Destination of the Week: San Juan Islands
Photo credit: San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau / Katie Jones / Dana Halferty / April Ryan.
This week, Daily Travel Source is spotlighting the gorgeous San Juan Islands. We caught up with Amy Nesler, Communications & Stewardship Manager, San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, to learn about the stunning islands in Washington and the outdoor adventures that travelers can enjoy!
The San Juan Islands look like an absolutely stunning place to visit! Are they both family friendly and a destination for couples? Yes!
A vacation in the San Juan Islands of Washington State will be an eye-opening experience. You won't find fast food, stoplights, or Jet Skis, you will find hidden forest paths, sweeping shorelines, and a mosaic of wildlife. A bald eagle surveying his dominion from the top of a snag, a sea lion basking on the rocks, and an orca draping a strand of kelp around her fluke. Stroll or race down a driftwood-strewn beach or perch atop a rocky bluff to gaze at the sunset as it lingers over the Salish Sea.
A family getaway to the Islands offers independent, uncrowded exploring with lots of short forays into nature that stimulates all the senses and inspires curiosity. Venture out into the stunningly beautiful parks and preserves and feel the magic unfold. The temperate climate may require only an extra waterproof layer stuffed in a backpack or around the waist while hiking through towering evergreens, the fresh scent of fir and cedar on the breeze. Trails run along exposed rocky bluffs, driftwood covered beaches, past historic lighthouses and stunning vistas of surrounding islands sprinkling the Salish Sea.
Romantic things to do on the Islands:
Overnight gourmet kayaking trips to marine state parks on the outer islands.
On Orcas Island, hot tub in an open-air, clothing-optional, hot tub built over a waterfall, then enjoy a garden-fresh (from their extensive organic garden) meal at Doe Bay Resort. Snuggle together overnight in a waterfront yurt.
Taste local wines overlooking the valley at San Juan Vineyard or an alfresco tasting in Madrone Cellars and Cider’s wine garden.
Bring a gourmet picnic to the west side of San Juan Island to watch for whales as the lingering summer sun sets.
For a younger family, what are some ideal places to stay on a trip to the San Juan Islands and what are some great intro hikes?
Where to Stay:
Roche Harbor Resort and Spa (San Juan Island)
Outdoor bocce ball courts, swimming pool (in summer) and tennis courts, kayaking and whale-watch cruises. Affordable, family-friendly condos and cabins with kitchens. Upscale homes and suites or budget lodging in the historic Hotel de Haro.
Earthbox Inn (San Juan Island)
This retro motor inn offers an indoor pool and free cruiser bikes, walk to The Whale Museum, San Juan Island Museum of Art and San JuanHistorical Museum. Located in Friday Harbor where restaurants, bike rentals, kayak rentals and wildlife tours are available just a few blocks away.
Doe Bay Resort and Retreat (Orcas Island)
A variety of accommodations in a rustic, down-to-earth environment, with soaking tubs and sauna set over a waterfall, a one-acre organic garden, and an excellent restaurant.
Lopez Islander Resort (Lopez Island)
The Lopez Islander Resort offers a variety of clean and comfortable accommodations – standard rooms, suites and vacation homes all with fully outfitted kitchens or kitchenettes, cable TV and bay view balconies.
Whether you crave a quiet walk on a secluded beach or a challenging hill climb, you'll find some of the best hiking in Washington State in the San Juan Islands. Choose your level of difficulty, from easy walks to challenging climbs in many different landscapes on countless nature preserves and public lands. All of these trails can be hiked as loops and expanded as part of larger networks.
Lime Kiln Point State Park (San Juan Island)
Also known as Whale Watch Park, Lime Kiln Point State Park is a 36-acre day-use park with an iconic lighthouse set on the west side of SanJuan Island. The park is considered one of the best places in the world to view orcas from land. Though there are any number of possibilities in the 5 miles of interconnected trails, a popular loop starts at the Interpretive Center down to the whale watch lookout point, along the shore to the historic lighthouse, then into the forest to the restored and secluded lime kiln the park is named for. The distance isn’t long, not much more than a mile, but it’s easy to take a couple of hours, binoculars at the ready. Whales or not, visitors are rarely disappointed by wildlife when hiking in the park. Harbor seals, a variety of seabirds, river otters, the occasional Bald Eagle or Steller sea lion, and even the bashful harbor porpoises make brief appearances.
Mountain Lake (Orcas Island)
You could hike Moran State Park on Orcas Island for weeks and not repeat a step. There are over 38 miles of trails in this 5,252-acre state park, with several lakes, paddle boats, a bridge over Cascade Lake, beautiful Cascade Falls, a Game-of-Thrones-style tower built in the 1930s on the top of 2,409-foot elevation Mt. Constitution, waterside camping, mountain biking in the winter and more. Of all of these options, my favorite hike is Mountain Lake. It is just what its name says: a lake on a mountain. The basic lake hike trail starts at the Mountain Lake parking lot halfway up Mt. Constitution, at about 900-feet elevation. If you are facing the lake, you can go either direction. The trail starts out, and remains, wide and soft, padded with duff. It has a gentle slope for most of the 4-mile loop, with some interesting stops along the way, through forest of Western redcedar, Douglas fir, salmonberries and salal, ferns and an endless array of mosses and flora to photograph and discover. There’s a weir, or concrete waterfall to cross, and a few felled trees to walk over or under. The coolest thing about the Mountain Lake Trail is that it is the perfect length for a leisurely two-hour outing, including time to sit on the lake’s dock and dangle your feet in the water, or dive into the clear water to cool off on a hot summer day.
Shark Reef Sanctuary (Lopez Island)
Shark Reef Sanctuary is a hidden gem, tucked away on the west side of Lopez Island, where a short 10-minute walk through a forest will lead to a rocky shoreline with stunning views over the water and an almost certain seal (and perhaps sea lion and otter) sighting. A short distance from the trailhead, there will be an elevated boardwalk that leads you above forested wetlands, then transitions to a foot trail where you'll have two trail options - both trails will take you out to the bluffs above the water and complete a loop. Roundtrip, the loop takes about 20 minutes without stopping, but you'll definitely want to spend some time taking in the views and watching for wildlife!
Speaking of hiking and wildlife, the San Juan Islands are an incredible destination for nature lovers! What type of wildlife can visitors expect to see and does it depend on the time of year?
Orcas (aka killer whales) live in the San Juan Islands year-round, and this archipelago is considered one of the best places in the world to see them. Whether from a whale watch boat or shore (like Lime Kiln Point State Park on the west side of San Juan Island), you can also spot migrating humpback, minke, and sometimes even gray whales. Orca sightings often tend to spike in the spring (March - May) and fall (September - November), but it's possible to find them any time of year. Humpbacks follow a similar pattern with spikes in the spring and fall as they migrate to and from Alaska, but whale watchers report the best months are August - October. Sightings of gray whales are mostly in the spring on their migration as well.
Besides the whales, there’s at least four types of pinnipeds that call the Salish Sea home at least part of the year: harbor seals, northern elephant seals, Steller sea lions, and California sea lions. The seals and sea lions haul out on rocky outcrops to bask, snooze, and socialize, often rather loudly with grunts and grumbles.
Other than mammals, there are over 200 species of birds that make the San Juans part of their range, and winter is one of the best seasons for birders as there are a variety of seabirds that only visit in the colder months. There are more nesting pairs of bald eagles here than anywhere else in the lower 48 states.
Local whale watch operators adhere closely to state and federal guidelines developed to ensure the whales’ behavior and life cycles aren’t disturbed. The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor promotes stewardship of whales and the Salish Sea ecosystem through education and research. With fun and educational exhibits about whales, free videos, and a well-stocked gift shop that features marine mammal books, art and gifts, the Whale Museum is a great first stop.
For the foodies out there, do you have any favorite local dishes that you’d recommend?
With fresh fish at their fingertips and island farms producing everything from kale and goat cheese to lamb and Wagyu beef, it’s no wonder chefs and other locavores find their niche in the San Juan Islands.
Try wild-caught lingcod with a fresh blackberry sauce, grass-fed lamb, or oysters on-the-half-shell fresh from a pristine, cold bay, and handcrafted wine and beer, cider and gins with locally foraged botanicals. These are some of the unmistakable flavors that define island cuisine. You can get a taste of one of the quintessential foods of the Pacific Northwest, the sweet and flavorful Dungeness crab, at a variety of restaurants on Lopez, Orcas and San Juan Islands. Always served in season, crab is often simply steamed and served with melted butter, but some chefs also prepare it in creative ways with fresh local seaweed, forest-foraged chanterelles, or on a bed of ancient grains.
How much travel time is needed to visit the San Juan Islands when traveling from Seattle or Vancouver and any tips on how to make this part of the trip seamless?
It's recommended to allow for approximately 2.5 hours in travel time to get from Seattle or Vancouver to the ferry terminal in Anacortes, depending on the traffic. All travelers with vehicles are encouraged to make ferry reservations both to and from the Islands. These are free to make - they ask for a credit card number only for the no-show fee. And this is separate from your fare, which can be purchased online ahead of time or wait until the tollbooth in Anacortes. Arrive at least 45-60 minutes ahead of your scheduled sailing to put the car in line. There are restrooms and food available at the terminal, and a nice green space leading to a beach to the right of the loading lanes - good for exploring while you wait. Sign up for ferry alerts up to 48 hours in advance of your trip - this will give you a heads-up if there are any delays or cancelations.
If travelers choose to come without a vehicle, there is a shuttle service available from SeaTac Airport - the Bellair Airporter - that makes a stop at the Anacortes ferry terminal. Walking on the ferry doesn't require reservations but be aware that the shuttle ride takes closer to three hours (depending on number of stops and traffic) and does not always line up nicely with ferry schedule. Once in the Islands, there are vehicles, mopeds, and bikes for rent to get around, as well as the San Juan Transit shuttle on San Juan Island. Bellair's last stop is Bellingham, so any travelers from Vancouver could pick up a southbound bus there for Anacortes. Amtrak also runs between Seattle and Vancouver, and the closest stop to Anacortes is in Mt. Vernon. The Skagit Transit bus service would connect passengers to the ferry terminal.
