The San Juan Islands & Salish Sea
A True Taste of Van Life
AN Island Getaway Close to Seattle
This is a 7-day itinerary. If you’d like to take a shorter route, check out our 4-night trip here.
The San Juan Islands sit amidst the Salish Sea between the Olympic Peninsula, Vancouver Island, and the Washington mainland. There are four islands served by the Washington State Ferry system: Lopez, Shaw, Orcas, and San Juan. Depending on the tide height, there are between 172 and 700 named and unnamed islands. The beautiful landscape, clear water, public lands, abundant wildlife, slow pace, and luscious farm stands make this a relaxing and delightful road trip destination.
This is the perfect place for our Vanagon explorers. The maximum speed limit in the county is 45 miles per hour and there are no stoplights. There are dozens of scenic pull-outs for taking in the views, having a picnic, and relaxing. All the ferry-served islands have public and private campgrounds.
The key to a successful and stress-free trip is embracing reservations. During the summer months, there are a lot of visitors exploring the islands, and 99% of them use ferries to get there. There are many camping options, but there are also many campers. Reservations ensure that you have a place on the ferries and a place to stay. You can travel spontaneously, find guerrilla camps, and have a wonderful time, but you can maximize your options with some advanced planning.
Most groceries and goods have to be transported by ferry, and this limits what is available and generally increases the price. The savvy islander will shop on the mainland for their staples and take advantage of local farms and co-ops for fresh organic produce. Fuel often runs $1.00/gallon higher than what you will be used to paying so tank up before you come. Fortunately, you can easily spend the week island hopping on one tank.
The Washington State Ferries
The most challenging part of your trip to the San Juan Islands will be figuring out the ferry system. We’re going to walk you through the details. Our team has ridden the ferries for decades, missed many, and had to spend the night in Vanagons—so we’ve ultimately figured out how to use the system.
The ferries to the San Juans leave from the Anacortes terminal. There are regular sailings throughout the day. You will need a schedule to plan your trip: these are available terminals, on the Washington DOT website, and on its app. The ferry schedule operates on a seasonal calendar, so make sure you are looking at the correct time frame. It is possible to travel on standby, but understanding and utilizing the reservation system will make your trip much easier.
For more information on the reservation and scheduling process, click here.
Day 1: Peace Vans to San Juan County Park, San Juan Island (116 miles)
There are two routes you could take to Anacortes.
Option A: The most direct option is to drive I-5 north, take exit 226 into Mt. Vernon, and enjoy a stop at the Skagit Valley Food Co-op.
Leave town on SR 536, crossing over the Skagit River. When you enter Anacortes, drive down Commercial Street where you will find supermarkets, pharmacies, cafes, restaurants, and many shops. Agave Taqueria makes the best burritos in town. Further into town, our local favorite eateries include Gere-a-Deli, Rock Fish Grill, and the Brown Lantern Ale House. For a rich cup of coffee, slip into Pelican Bay Books and Coffeehouse.
If your journey is in April, you’ll pass the stunning colorful tulip fields of the Skagit Valley. In autumn, snow geese cover the barren fields.
Stop for “immodest” ice cream cones at Snow Goose Produce or a local beer at Rexville Grocery. Gas is available here as well.
Option B: more scenic but longer The more scenic but longer route to Anacortes involves taking a ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton on the south end of Whidbey Island. This ferry route does not offer reservations, but that won’t be a problem. It is a short crossing and gives you the opportunity to drive the length of Whidbey Island up to Anacortes. There are a few small towns en route that have restaurants and shops. Freeland is mid-island, and Coupeville and Oak Harbor are a bit farther north. Fort Casey is one of the “Triangle of Fire” forts that were constructed between 1898 and 1917 to guard the entrance to Puget Sound. The park has a campground a short jaunt off SR 20 next to the Coupeville Ferry landing and is a great place to spend the night or stretch your legs around the old fort grounds. The view of the Olympic Peninsula across the Strait of Juan de Fuca is spectacular!
Drive SR 20 north and stop at Deception Pass State Park. The Deception Pass Bridge crosses almost 200 feet above roiling currents between rugged cliffs. The State Park has beaches, camping, and picnic areas. To return home with amazing geological knowledge about how the rocks of Deception Pass made it up from Mexico, watch Nick On The Rocks. Beyond Deception Pass, turn left onto Rosario Drive, and in about 5 miles take another left onto Marine Drive. At the end of Marine Drive, a short jog to the right, and an even shorter jog to the left drop you at the Anacortes Ferry landing. Your ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island will take 65 minutes on a direct sailing. You arrive in downtown Friday Harbor.
Driving Tip for the San Juan Islands. Roads change names as they wind through the islands. For example, on San Juan Island as you head to your camp at the San Juan County Park, Douglas Road becomes Bailer Hill Road, which becomes Westside Road, which becomes Mitchell Bay Road! On Orcas Island, you leave the ferry on Orcas Road, which becomes either Lovers Lane or Main Street as you enter Eastsound, depending on which fork you take.
Cell coverage is generally good, but there are some significant dead zones behind various hills. Also, on the Westside of San Juan Island you often pick up Canada, so beware if your plan does not cover international service. Verizon subscribers in the islands have successfully gotten international roaming charges dropped by asserting they haven’t left the country.
San Juan Island
San Juan Island has the archipelago’s largest population, and county seat, and easily has a few days of exploring. The island is a bucolic blend of farms and pastures, wooded mountains, long beaches, protected coves, and one of Washington’s largest remnant prairies. There is a National Park, a State Park, and a County Park, all offering a range of landscapes and activities.
Supplies are found in Friday Harbor where two supermarkets, the San Juan Island Food Co-op, and two bakeries offer a wide selection. For a small town, you will find almost everything you need. To quench your thirst there are four brew pubs and a bar!
Farther afield there are a few outstanding restaurants and smaller convenience stores. Duck Soup Inn on Roche Harbor is a fabulous hidden gem. Serving meals for over 40 years crafted from the island’s bounty of organic farms and seafood, the Duck Soup Inn is a culinary journey into a magical island experience. A distillery near Roche Harbor makes excellent locally crafted gins and shrubs. Many farms have little stores or stands, and on Saturdays, there is an outstanding farmers and craft market at the Brickworks in downtown Friday Harbor.
Kayaking is one of the best ways to experience the marine habitat of the islands. A kayak allows you to get close to the shoreline, where fascinating intertidal life clings to the rocks, and kelp forests sway in the currents. The waters around the San Juans can be tricky; powerful currents change direction multiple times throughout the day. It is best to go on a tour with knowledgeable guides who will show you the highlights and ensure you steer clear of trouble. Outdoor Odysseys in Friday Harbor has been running tours for over 30 years and consistently has the best guides in the industry.
Camping on San Juan is recommended at the following locations:
San Juan County Park on the Westside is a beautiful waterfront park with views of Haro Strait, Vancouver Island, Low Island National Wildlife Refuge, and Andrews Bay. This is the best camping location in the county to see Orcas and brilliant sunsets.
Lakedale is a private campground and resort in the center of the island. It has a nice lake for swimming and a tiny country store. Try for the lakeside campsites, and avoid the RV sites.
San Juan County Fairgrounds is an RV camping area. It is less than a mile from downtown Friday Harbor. Reservations for the San Juan County Park open annually on March 2. The San Juan County Fair runs annually for a week in mid-August.
The San Juans have an abundance of public lands acquired and maintained by the National Park Service, Washington State Parks, San Juan County Parks, the BLM, the San Juan County Land Bank, and The San Juan Preservation Trust. Visit their websites to get a sense of what lands are open to the public, and explore some remarkable locations. Avoid going on private lands without permission.
On your way to the Westside San Juan County Park, visit Mount Grant to get a commanding view of where you are in the Salish Sea! Mount Grant was acquired in 2015 by a partnership between the San Juan County Landbank and the The San Juan Preservation Trust. It is a truly unique and remarkable mountain with trails and a road (open to cars on Sundays) to the summit. From the top you get a 360-degree view of San Juan Island, Lopez, and Orcas, the Cascades from Mt. Rainier to Mt Baker, and Vancouver and the Gulf Islands. There are over 150 old-growth Douglas fir trees and undisturbed rain shadow habitat.
Photo Courtesy: Ryan Stone
Day 2: San Juan Island Circuit
Begin your day with a stop at the peaceful English Camp, the first of two sections of San Juan National Historical Park.
San Juan Island was occupied by both American settlers and The British Hudson Bay Company in the mid-1800s. This resulted from vague wording in the Treaty of 1846, which left undefined whether Haro Strait or Rosario Strait was the international boundary between what would become Canada and the United States. Both nationalities co-existed on San Juan Island until 1859, when Lyman Cutler an American potato farmer, shot a British pig who repeatedly wandered into, and consumed his potato patch. This brought the two countries to the brink of war. The British dispatched troops from Victoria to an abandoned native camp on Garrison Bay called Pe’pi’ow'elh. They tore down a 600-800 foot Coast Salish longhouse to erect their camp. The Americans set up their camp on the southern end of the island at the edge of a windswept prairie. The two nations exercised restraint, finding some humor in the fact that a pig brought them to the edge of war, and agreed to jointly occupy the island until the boundary dispute could be resolved by arbitration. In October 1872 Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany ruled in the American’s favor, thus ending 13 years of military occupation without a single human casualty.
Fortunately for us, the park offers miles of superb hiking trails, an interpretation of native habitation, historic military camps, South Beach that Outside Magazine called their favorite on the West Coast, and an expansive native prairie bursting with wildflowers in the spring where foxes hunt for rabbits.
At English Camp, there are two notable walks, one following the shoreline from the camp around Bell Point, and the other to the summit of 650’ Young Hill where views of the Gulf Islands, Haro Strait, and the Olympic Mountains take your breath away. The NPS property is adjacent to the Roche Harbor watershed, with many more miles of hiking trails.
You’ll work up an appetite walking around English Camp, so fortunately for you, Westcott Bay Shellfish Company is just a stone’s throw away. During the summer, a little cafe serves oysters, clams, and light fare, along with cold beer at outdoor tables beside Wescott Bay. When the tide is low, you can U-pick a dozen oysters to throw on the grill at dinner.
A 5-minute drive takes you to Roche Harbor, the closest thing to another village on San Juan Island. Roche Harbor was once a thriving limestone quarry started by John S. McMillin in 1886 and had a 20-year monopoly on lime west of the Mississippi. After San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake, most of the lime used in its reconstruction came from Roche Harbor. There is a little grocery store, a few restaurants, a historic hotel where Teddy Roosevelt stayed, and old lime kilns. One of the quarries is filled with water and makes for a refreshing swimming hole in warmer weather. In the summer a daily outdoor craft market bustles with people. Nearby is the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park which offers you a leisurely stroll through 20 acres of artwork around a pond.
If you are into the bizarre and creepy, don’t miss the McMillin Mausoleum. Look for the Afterglow Vista Trail on Afterglow Drive just past the airport runway. A unique and surreal mausoleum stands in the forest memorializing McMillin, his family, and his personal secretary. McMillin was a Mason whose symbolism is interwoven in the structure. If you like feeling the hair on your neck raise, go out at midnight!
Head back to Friday Harbor. If you didn’t slurp a few oysters down, grab lunch or a picnic from Bakery San Juan or Market Chef, and continue down to American Camp on the south end of the island. Stop at the visitor’s center where a spotting scope is set for viewing a nearby bald eagle nest, and explore the American half of the Pig War story. Paths from the parking lot lead you to a few gravel coves for a world-class picnic site. South Beach has picnic tables and miles of beach to walk.
Afterward, walk three miles around Mt. Finlayson, or drive to Cattle Point, where an automated lighthouse and old radio building overlook the choppy entrance to San Juan Channel. You’ll hear sea lions raising hell on Goose Island in the channel.
Begin your drive back to the Westside taking False Bay Rd to where it joins Bailer Hill Rd. False Bay is aptly named for the gooey flat exposed at low tide stranding more than one mariner. When the tide is out, roll up your pants and take a walk through this different world, the sea floor. The bay is a marine research site, so take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Lastly, a visit to Limekiln Point State Park, the only whale watch park in the US, is a great location to sit on the rocky shore of Haro Strait and look for the Southern Resident Orcas. There is a visitor center, restrooms, trails, a lighthouse, and an interpretive center/cafe. A Discover Pass is required for parking and is available for purchase there.
Return for your evening at the San Juan County Park. If one full day on San Juan Island is not enough, stay another! Be careful though, more than one visitor stayed another day and remained a lifetime.
Days 3 & 4: Orcas Island
Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juans, with the highest point in the archipelago. Some say it looks like two saddlebags hugging the fjord-like East Sound. Besides the main town of Eastsound, there are several other small communities or hamlets: Orcas Landing, Olga, West Sound, Doe Bay, and Deer Harbor. Orcas was not named for the whale, but to honor Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo the Mexican viceroy that sent the first Spanish explorer to the region. That is a mouthful! Imagine his mother yelling at him to pick up his clothes!
To get to Orcas, drive into Friday Harbor and get your van in line for the ferry to Orcas Island. Remember, travel heading through the other islands and on to Anacortes is included in the fare you paid coming to San Juan Island, so just drive up to a ferry worker and get assigned a line to wait in. During the summer months, it will be busy and the most leisurely approach is to get in line early and walk around Friday Harbor. If you haven’t yet done so, visit the Whale Museum. The museum opened in 1973 and was the first in the country to focus on our wild species of leviathans. Learn about whale natural history, and get brought up to the minute on the Southern Resident orcas fighting extinction, and how you can help them. For delicious espresso, baked goods, and fresh bagels, stop by Cafe Demeter. Be back at your van at least 20 minutes prior to loading.
Your ferry to Orcas Island sails up San Juan Channel, between San Juan and Shaw Islands. When you turn hard to starboard (to the right for you landlubbers), you go through the Wasp Islands. Yellow, McConnell, Crane, and Bell are on the port side (left), and Cliff and Shaw will be on the starboard side. Depending on the ferry schedule and which island it stops at first, your trip will take between 40 and 90 minutes.
You arrive at Orcas Landing on the south end of the island where a small grocery store, a few shops, and a hotel are found. Coming off the ferry, turn left onto Orcas Rd and drive up to Eastsound, the community and commercial center of the island. If you want to be different and you like quiet roads, turn right off the ferry and drive the quiet and scenic Killebrew Lake Rd. There is an understated pullout/sandy beach at Killebrew Lake. Continue to Dolphin Bay Road where it joins Orcas Rd and takes you into Eastsound.
The best way to explore Eastsound is to park and walk around town. There are many hip shops, a few pubs, a supermarket, and the Orcas Food Co-op. Darvill’s Books carries a broad selection of titles, many by island authors. They also serve Olympia coffee roaster Batdorf and Bronson’s beans and make delicious espresso drinks. Have a cup and browse the books. Orcas Center, the community theater, produces a surprising range of cultural performances and offerings throughout the year.
If you are looking for dinner, check out Mijitas Mexican Kitchen, a wonderful family-run restaurant. For Orcas’ finest dining, head to The Inn at Ship Bay, where chef Geddes Martin creates exquisite meals from local and organic ingredients. If lighter fare and fresh beer are more your style, Island Hoppin’ Brewery is about a mile from Eastsound by the airport.
Overnight at Moran State Park Campground, Doe Bay, or West Beach Resort
Moran State Park has four camping areas with 151 delightful campsites. Reservations in the summer months are highly advised. The park has miles of trails and lakes to explore.
Doe Bay has 8 drive-in campsites ranging in price from $43-$75. A few of them are right next to roads or tight spaces. The overnight fee includes the use of the guest kitchen, showers, sauna, and hot tubs. There is a cafe and a small general store. Honoring the bohemian origins of Doe Bay, the store has more varieties of herbal tea than a Celestial Seasonings catalog, with multiple flavors of kombucha, IPAs, and NW wines. There are even free condoms for the taking.
West Beach Resort has multiple van sites, a long beach with spectacular views, and a hot tub. There is a small general store with necessitates like ice cream and beer. Kayak, canoe, and SUP rentals are available. Clamming, crabbing, and fishing are great, and you can arrange for a whale watch boat to pick you up at their dock.
Day 4: Moran State Park and An Artful Drive Around Orcas
Start the day exploring beautiful Moran State Park. There is something here for everyone, including swimming in either Cascade or Mountain Lakes, extensive hiking on 30 miles of trails, and a road up 2,407’ Mt. Constitution, the archipelago’s highest point.
From the summit lookout tower, take in the territorial views sweeping from the City of Vancouver, BC, south into the North Cascades punctuated by the volcanos Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, and Mt Rainier. You get a bird’s eye view down to Bellingham beyond the more remote San Juan Islands of Sucia, Matia, Barnes, Clark, Cyprus, and Blakely. September 15 through May 15 the trails from the summit are open to mountain bikers and provide challenging downhill runs that can take you all the way to Cascade Lake. The “pro” approach is to have a driver run your van up and down while you take turns riding. Observe the trail rules of giving walkers and equestrian users the right of way. For the hardy, walk to the top, or from the top of Mt. Constitution. Shorter less strenuous walks go around Mountain and Cascade Lakes. Walk counter-clockwise around Mountain Lake for the best views of Mt. Constitution’s sheer east face. Extend your walk to the one-hundred-foot-high Cascade Falls.
For those preferring a less vigorous visit, you can rent paddle boats at Cascade Lake and take a cruise around while looking for birds and wildlife.
After you have conquered Mt. Constitution, you have an opportunity to see the work of island artisans. Orcas Island Artworks and Gallery in Olga is a cooperative of 46 local artists. The gallery is run by artists, so you will meet and have the chance to talk with them and discuss their work. Onsite Catkin Cafe serves breakfast and lunch, Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 am to 3 pm. Save room for one of their amazing desserts!
Need to work off the tasty baked good you just put away but don’t want to climb another mountain? Less than 1/10 mile past the cafe and gallery is Coho Preserve. Walk or drive east on Point Lawrence Rd and find a small parking area and trailhead. Coho Preserve was acquired by the San Juan County Landbank in 2016 and preserves the islands’ last wild salmon and native cutthroat runs. The whole loop trail is only 3/4 mile but leads you through pristine riparian habitat beside the cascading creek. Please observe spawning coho, chum salmon, or native cutthroat from a respectful distance.
Obstruction Pass State Park is a short distance away and has over a mile of shoreline. There are several secluded walk-in picnic sites with access to the saltwater. There is a machine to purchase Discover passes if you need them.
Head to East Sound and have a treat!
Island Thyme Shop and Crow Valley Gallery is located in Eastsound and makes botanical body care products, many crafted solely from plants grown on Orcas. Island potters and artists show their work in the gallery.
Want to get on the water? The best way to explore the Salish Sea is by sea kayak. Shearwater Adventures has been guiding tours longer than anyone else on Orcas Island. Their office is downtown and they offer tours from four locations around the island. If you choose the Deer Harbor, you will have an excuse to drive over winding roads to this charming little harbor on the SW side of Orcas. Your paddle takes you out towards the Wasp Islands through open water and secret coves. When you return you can grab a snack or meal at Deer Harbor Marina or Deer Harbor Inn.
Additional Activities on Orcas
Orcas Pottery is located in an old-growth cedar forest overlooking President’s Channel and Waldron Island. They claim to be the oldest pottery studio gallery in the USA. They acquired their first gallery building by bartering 4 dinner plates and bowls, and hauling it to its current home. The range of pottery available is stunning; the designs and glazes are magical. They will ship to your home so you don’t have to fill your van with fragile purchases. While there, walk around their garden, and climb up into the treehouse.
Sea Doc Society is located in West Sound and is a base for Salish Sea marine wildlife and ecosystem science and education. Explore their multi-species approach to monitoring and ensuring the health of the Salish Sea.
Turtleback Mountain Preserve is one of the crown jewels of land preservation in the San Juan Islands. It was purchased in 2006 for $18.5 million by combined fundraising efforts of the San Juan County Landbank, and the San Juan Preservation Trust. There are over 8.7 miles of hiking trails through old-growth forest, Garry oak savannah, and wildflower meadows. There are two trailheads, one on the south, and one on the north end. Mountain biking is allowed from the North Trailhead on even days only.
Day 5 & 6: Orcas to Lopez Island
Take the ferry to Lopez Island, the third largest, flattest, and most rural of the ferry-served islands. Lopez or “Slopez” is quieter and much less populated than San Juan and Orcas. Residents from those islands come over to get away from the summer “crowds”. Lopez is famous for the two-finger wave from passing motorists. I once drove with a Lopez teenager on I-90 headed to Leavenworth, and they waved at every oncoming vehicle. It is bred into Lopezians! Lopez is the perfect final destination for your San Juan Islands tour; you have time to absorb where you have been and marvel at how islanders get by. Camp at Spencer Spit State Park or Odlin County Park.
A full day’s tour includes a drive to Watmough Bay Preserve. Hiking trails give you delightful exercise, and the pebbly beach is a short walk from the parking lot and a great place to picnic. Bring some reading and a folding chair, or recline against one of the many driftwood logs. For the hardier travelers, a dip in the bay is refreshing.
Return to Lopez Village and get a coffee at Isabel’s Espresso, the local’s hangout. Or treat yourself to a baked good at famous Holly B’s. For a locavore’s vegetarian lunch, head to Vortex. They offer great wraps, burritos, smoothies, and juices pressed per order. Walk next door to Pachamama Apothecary, a uniquely Lopezian shop. Stock up on wildcrafted herbs and teas, get your tarot cards read by one of the resident witches, or find an interesting book to enlighten yourself with. For Lopezian arts and crafts, Chimera Gallery shows close to 20 islanders’ work. This cooperatively run gallery has ceramics, photography, painting, woodwork, glass, jewelry, metalwork, bookbinding, and botanical art. Looking for an incredible final evening meal in the village? Ursa Minor serves creative agrarian Northwest cuisine, and sources many ingredients from island flora and fauna.
Sea Kayak and bicycle rentals are available through Lopez Island Kayak and Bicycle Works.
From Lopez Village, it is a short drive to Shark Reef Sanctuary. Take a 10-minute walk to a rocky shoreline with views of the Olympic Mountains, and the south end of San Juan Island. This is a sure spot to see marine mammals, such as harbor seals, Stellar’s sea lions, or possibly river otters. For a similar shoreline, but a longer 3-mile roundtrip walk, go to Iceberg Point. Enjoy a lingering summer sunset at your campsite.
Day 7: Back To Seattle!
Catch a ferry to Anacortes and find your way back to Peace Vans. For road warriors, you can extend your journey by exploring the North Cascades, or cross over to Vancouver Island. To craft a grand circle, sail the Blackball Ferry from Victoria, BC, to Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula. For travel to Vancouver Island, you will need to purchase tickets from Friday Harbor or Anacortes. As always, reservations are highly recommended.
Itinerary written by Eric A. Kessler, longtime Vanagon fanatic, loyal Peace Vans customer, and guide for over 30 years in the San Juan Islands, Olympic Peninsula, Utah and Cuba. To inquire about custom itineraries, or half or full day guided outings in the islands, email him, or text: 360-378-8866.
All photographs copywrited and by the author.