San Juan Islands & the Pacific Northwest: A 5-Day Active Adventure

Planning our trip

I took about a year planning this trip, focusing first on the San Juan Islands. Given the popularity of visiting the San Juan Islands in the summer, I knew I needed to identify the island to stay on, then book the hotel. Orcas Island was chosen due to the variety of activities, hotels, and restaurants that were available. In addition, Orcas Island struck a balance between the large resorts on San Juan Island and the quiet vibe on Lopez Island.

Securing the desired hotel was easy, as I wanted to be in Eastsound, the largest and most scenic village on Orcas Island. The most beautiful hotel in Eastsound was the Outlook Inn, overlooking Fishing Bay. I booked the hotel about eight months ahead of our trip date.

The next decision was to determine how long to stay on Orcas Island. We decided to spend three nights and two full days on Orcas Island, which would give us time to sea kayak, hike, and bike as well as sample restaurants. I made the ferry reservations from Anacortes to Orcas and back for our trip dates as soon as the summer reservation system was open (early April).

After securing the logistics for the first portion of our trip (San Juan Islands), I then mapped out where to stay and how long to visit Mt. Baker and the North Cascades National Park. Bellingham seemed like a great base location for both. Each destination was around 90 minutes from Bellingham. One day to visit each of the two sites seemed reasonable given the short distances to travel and the activities we would be doing (hiking and sightseeing). Securing a hotel in Bellingham was easy as we wanted something on the water and not far from the city. The Hotel Bellwether was a perfect fit. Our Bellingham hotel was booked five months out from our trip date.

Watmough Bay, Lopez Island

Day 1: Arrive in Seattle, travel to Orcas Island & explore Eastsound

We arrived at our hotel (Outlook Inn) late in the afternoon after flying into Seattle from Atlanta. Then, we drove to Anacortes (stopping at Tasha Lee’s Table first for fresh seafood) before catching the 90-minute ferry to Orcas Island. From the ferry terminal, we then drove 20 minutes to our hotel. We took a few minutes to savor the views from the deck of our bay-view suite before heading out to explore the streets and stores of Eastsound Village. With sunset approaching, we secured a deck-side table at the Madronas Bar and Grill, which overlooked Fishing Bay. Finally, with a chance to unwind from all the day’s travels, we slowly sipped craft beers and ate fresh seafood (fresh oysters, grilled Alaskan salmon, and local rockfish).

Outlook Inn, Orcas Island

Day 2: Sea kayaking & hiking on Orcas Island

Having explored the village the night before, we headed straight to Olga Rising for breakfast. Olga Rising is the favorite local spot on Eastsound, known for its famous fresh-baked, house-made buttermilk biscuits. After breakfast, we drove to Deer Harbor (which looks out on the Salish Sea) for a three-hour sea kayaking adventure. We paddled around several of the smaller private islands, where we saw a number of harbor seals both swimming and basking in the sun.

After grabbing made-to-order sandwiches from the local market in Eastsound, we spent the afternoon visiting Olga Bay and Mt. Constitution (drive and hike). Our location choice for dinner was Rosario, which sits on Cascade Bay, a small cove along the eastern shore of the fjord-like East Sound, which opens into the broader Salish Sea. With no other plans for the evening, we enjoyed a leisurely early-evening dinner on the deck overlooking the harbor of Cascade Bay, enjoying fresh local Judd Cove oysters, a salad with local mixed greens, local rockfish and chips, and Salish stew (Penn Cove mussels, rockfish, and shrimp prepared cioppino style).

Sea kayaking, Orcas Island

Day 3: E-biking & exploring Lopez Island

We caught an early-morning ferry to Lopez Island, where we rented e-bikes for the day. The e-bikes allowed us to travel around a majority of the island. Lopez Island is smaller and flatter than Orcas and is considered the premier island for biking in the San Juan Islands. Since the bike store did not open until 10 a.m., we had almost two hours to scope out the route we would be biking.

Highlights of our biking tour of Lopez Island included: Watmough Bay (short hike to a secluded cove and harbor at the southeast tip of the island), Shark Reef Sanctuary (rocky bluffs with views across the San Juan Channel toward San Juan Island, with lots of harbor seal sightings), and Iceberg Point (short hike where there are rocky bluffs and beautiful views out over the Strait of Juan de Fuca). We returned to Orcas Island by ferry, then drove to West Sound and enjoyed fresh seafood at Kingfish (overlooking West Sound, an inlet of the Salish Sea).

Shark Reef, Lopez Island

Day 4: Explore Mt. Baker wilderness area & Bellingham

We caught an early-morning ferry from Orcas Island to Anacortes (on the mainland). We then drove around 90 minutes along scenic highway 542, stopping at the visitor center en route to the Mt. Baker Wilderness area and Artist Point (the termination point for Highway 542, with an elevation of around 5,100 feet). At Artist Point, we did several hikes around several of the mountain lakes. The views of Mt. Shuksan were fantastic, but unfortunately the top of Mt. Baker was clouded over.

We returned to Bellingham in the late afternoon and checked into Hotel Bellwether, which overlooks Squalicum Harbor marina and offers fantastic views of Bellingham Bay, Mt. Baker, and the San Juan Islands. We drove to the historic Fairhaven district for a sunset dinner at Keenans at the Pier, which was our favorite restaurant of the trip.

Artist Point, Mt. Baker

Day 5: Explore North Cascades National Park & Bellingham

We returned to the Fairhaven district in the morning to have breakfast at Mount Bakery (scratch-made European-style pastries and incredible sandwiches). We then drove along scenic Highway 20 (around 90 minutes) to North Cascades National Park, stopping first at the visitor center, then at Gorge Creek Falls for a short hike, before stopping for a picnic lunch at the Diablo Lake overlook. Before heading back to Bellingham, we stopped for a short hike at Happy Creek Trail (a boardwalk tour through old-growth forest).

We returned to Bellingham, stopping first at Whatcom Falls Park (a 241-acre park in Bellingham with four waterfalls and miles of hiking trails) for a three-mile hike. After returning to our hotel, we then drove to the city center of Bellingham for dinner at the Black Cat, a local tavern with a bistro menu located on the third floor of a historic building in the Fairhaven District of Bellingham.

Diablo Lake, North Cascades National Park

Day 6: Explore Bellingham & return to Atlanta

On the final day of our trip, we went into Bellingham’s city center and enjoyed breakfast at the Old Town Café (a cozy bistro offering locally sourced food). We left Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive, a historic road that hugs the shoreline of the Salish Sea, before driving to the Seattle airport and returning to Atlanta.

Sunset in Bellingham, Washington

General information: San Juan Islands

The San Juan Islands in Washington State are worth visiting for beautiful coastal scenery, active adventure, whale and other marine life watching, and a slower-paced island escape. The San Juan Islands are part of an archipelago of 172 named islands and reefs, with only a few of these islands accessible to the general public. The archipelago lies between the state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Canada).

The Washington State ferry serves four San Juan Islands: San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Lopez Island, and Shaw Island.

• San Juan: The most visited; towns: Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor, each with large resorts

• Orcas Island: Largest island; town: Eastsound; great for hiking, kayaking, and camping

• Lopez Island: Flattest island; great for cycling

• Shaw Island: Smallest island; most rural of the four main islands

Accommodations are available on each of the four islands, with some additional hotel options noted below:

• San Juan: Roche Harbor Resort (huge), Friday Harbor House

• Orcas: Rosario Resort, Outlook Inn

• Lopez: Lopez Islander Resort, Edenwild Boutique Inn

• Shaw: Camping option

Tips, advice & recommendations

Visiting the San Juan Islands in Washington requires planning for ferry travel, choosing the right island experience, and timing your trip for desired activities. Getting around the four main islands by ferry is easy, allowing for day trips as desired.

The best time to visit the San Juan Islands is July through August for warm, sunny weather and peak whale watching, or September to enjoy great weather with fewer crowds.

• Where to seek accommodations on San Juan Islands:

  • San Juan Island (Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor with Lakedale offering camping and glamping)

  • Orcas Island (Eastsound with additional hotels scattered in Deer Harbor, Rosario, and at the ferry location)

  • Lopez Island (Edenwild, with farm cottages scattered throughout the island)

• Adventure on San Juan Islands:

  • San Juan Island: Whale watching, sea kayaking, and hiking

  • Orcas Island: Hiking, sea kayaking, and biking

  • Lopez Island: Biking

• Sampling of great restaurants on the islands:

  • Orcas:

    • Dinner: Matia Kitchen and Lounge, Harbor Bar and Grill, Kingfish

    • Lunch: Island Market for made-to-order sandwiches

    • Breakfast: Olga Rising, Brown Bear Baking

  • San Juan:

    • Dinner: First Son, Roche Harbor Resort, Friday Harbor House

    • Breakfast and lunch: Bakery San Juan, Sweet Retreat and Espresso, Leaven Bakery and Creperie

  • Lopez Island:

    • Dinner: Ursa Minor

    • Breakfast and lunch: Fine Mess Bakery, Vita’s Wildly Delicious

Access to the San Juan Islands

Island airfields are located on San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez islands. Scheduled or chartered seaplanes serve San Juan Island (Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor).

Major airport access to San Juan Islands:

• Seattle Airport: 90 miles south

• Vancouver: 100 miles north, but there is an international crossing to make

Ferries also serve San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw islands. You can drive your car right onto the boat, or board as a foot/bike passenger. The ferries run year-round, and there are several sailings each day to and from each of the four main islands. Ferry schedules are seasonal (summer and off-peak) with the most sailings occurring during the summer months.

Especially during the summer months, car reservations should be made months in advance. Additionally, car travelers need to arrive 30 to 60 minutes before departure to ensure their car reservations are honored.

All San Juan Islands ferries initially depart from and return to the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, located in Anacortes, Washington.

General information: Mt. Baker

Mt. Baker is worth visiting for all types of active adventures (hiking, skiing) as well as drivers looking for dramatic mountain scenery without the large crowds found at national parks. Access to Mt. Baker is via Highway 542, one of the most scenic drives in the state of Washington, ending at Artist Point at an elevation of 5,100 feet. Because Mt. Baker is managed as a National Forest and Wilderness area rather than a national park, it generally is less crowded.

Tips, advice, and recommendations:

• Best city to base travel to Mt. Baker in: Bellingham (a 90-minute drive on Highway 542)

• Best mountain towns to base travel to Mt Baker in: Glacier and Maple Falls (about 30 minutes' drive on Highway 542)

• Allow at least a full four to six hours to visit and experience Mt. Baker, which amounts to a full day including travel to and from your base city or town

• Best times to visit Mt. Baker: Summer and fall (mid- to late July to mid-October) and winter (December through April)

• Be sure to visit and explore Artist Point

General information: Bellingham

Bellingham is a beautiful city along the Salish Sea, with close proximity to the Cascade Mountain range (Mt. Baker and the North Cascades National Park). Bellingham is also a vibrant coastal college town (Western Washington University) packed with culture (the Fairhaven Historic District), a number of craft breweries, and abundant urban nature (Whatcom Falls Park). There are a number of great restaurants, including Keenans at the Pier, The Black Cat, The Birch Door Café, and Black Sheep. Mount Bakery and Old Town Café is great for breakfast and lunch.

Tips, advice, and recommendations:

• Plan enough time to sample some of the many great restaurants and breweries

• Visit Fairhaven Historic District, the waterfront, Old Town, Chuckanut Drive, and Whatcom Falls Park

General information: North Cascades National Park

North Cascades National Park is worth visiting for active adventures (hiking and fishing) as well as for drivers looking for beautiful mountain scenery without the large crowds. North Cascades National Park is one of the least-visited national parks in the lower 48 states. The park is accessed via State Route 20 and offers incredible views of beautiful mountain landscapes, active glaciers, and light-blue mountain lakes.

Tips, advice, and recommendations:

• Best city to base travel in: Bellingham (a 90-minute drive south on I-5, then east on Highway 20)

• Best eastside mountain town: Winthrop

• Best westside mountain towns: Marblemount and Concrete

• Allow at least a full four to six hours to visit and experience North Cascades National Park, which amounts to a full day including travel to and from your base city or town

• Best times to visit North Cascades National Park: Peak summer (July–August), fall (Sept–Oct), spring (May–June)

• Be sure to view Diablo Lake overlook

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Washington page.