Driftwood Beach takes its name from the accumulations of weathered logs and wood fragments that characteristically collect along this shoreline on Blakely Island, a common naming pattern for Pacific Northwest beaches where strong currents and winter storms deposit substantial quantities of driftwood from logging operations, natural forest erosion, and river systems throughout the Salish Sea. Blakely Island itself honors Johnston Blakeley, a distinguished naval commander during the War of 1812, with the name bestowed by Charles Wilkes during his comprehensive surveying expedition of 1838-1842 that mapped and named hundreds of features throughout Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. The island's history reaches back thousands of years to seasonal Samish Tribal villages at Thatcher Bay on the east coast, where Native Samish people regularly camped and harvested the rich marine resources of these protected waters. When American settlers arrived in the late 1800s, they established the sawmill town of Thatcher near Spencer Lake, creating a mill community that thrived through the territorial period before declining in the 1950s when most of the island transferred to private ownership. The subsequent development of San Juan Aviation and Yachting Estates in the mid-1950s transformed Blakely into an exclusive private community featuring a runway, marina, and limited residential development, while Seattle Pacific University established a 967-acre biological field station that conducts important research on the island's diverse ecosystems and marine environments.
Driftwood Beach, like most of Blakely Island beyond the marina boundaries, remains private property with access strictly enforced, making it inaccessible to general visitors beyond those with specific permission from property owners or guests at the private community. The beach environment typical of Blakely Island features the pebbly shores and driftwood accumulations characteristic of San Juan Islands beaches, with the surrounding forests of Douglas fir, western red cedar, and Pacific madrone descending to the shoreline. Blakely Island Marina at the north end provides the only public access point to the island, offering essential amenities including a small convenience store stocking basic supplies and snacks, gas for boats, clean bathroom facilities, warm showers, laundry services, trash and recycling disposal, a restaurant serving meals, and a covered pavilion available for events. The welcoming family who own and operate the marina create a friendly atmosphere for boaters and kayakers who stop during their explorations of the San Juan Islands. Kayakers frequently use the marina as a waypoint when traveling between larger islands or when heading toward the Strait of Georgia and nearby Clark Island, taking advantage of the protected waters around Blakely to rest and resupply. Wildlife viewing opportunities around the island's accessible waters include harbor seals hauling out on rocks, bald eagles perching in shoreline trees, great blue herons fishing in shallow waters, and occasional orcas and humpback whales passing through nearby channels during their seasonal movements through the San Juan archipelago.
Dining options on Blakely Island remain extremely limited due to the island's private nature and small population, with the marina restaurant providing the primary food service for visiting boaters and the island's residents. The marina restaurant serves casual fare including burgers with various toppings, sandwiches made with deli meats and fresh vegetables, breakfast items for early-arriving boaters, hot dogs and other quick meals, and beverages including coffee, soft drinks, and bottled water. The marina's convenience store stocks snacks, ice cream, basic groceries, and supplies that allow boaters to provision for continued travels through the San Juan Islands. For more comprehensive dining options, visitors typically travel to nearby islands with fuller restaurant selections, with Orcas Island's Eastsound village offering establishments like Matia with Michelin-nominated tasting menus featuring local seafood, Houlme serving wood-fired pizzas and small plates, and The Madrona Bar & Grill providing waterfront casual dining. Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, accessible by boat from Blakely Island Marina, provides additional options including Friday's Crabhouse specializing in fresh Dungeness crab and local seafood, Downriggers offering Pacific Northwest cuisine with water views, and Duck Soup Inn presenting seasonal menus with applewood-smoked oysters and island-grown ingredients. Anacortes on Fidalgo Island, the mainland departure point for Washington State Ferries serving the San Juan Islands, offers the nearest extensive dining options for boaters and kayakers who have completed their island explorations and are returning to the mainland, with restaurants serving everything from fresh seafood to international cuisines that provide satisfying meals after days spent paddling and exploring the private and public beaches scattered throughout this remarkable archipelago.
