Cutts Island Marine State Park is proof that good things come in small packages. One-half mile from Kopachuck State Park, this intriguing little island offers the perfect day at the beach. 

This park can only be reached by water, so canoeists, kayakers and stand up paddlers mingle on the sandy beach with boaters, divers and seals (the latter of which should be given a very wide berth). 

After your paddle, scuba dive or nap on the beach, head back to the mainland for a picnic dinner at forested Kopachuck State Park. Tie your boat to a mooring buoy and fall asleep to the sound of gentle waves and the occasional bark of a seal.

Cutts Island State Park

Kopachuck's sun-warmed beaches and creaky forest will take you right out of everyday life and into a fairytale.

Snug in the curve of Carr Inlet a half-hour from Tacoma, Kopachuck State Park is an easy jaunt from South Puget Sound and the Kitsap Peninsula, and a lovely stop on an outing to Gig Harbor.

Though the park offers 2 miles of shaded hiking trails, most of the action takes place on the beach, which is popular with families for wading. Boaters and paddlers can cruise the shoreline or make the half-mile trip to Cutts Island, a small clay butte with a stand of trees. At low tide, the island offers a teardrop-shaped beach.

This day-use park has more than 50 picnic tables, and its glorious sunsets go well with the shellfish harvesting and saltwater fishing available at the park.

Whether your carriage is the family car or a kayak, you will leave Kopachuck with glowing memories of your Puget Sound state park experience.

State Parks Tagged With: Gig Harbor