San Juan Island, Washington - what to see?

[Brian Palmer]

We'll be taking the ferry from Anacortes and spending a couple nights on San Juan Island as part of a vacation trip to Washington (including Mt. Ranier and North Cascades). Kids (14 and 12) will be included.

Any suggestions from you locals out that way - what to see, where to eat.

Thanks in advance.

Brian

[Gerarddm]

Assuming I had a car, if I had only one thing to do in the San Juans, I'd take in the stupendous views from atop Mt. Constitution on Orcas Island.

Next would be bike rental for savoring the scenery on any of the islands, and kayak rental.

[Yeadon]

If you need a place to stay, Snug Harbor Resort is nice. They have free canoes you can take out, and whale watching boats leave from there too. We stayed there earlier this spring and just used their propane grills for dinner every night. Get the Tree House cabin.

[pcford]

Travel suggestions:
Mt. Rainier...short hikes around Paradise. Dinner at the restaurant in the 1917 lodge...surprisingly good and reasonable.
North Cascades...Lake Anne
San Juan Island...Friday Harbor is not my favorite place...Roche Harbor I like...you have to have a bit of a sense of humor. The place always reminds me of the village in the 60s tv series The Prisoner.
Orcas Island...You can get an inter-island ferry...have spent a fair amount of time there this summer. The waterfront is beautiful of course...but so is the interior. Drive along the Crow Valley road. Beautiful farms...looks like Europe. Get picnic lunch at the Orcas ferry terminal and go up the grassy hill to eat and enjoy the view. Share lunch with bunnies. Sandwiches at the deli are very, very good. Have crabcakes at the Madrona in Eastsound. Coffee (and wi-fi) at Enzo's. Lunch at the asian place near Enzo's. Visit Rosario, a circa 1900 shipbuilders mansion. Go up Mt. Constitution.

[Lew Barrett]

San Juan Island is the busiest, as Pat said, but if you have kids Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor have some attractions. Friday is really busy, has a large marina, but is the jumping off point for most boaters and not the place anybody stays for any period of time; just to clear customs and pick up half and half. There is a cinema (theater) in town. Staying in town at a hotel is not the deal. Roche Harbor is an international yacht destination, the Hotel De Haro there is fun but pricey in season, and Pat's description of it as the village in "The Prisoner" is funny but strangely fitting. However, for a family it's good; they have a pool, ice cream store, small grocery and a general camp-like atmosphere.

The charm of the islands is hard to fully encompass without a boat in my opinion. A lot of the best, most scenic and relaxing spots are only accessible by boat. Give it three days, visit Orcas as well as SJ Island and you'll get a feel for the place. The place is dotted with marine parks, so if you are a camper and can access some of those (Stewart Island across from Roche Harbor is nice) you will further enhance your trip. If staying in hotels and guest houses, San Juan Island and Orcas are your best bets.

Whale watch tours are a must for any once in a lifetime visitor.

[Yeadon]

Lot's of Rabbits and Black Berries on San Juan. Mussels down on the Beach Rocks at low tide.

If you feel really energetic: Cut a six or seven foot long stick with a Forked or Fived end on it the width of a Salmon fish net.
Charge after a Rabbit. Cut him off from his home brush and he'll circle back. Be ready to cut him off that last run and whop down on him with that stick.
Great and cheap way of hunting, but not for an old guy.
In 1963 I watched three young boys fill the Trunk of their Oldsmobile doing just that!

I nominate this for post of the day.

[Brian Palmer]

I am not sure I'll be able to sell anybody on going rabbit hunting after travelling across the country. We've got plenty of rabbits right here in central PA, thank you very much.

Berries, maybe.

Thank you for all the ideas, keep them coming.

Brian

[Yeadon]

Just to clarify, are you going to "San Juan Island" or "the San Juans Islands"?

[James McMullen]

I've lived it his area for years now, yet it never once occurred to me to bludgeon rabbits for sport. I do like to carry a 10' boathook on board though, so if ever the urge strikes me, I'll be prepared.

[Brian Palmer]

We're going to the San Juan Island. I think we're staying on the north end (SWMBO knows the details).

We do have sea kayak trip already booked. That won't leave us much time for huntin' wabbits, but that would take care of what to eat while we're there.

Brian

[BETTY-B]

I second the Snug Harbor Resort idea. I have spent a lot of time there, year-round. I kept my 11' Whaler there and would frequently head up to the islands with the camping gear and head out to Stewart or other places. They used to have a couple small boat rentals, though I'm not seeing it on their web page now.

If you can get a boat, there's the perfect butter clam beach around the corner in Wescott Bay. A big beach on White Point Road. Stay below the tideline. The reason it's perfect is because of the rock to sand ratio. They cant swim away. I once got enough for two giant pots of chowder - red and white - to feed the entire cast of Othello in less than fifteen minutes! My system was to bring a steel rake to rake the top layer of big rocks and oysters out of the way. Two buckets; one to sit on while hand excavating and the other to fill. Enough for a family of four in minutes.

While in there, go check out English Camp in Garrison Bay.

Quite often the orcas are right out front. And there's plenty of good oysters on the little island at the resort as well.

And you dont have to go further than the dock to drop the crab pots. We actually stopped baiting them. Just leave a crab in there and they wonder why he's in there and all join in the fun! Seriously.

[Dryfeet]

Lime Kiln State Park is a good stop, especially for checking out the whales without taking a high priced boat ride. Sounds like you're up near Roche Hbr when you say 'north end'. It's nice, but limited. Certainly Friday Harbor is a bit nuts this month (really, really watch out for pedestrians, I think the sea air makes them oblivious to cross walks and traffic). You're doing the kayak thing so that's a good exercise. Check out English Camp and American Camp national parks as well for a bit of walking and variety/flavor of different parts of the island. Wave at my boat in the marina since I'm not seeing much of it this summer....

[Dave Gray]

I like Cattle Point. The stretch of road down to it from the American Camp is a prime area to see eagles. Lots of beach and picnicking areas as well as the possibility of orcas. Just don't expect to go swimming unless you like cold water!

[Lew Barrett]

I've lived it his area for years now, yet it never once occurred to me to bludgeon rabbits for sport.

Same here, James. Same here.

The north end pretty much means Roche Harbor or near it. The island is small, and they run shuttles and buses to Friday Harbor if you want to see that. Stewart Island is just across San Juan Channel from Roche Harbor, and if you can get there, it's a great place to just walk around.
Bicycles and mopeds work well on that end of the island and if I recall, you may be able to rent them at the resort. The restaurant at the Hotel De Haro is quite good and worth eating at. If you're there anyway, few other options suggest themselves. Another place, mid island, is Duck Soup Inn. We ate there some years ago and I'm told it's changed hands since, but the food is still reputed to be good. It's a fine dining experience, not burgers and if I recall, duck soup was not on the menu.

From Lime Kiln it is possible to see orcas if any of the pods are out. Since the whales are such a prominent feature of the west coast of SJ Island, encountering them is not uncommon and should be a feature of one day however you manage it. English Camp, which has been mentioned, is part of the "Pig War" history of he San Juans and while it isn't the same as visiting Gettysburg, it's a fun outing. Garrison Bay, which is where it is located, is a regular anchorage for cruising boats and can have good crabbing depending on the season. This late in the year, it can also be fished out.

It's a pretty place and you should have good weather. When are you going? It's a hop and skip, no jump required, to get to Victoria if you are there over Labor Day weekend. That is the weekend of the Victoria Wooden Boat Festival, and a terrific day if you have the passports with you. Will you be in Seattle at all?

[Chris-on-the-Boat]

"I've lived it this area for years now, yet it never once occurred to me to bludgeon rabbits for sport."

It does make you think that perhaps the San Juan County Chamber of Commerce is missing out on a key demographic of tourists, doesn't it?

[Yeadon]

There's supposed to be a nice sculpture garden on the north end, but we've never stopped and taken a look.

[Chris-on-the-Boat]

Thud - we were just having fun. There a few things on earth as good as walking into a farmhouse kitchen on a cold winter day and smelling rabbit stew on the cookstove...

But it's certainly not the first thing that jumps to mind about the San Juans. Unusual story. The cool thing about those islands is that half the people would be mortified to hear it, the other half would have probably done it...

[James McMullen]

I'm not being holier than thou, Señor Thud, I'm merely perplexed why anyone would bother to play Whack-a-Wabbit in a place where there is salmon and crab and mussels and oysters and lingcod and clams and greenlings and scallops and spot prawns and sole and flounder and. . .

I could maybe see using a rabbit carcass as bait for the crab trap if I didn't have anything better, but eat it myself? Don't be silly.

Edited to add:
My brother has just pointed out the inherent advantage rabbit has over chicken, i.e. twice as many drumsticks. But then again, why would anyone bother to eat a bird either, where there is salmon and crab and. . . .

[Brian Palmer]

Back from our trip. We stayed at the Earth Box Inn and Spa in Friday Harbor. The Inn was nice; it is a converted motel.

We toured the Whale Museum; very good and well done; happy to support it with our admission. We ate at the Downrigger. Food was good and prices fairly reasonable. We had breakfast at a little place just up the street from the cinema the next morning.

Did a 3-hour kayak trip from Roche Harbor. Saw seals, eagles, giant kelp, sea stars, but no whales.

Had lunch in Roche Harbor in the restaurant at the back of the general store by the harbor. Burgers and fish and chips (fries). Walked the docks a bit and checked out some mega-yachts for sale.

Also saw the sculpture garden and would have liked to have stopped, but the kids wanted to keep moving.

Spent a couple hours at Lime Kiln State Park, saw some seals and porpoises (way off in the distance) but no whales.

Went back to Friday Harbor by driving across the center of the island. Did some shopping. SWMBO and the kids hung at the pool and I checked out the marina. Found where some of the live-aboards are located. Told SWMBO that some of the boats were pretty scary. She said, "You mean like really big and expensive?" I said, "No, scary like you might fall through the deck if you don't watch where you step!" Really old crappy boats.

Would have liked to have taken a sail on the Spike Africa (only $39/person for an evening sail), but it was booked the evening we had free.

Really liked the Island. It reminded me of Martha's Vineyard back about 1980 before it got so "gentrified" and out for reach for most of the 99%.

Saw lots of black berries, big tart ones. Did not see a single rabbit. Those kids with the Oldsmobile must have done a pretty good job on them. I even offered my kids $5 for a picture of a rabbit if they could find one.

Cheers!

Brian

[James McMullen]

Well surely you must have stomped on some wildflowers or at least squooshed up some of those berries since you didn't have any rabbits to thrash, right? Cause that's what the San Juan's are really all about: embracing your inner self.

[James McMullen]

Ummm. . .Thud? It's late August. That's not exactly prime shellfishing season. Are you sure you really used to live here?

I suppose you could still sneak up on them and pound them with a hammer.

[Yeadon]

Leave him alone. You're not exactly from around here either, McMullen.

[James McMullen]

Paralytic shellfish poisoning. Look it up. The entirety of San Juan County, and indeed almost the whole Salish Sea is closed at this time of the year for harvesting of any and all bivalve molluscs. This is not really a joking matter. Anyone who shellfishes had better damn well be aware of marine biotoxin seasons and restrictions. The WDOH website is right here for those who need to learn more.

Thud's comment about gathering mussels was foolhardy and dangerously ignorant. Someone casually picking and eating mussels or oysters or clams this time of year could get themselves very, very sick or even worse. That's not okay.

[Gerarddm]

Speaking of blackberries, they should be peaking right about now, but when I went picking this w/e I realized they are a week or to away. Got some, though... Nice tasting cobbler!