Satellite Island lies in Prevost Harbor on the north side of Stuart Island in the

San Juan Islands The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of ...

San Juan County, Washington San Juan County is a county located in the Salish Sea in the far northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 17,788. The county seat and only incorporated city is Friday Harbor, located on Sa ...

, United States. It has a land area of and no resident population as it is a private island owned by the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, which has five camping areas set up for its use. Two of the camps, Sunset Camp and Fellowship Camp, are used for overnight island trips by campers from

YMCA Camp Orkila Camp Orkila is on the northwest shoulder of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington, overlooking Presidents Channel, and the Canadian Gulf Islands. It has been in operation since 1906. It is operated by the Greater Seattle Area's YMC ...

and are located on the western half of the island. Islander Camp is located on the east side of the island, and is used primarily by the Islander Teen Expedition, a

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

trip which crosses into Canada's

Gulf Islands The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia. Etymology The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ma ...

. Mariner Camp is located on the east side of the island, near Islander Camp, and is used by the Mariner Teen Expedition, a

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cour ...

trip for teenagers. Satellite Island commemorates the ship (HMS ''Satellite'') captained by the British naval officer

James Charles Prevost James Charles Prevost (1810–1891) was an admiral in the British Empire, British Royal Navy. He was born in Bedhampton, Hampshire, England, the son of Rear-Admiral James Prevost and his first wife France née Haultain, and joined the navy in 1 ...

, who was stationed at

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

from 1857 to 1860.

References

Satellite Island: Block 4010, Census Tract 9603, San Juan County, Washington
United States Census Bureau San Juan Islands YMCA Private islands of Washington (state) Uninhabited islands of Washington (state) {{SanJuanCountyWA-geo-stub