Experience the best of San Juan Islands
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Salish Sea of Washington state, with orca whales, ferries, forested hills and quiet harbours.
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The San Juan Islands lie in north-west Washington, between the mainland and Vancouver Island, in the Salish Sea. More than a hundred named islands and rocks make up the group, and four of them, San Juan, Orcas, Lopez and Shaw, are reached by the state ferry from Anacortes. Fir-covered hills, small farms, harbours and rocky shorelines make up the landscape.
Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, is the main town, with a whale museum and a waterfront of cafés. Lime Kiln Point State Park is a place to watch orcas from the shore, and San Juan Island National Historical Park preserves the camps of the Pig War, a border dispute of 1859 between the United States and Britain that began with a shot pig. Orcas Island has Moran State Park, where a road climbs Mount Constitution for a view over the islands, and Lopez is flat and popular with cyclists.
Dungeness crab, Pacific oysters, mussels, salmon and local lamb come to the table, along with island cider, wine and lavender. The islands sit in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, so they are drier than Seattle, and summers are dry and mild, with whale watching, kayaking and sailing in the bays.
- Free cancellation on 82% of experiences
- Day trips to Orcas Island
Top experiences in San Juan Islands
![Orcas Island Whale Watching]()
from$119
Outdoor and adventure activities in San Juan Islands
17
Likely to sell outFree cancellation
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