80 of the 83 units of the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge. These wilderness islands total 353 acres and include:Aleck Rocks, Bare Island, Barren Island, Battleship Island, Bird Rock, Black Rock, Boulder Island, Brown Rock, Buck Island, Castle Island, Center Reef, Clements Reef, Colville Island, Crab Island, Davidson Rock, Eliza Rock, Flattop Island, Flower Island, Fortress Island, Four Bird Rocks, Gull Reef, Gull Rock, Half Tide Rock, Hall Island, Harbor Rock, Lawson Rock, Little Sister Island, two named Low Island, Matia Island (with the exception of the five acres camping area managed by the Washington State Parks), Mouatt Reef, Mummy Rocks, Nob Island, North Pacific Rock, North Peapod Rocks, Parker Reef, Peapod Rocks, Pointer Island, Puffin Island, Rim and Rum Islands, Ripple Island, Secar Rock, Sentinel Island, Shag Rock, Shark Reef, Skipjack Island, Skull Island, Small Island, South Peapod Rocks, Swirl Island, The Sisters, Three Williamson Rocks, Tift Rocks, Turn Rock, Viti Rocks, White Rocks, and Willow Island, along with various unnamed rocks, reefs, and islands.

For more information about San Juan Wilderness, visit wilderness.net

Jones Island

In 1982 Jones Island was removed from the San Juan Islands NWR and transferred to the State of Washington for use as a public recreation area.

Aids To Navigation

Under executive orders since the mid to late 1800s, and in the Refuge's establishing documents, it was stated that some islands which are now units of the San Juan Islands NWR retain “lighthouse purposes.” These “lighthouse purposes” today translate into a variety of navigation aids which are maintained under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard.

San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Satellite View of the Olympic Peninsula, San Juan Islands NWR Highlighted
Image Details

 Rocks, Reefs, and Islands in the San Juan Islands NWR 

Our Mission

The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System is to administer a national network of lands and waters for the conservation, management and, where appropriate, restoration of the fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats within the United States for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Other Facilities in this Complex

Satellite View of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington Maritime NWRC Highlighted
Image Details
  • Dungeness NWR
  • Protection Island NWR
  • Copalis NWR
  • Flattery Rocks NWR
  • Quillayute Needles NWR
Dungeness Spit Aerial View
Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
A Haven for Wildlife — Dungeness, one of the world’s longest sand spits, shelters a bay rich in marine life. Eelgrass beds attract brant, shorebirds feed on the tideflats, and ducks find sanctuary in the calm waters. Recognizing the importance of the fertile habitats, President Woodrow Wilson...
National Wildlife Refuge
Aerial view of Protection Island NWR with Mt. Baker in the distance
Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge
An Island Paradise — in breeding season each cranny of Protection Island harbors hopeful parents and their clutch of eggs. From rhinoceros auklets in the bluff to eagles on the treetops, the Island bursts with new life. Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge provides some of the last...
National Wildlife Refuge
Common Murre Chick Standing Between Two Adults
Copalis National Wildlife Refuge
Pummeled by surf and whittled by wind, Copalis shelters over a million migrating birds each year, providing important resting and feeding sites as the birds journey along the Pacific coast. The edge of the sea is a strange and wonderful place. - Rachel Carson
National Wildlife Refuge
Point of Arches at Sunset
Flattery Rocks National Wildlife Refuge
Scraps of land strewn at the edge of the continent, Flattery Rocks is home to a teeming diversity of life. Puffins nest in crags, while elephant seals rest on rocks, and sea otters dine off-shore. Along with Quillayute Needles and Copalis, Flattery Rocks was set aside by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907...
National Wildlife Refuge
Jagged Island
Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge
Life is tenacious on remote Quillayute Needles. Thirteen species of seabirds choose to nest and raise their young on these windswept islets, finding clever ways to adapt to the demanding habitat. Along with Flattery Rocks and Copalis, Quillayute Needles was set aside by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907...
National Wildlife Refuge