Lopez Pass 2
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Lopez Pass runs south of Decatur Island, connecting Rosario Strait to Lopez Sound. It's narrow and doesn't see much traffic, though there's decent depth once inside the fairway — 9 to 12 fathoms.

Timing

NOAA runs a current-prediction station right at Lopez Pass, but no specific depth bin has a published forecast yet, so there's no current-speed number on this page. Go through on a moderate stage of the tide.

Coast Pilot, In Plain Words

Here is what the U.S. Coast Pilot says about Lopez Pass and the water around it. The official text is below.

Read the official text

Currents

Lopez Pass, south of Decatur Island, leads from Rosario Strait into Lopez Sound. The pass has depths of 9 to 12 fathoms but is very narrow and little used. A light is at the south end of Decatur Island.

Source: U.S. Coast Pilot 10, Chapter 7, 7 ed. (NOAA, Office of Coast Survey). Updated weekly. Official Coast Pilot ↗

Local Knowledge

  • Watch out

    Because it's narrow and lightly used, this isn't a pass to run with a relaxed lookout. A light marks the south end of Decatur Island at the approach.

  • Timing

    NOAA runs a current-prediction station right at Lopez Pass, but no specific depth bin has a published forecast yet, so there's no current-speed number on this page. Go through on a moderate stage of the tide.

Plan a Trip Through Lopez Pass

1. Start from

Nearest harbor on each side of the narrows. Pick a side to start there.

2. Cross to the other side of Lopez Pass

James Island Marine State Park → Lopez Pass · 2.7 nm · ~0h 20m at · from the northeast

Full departure plan →

Stations & Data

Times are NOAA predictions, not live readings. Open a station for its full tide and current charts.

Questions

What is Lopez Pass?
Lopez Pass runs south of Decatur Island, connecting Rosario Strait to Lopez Sound. It's narrow and doesn't see much traffic, though there's decent depth once inside the fairway — 9 to 12 fathoms.
When is the best time to go through Lopez Pass?
NOAA runs a current-prediction station right at Lopez Pass, but no specific depth bin has a published forecast yet, so there's no current-speed number on this page. Go through on a moderate stage of the tide.
What should I watch out for at Lopez Pass?
Because it's narrow and lightly used, this isn't a pass to run with a relaxed lookout. A light marks the south end of Decatur Island at the approach.
What does Class 2 mean?
Class 2 is BoatRoutes' own 1-to-5 rating of how costly a timing or judgment mistake is here — it is not a NOAA scale. Class 2 means one thing to plan around (depth, a schedule, or mild current); getting it wrong costs time, not safety.

Predictions, not observations · U.S. Coast Pilot 10 (7 ed.)

U.S. Coast Pilot text is a work of the U.S. Government and is in the public domain. Per 17 U.S.C. §403, no copyright is claimed in that text. BoatRoutes is not endorsed by NOAA.