San Juan Islands

Tour Lopez by bicycle; climb Mt. Constitution on Orcas; browse galleries in Friday Harbor; go fishing off the still shores of Shaw.  172 islands scattered off  Washington’s mainland  offer scores of things to do year-round.  Charter a whale watching tour; kayak through the islands; reserve a cottage on a secluded pond.    Located in the “banana belt” of the Northwest, the islands receive 240+ days of sunshine a year and only half the rain of Seattle.  

A popular destination on the state ferry system, the San Juan archipelago contains more than 170 islands strung like an emerald necklace off northwest mainland Washington. The “San Juans” as they are known to locals, are situated at the juncture of the straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca, sheltered from the Pacific Ocean by the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island. The Islands were once part of a mountain range connecting Washington State to Vancouver Island. The ferry serves four of the islands - Lopez, Orcas, San Juan, and Shaw. The islands are primary destinations for visitors wanting to whale watch, kayak, bicycle, camp or just relax on “island time.” An important ecosystem, 83 islands in the San Juans are part of the San Juan Wildlife Refuge, offering protection to seabirds, seals and sea lions and approximately 90 Orca whales who are year-round residents of the area.