Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business This guide covers the best places to visit on all three main islands, with how long to allow at each, where to stay and how to handle the ferries.
The islands sit in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, so they receive far less rain than Seattle and enjoy long, bright summer days. The waters around them are among the best places in the world to see killer whales, along with harbor seals, porpoises, sea lions and bald eagles.
There is history too. In 1859 a dispute over a shot pig nearly started a war between the United States and Britain, and both nations kept troops on San Juan Island for twelve years before the border was settled.
The ferry lands right in Friday Harbor, the only incorporated town in the islands. Its streets climb from the marina past galleries, bookshops, cafes and seafood counters.
Friday Harbor is the main town and ferry port of San Juan Island. Photo: Chris Light, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
On the west side of the island, Lime Kiln Point State Park is often called Whale Watch Park because orcas and other whales sometimes pass close to the rocky shore as they travel along Haro Strait. Paths lead past a lighthouse from the early twentieth century and the remains of historic lime kilns.
Lime Kiln Lighthouse overlooks Haro Strait on the west side of San Juan Island. Photo: Draugen at English Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
On the shore of Garrison Bay, English Camp is where British Royal Marines were based during the joint occupation. You can see the restored barracks, a white blockhouse, a formal garden and a cemetery, and a trail climbs Young Hill for views over the islands. Allow two hours.
English Camp preserves the site where British Royal Marines were stationed during the joint occupation of the island. Photo: Buidhe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
At the windswept southern end of the island, American Camp preserves the site of the US Army post on open prairie, with trails to the bluffs, a lagoon and South Beach, one of the longest public beaches in the islands. Red foxes and bald eagles are common.
Cattle Point Lighthouse stands near the southern tip of San Juan Island. Photo: JoachimKohler-HB, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
At the north end of the island, Roche Harbor was once a company town built around a lime works and is now a busy marina village with historic white buildings, gardens and a waterfront restaurant scene. A short walk through the woods leads to Afterglow Vista, the unusual columned mausoleum of the McMillin family, who ran the lime company.
Roche Harbor grew up around a lime works on the north end of San Juan Island. Photo: Glenn Gilbert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Shaped like a horseshoe, Orcas is the largest island in the group and the most rugged, with forested hills, freshwater lakes and the small village of Eastsound at the top of the bay.
Moran State Park covers more than five thousand acres of forest, lakes and waterfalls. Its centerpiece is Mount Constitution, at about 2,400 feet the highest point in the islands.
The stone observation tower on Mount Constitution was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Photo: Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lower in the park, Cascade Lake has a swimming area and rowboat and paddleboard rentals in summer, while Mountain Lake is circled by a gentle loop trail of about four miles through old forest.
Cascade Falls is a short walk from the road in Moran State Park. Photo: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Eastsound is the island's commercial heart, with cafes, bakeries, galleries and a Saturday farmers market in the village green during the season. West of the village, Turtleback Mountain Preserve has trails through oak woodland and open meadows to viewpoints over the western islands.
Lopez is the first ferry stop and the most relaxed island, known for gentle hills, farms and a local custom of waving to every passing driver. It is popular with cyclists because its roads are relatively flat.
A short forest trail leads to Shark Reef Sanctuary on the west shore, where rocky headlands look across San Juan Channel to islets busy with harbor seals and seabirds.
Shark Reef Sanctuary on Lopez Island looks across San Juan Channel to rocky islets. Photo: Clayoquot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Lopez Village is a small cluster of shops, a bakery and a farmers market in summer. Nearby, Spencer Spit State Park has a sandy spit enclosing a lagoon, with beach walks and camping.
Some of the best experiences in the islands happen on the water. Guided sea kayak tours launch from several harbors on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez, paddling past kelp beds, seal haul-outs and rocky shores where bald eagles perch in the firs.
The islands eat what the land and sea provide.
The best way to taste the islands is at a farmers market. Friday Harbor and Eastsound host Saturday markets in season, and Lopez Village has a summer market too.
Popular dishes to try in San Juan Islands
Friday Harbor has the widest choice of inns and rentals and suits first-time visitors and those arriving without a car. Roche Harbor is ideal if you like marina life and historic surroundings. Eastsound and Moran State Park on Orcas suit hikers and families, with cabins, rentals and campgrounds.
Where to stay in San Juan Islands
Summer (June to September) is the high season, with warm dry days, long evenings and all businesses open.
Most visitors drive about an hour and a half north from Seattle to Anacortes and take a Washington State Ferries boat to Lopez, Shaw, Orcas or Friday Harbor.
Bringing a car gives the most freedom, especially on Orcas. Bicycles, scooters and rental cars are available on the islands, and seasonal shuttles have operated on San Juan Island; check current schedules.
Take a morning ferry to Friday Harbor.
Explore English Camp and Roche Harbor in the morning, then American Camp and Cattle Point in the afternoon.
Take the inter-island ferry to Orcas.
Hike Turtleback Mountain in the morning, then stop on Lopez on your way back to Anacortes for a walk at Shark Reef.
Friday Harbor is the main gateway to the San Juan Islands, with kayak outfitters, whale watching operators, cafes, seafood spots and places to stay close to the ferry.
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