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Courtesy of San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau
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Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
Mark Gardner photo
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Spencer Spit State Park on Lopez Island
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Coast Salish Houseposts, Friday Harbor
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Dayhikers take in the view atop Mt. Constitution
Robert Demar photo
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Deer Harbor Marina, Orcas Island
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English camp, San Juan Island
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Ferry coming in to Friday Harbor
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© Charles Peterson
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Roche Harbor McMillin's Restaurant, San Juan Island
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Courtesy of San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau
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Courtesy of San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau
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San Juan Vineyards, San Juan Island
By Shannon Borg
Sea & shore adventures in the Salish Sea - The San Juan Islands in the northwest corner of Washington State offer stunning sunsets, orca whale sightings, world-class kayaking – and spectacular local cuisine
Seeing the San Juan Islands by boat is a true bucket-list adventure. But your trip will be more spectacular with a little inside information about best moorages, best burgers and best brews. Whether you are sailing a 22-foot schooner, or piloting an 80-foot power yacht, the islands are friendly and accessible, full of history, culture, great food and endless adventure – not to mention the tranquility we all crave.
The Salish Sea – the name officially adopted by the U.S. in 2009 – describes the inner waterways from the Strait of Georgia separating British Columbia mainland from Vancouver Island South Puget Sound. For the visitor – many of whom come year after year – it is a place to unplug and decaffeinate, even though there is great coffee – and internet service, depending on where you all. But there’s also a slow-town feeling – and no stoplights. That’s right. Not one stop light in the whole county. The town installed one in Friday Harbor in the 1970s. But took it down after locals protested.
The San Juan Islands are a collection of 172 named islands – most of which are under the water at high tide, or small, uninhabited preserves, and the four ferry-served islands – Lopez, Orcas, San Juan and Shaw – that offer the slower pace of beaches, the culture of harbours and hamlets and the playground of sea and forest – a perfect place to getaway for a long weekend of relaxation and casual adventure.
Two main ports on San Juan Island
Landing in the beautiful Port of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, you’ll find plenty of moorage with gas, showers and laundry – but call ahead in high summer. Rolling their wagons up the dock, visitors pass wooden sailboats, perfectly preserved 1920s pleasure boats and sleek yachts. The town is a mosaic of wooden buildings with crisp white trim rising up Spring St., where the town’s original spring source flowed to the bay, when Friday Harbor was incorporated in 1909. Comfy bed & breakfast inns, affordable small hotels, and a cubistic waterfront hotel (Island Inn at 123 West www.123west.com) overlook the harbor, dotted with restaurants, galleries, pubs, cafes and shops. Make sure you Take a whale watch trip from Friday Harbor in the morning, visit The Whale Museum or the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (IMA), then rent a scooter, scoot-coupe or car, and pick up a picnic lunch at San Juan Island Cheese (www.sjicheese.com) for a day of scenic driving around this beautiful island. Stop at the Duck Soup Inn on Roche Harbor Rd for locally sourced, authentic northwest cuisine (ducksoupinn.com) and Vinny’s Ristorante for gourmet seafood, steak and Italian specialties (www.vinnysfridayharbor.com).
The other main port is Roche Harbor, with its historic resort (www.rocheharbor.com) and 19th-century former limekiln, which supplied powered limestone for Seattle’s growing cityscape. A yachter’s paradise, this small village has lots to see and do, with three restaurants, a well-stocked store, kayaking, whale watching, a fresh seafood shack to buy fresh-caught Dungeness crab and spot prawns in season. Within walking distance is also San Juan Islands Sculpture Park (www.sjisculpturepark.com) one of the largest sculpture parks in the world, with 125+ outdoor sculptures, a history family mausoleum that makes a great day hike, and San Juan Distillery/Westcott Bay Cider (www.sanjuandistillery.com), where you can taste locally made gin flavored with foraged lavender, Nootka rose petals, seaweed and more.
See the Whale’s World
There are several ways to see the whales that frequent the West Side of San Juan Island, where resident orca whales and other sea creatures put on a show on their own terms. There are strict regulations on how close boaters can come to the whales, so brush up before you go; fines for breaking the rules are handed out regularly. From land, kayak, or whale watch boat, visitors can see these majestic creatures along their travel routes following chinook salmon, feeding, playing, spy-hopping and tail flapping. J-Pod, K-Pod and L-Pod, the Southern Resident orca whale pods, move through the waters of the Salish Sea seasonally from June-October. Transient orca whales that feed on other sea mammals can be found in small groups throughout the year. Other visitors include gray whales, Minke whales, and humpback whales in addition to harbor seals, Steller sea lions, Dall’s porpoise and bald eagles. There are a variety of whale watching boat tours to choose from in the area that respect the space of these magnificent creatures. Most boats have on-board naturalists to explain to visitors what they are seeing, and some tours even give you the chance to hear the whales calling to each other under water via hydrophone.
In addition to seeing whales from boats, you can also visit Lime Kiln Point State Park (www.visitsanjuans.com/members/lime-kiln-point-state-park) a.k.a. Whale Watch Park, on San Juan Island for a glimpse of orcas who sometimes come to hunt salmon in the kelp beds. The park also has a lighthouse and seasonal lighthouse tours and interpretive center. From a kayak, paddling along the West Side of San Juan Island, you may be lucky enough to observe sea lions, seals, porpoise and maybe even a bald eagle or two while listening to the peaceful lapping of the water against your boat and the splashing of your paddle in the water.
For more information on seeing whales, kayaking and incredible bicycling opportunities while you’re in the Islands, visit www.visitsanjuans.com/what-to-do
Island Hopping, Orcas Style
From San Juan Island’s main town, Friday Harbor, you can sail, motor or hop on a ferry or a scenic flight to nearby Orcas Island. Are a couple of buoys at the county dock in Eastsound, with a short walk to the village, which features a dozen restaurants, cafes, bakeries, as well as shops and galleries filled with local artists’ work. To start, you might not expect perfect dark, rich espresso and incredibly flaky croissants from a tiny bake shop off the beaten track, but Brown Bear Baking (www.brownbearbaking.com) does it right. Most restaurants, the Orcas Food Co-op (www.orcasfood.coop) and of course, the bustling Saturday farmers’ market all feature locally grown produce, meats, cheeses and other local specialties. You can visit Buck Bay Shellfish Farm and shuck oysters while overlooking the oyster beds, sip local brews at Island Hoppin’ Brewery, or try the local wines at Orcas Island Winery. http://www.visitsanjuans.com/dining/orcas-island
Visit Historic Moran Mansion
Historic Rosario Resort and Spa (www.rosarioresort.com) incorporates Robert Moran’s arts and crafts style mansion which is much the same as when he built it over 100 years ago. Rosario has a good marina with services available. The museum, music room and spa are free and open to the public to view and the daily organ recital in summer is not to be missed. Meals are served at a small boathouse grill and in The Mansion restaurant but lodging is found elsewhere on the 40-acre waterfront property.
In nearby Moran State Park, atop the 2,409-foot-high Mt. Constitution, the highest point on the San Juan Islands, there stands a stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. The tower offers panoramic views of surrounding islands, the Cascade Mountains and a variety of Canadian and American cities. Inside the tower, modeled after a medieval lookout tower, and resembling something from Game of Thrones, a historical display tells the story of the tower's construction and the history of Robert Moran, the shipbuilder and former Seattle mayor who donated this land and worked toward the development of the park, which was dedicated in 1921. A gift shop and learning center operated by the Friends of Moran offers maps, unique gifts, cards and information about the park and its fascinating past. http://www.visitsanjuans.com/members/orcas-island/moran-state-parkmt-constitution; http://www.visitsanjuans.com/members/orcas-island/moran-state-park-camping
Dine al fresco on a farm
A little-known secret is West Sound, a tiny village on Orcas Island. There are two dining opportunities here: The West Sound Café, a short walk from the marina, or at private dinners that run through the summer at Christina Orchid’s Red Rabbit Farm. A dirt road takes diners to this small historic farm and orchard. Orchid’s cookhouse kitchen is just steps from her open-air dining room with doors that look out onto views of fields, apple trees, a small garden, down to the West Sound marina and the water beyond. One long table seats 40, and dinner is served family style, with big platters of locally grown greens, carrots, mashed potatoes sidle up to island-grown lamb and locally caught salmon. The style is simple, but sumptuous. Make reservations well ahead – the dinners fill up fast. www.redrabbitfarm.com; redrabbitfarm@rockisland.com; (360) 376-3208
Laze about on Lopez
On Lopez Island, Fisherman Bay is the main destination for boats. The Lopez Islander Resort (www.lopezfun.com/) marina has moorage available for about 30 boats, up to 50 feet long, with services including a store, fuel and access to the resorts swimming pool, Jacuzzi, showers and laundromat. Islands Marine Center (www.islandsmarinecenter.com) on Fisherman Bay also has moorage for 100 boats, a small store, fuel and more. You can also moor at Spencer Spit State Park (www.visitsanjuans.com/members/spencer-spit-state-park). Once you are on the island, Lopez is easy to navigate. Lopez Village is yards from the marinas, and The Islander Resort also has kayak and bike rentals to get you around the island. Grab a latte at Isabel’s Espresso, and a famous cinnamon bun at Holly B’s Bakery, and wander the town; there is a bookstore, a library, grocery store, the Lopez Island Vineyard & Winery tasting room, a couple of galleries, a great little specialty grocery store called Blossom, and a few good places to eat (www.visitsanjuans.com/lopez-island/dining), including The Bay, on the shore of Fisherman Bay.
Around the island, depending on the distance you want to ride, you can reach several National Monument sites, including Iceberg Point, Agate Beach, and more. There are also 14 county docks in San Juan County including Odlin Park, Mackaye Harbor, and Hunter Bay on Lopez.
Other Suggestions for Boaters
Sucia (SOO-shuh) Island is a great little place for gunkholing – also, Matia (MAY-shuh), Clarke, Barnes, Jones & James islands. Patos (PAY-tose) has a lighthouse.
There is so much to do in the San Juan Islands that you may want to return again and again to discover the charms of these incredible islands. For lodging, dining, travel and activities information, see www.visitsanjuans.com.
Shannon Borg was a wine writer in Seattle for a decade before transplanting herself to the islands. She lives in Friday Harbor, and is the marketing coordinator for the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau.