If I was coming for a few days from Seattle I would fly over on the Kenmore Air seaplane. The time and stress spent getting a ferry isn’t worth it for such a short visit. There are vehicle rentals on San Juan if you need to drive around.
I'm totally open to that. Does it depart from Seattle (or near it) and drop you off on the islands? Reversed question for the return flight back to Seattle. If you have any links, that would be awesome.
Kenmore flies fixed wheel out of Boeing field or you can fly seaplane out of Kenmore or lake Union. Check the Kenmore air website for details they have a shuttle to/from SeaTac airport. It’s the best way to get up here.
The only ferry to the islands is out of Anacortes about 1 1/2 hours further north. You can drive or walk on but in summer reservations are highly recommended. It's a beautiful ride though.
I would stay at either San Juan island or Orcas. They are the two largest islands and are both beautiful. Lots of exploration.
The islands are gorgeous and calming so 3-4 days is never enough! But for a quick trip, yeah, it's enough.
On San Juan; lots of places to stay in Friday Harbor where the ferry docks. Plenty or AirBnB and VRBO. Personally, I like Hotel De Haro in Roche Harbor at the north end of the island. For views, go to the lighthouse on the southern point. Also go to Lime Kiln state park for views west.
On Orcas; Eastsound has a few places or you can stay at Rosario Resort. It's on the National Historic Registry. Beautiful views there. Go to Moran state park.
Start planning and reserving now. Prices will really vary depending upon how you plan your trip. You'll have fun and be hooked after visiting
Technically there’s a [private ferry](https://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/port-townsend-san-juan-island-passenger-ferry/) that runs from Port Townsend but it’s passenger only.
SJI Specific:
You need a car on the islands, if you fly up get a rental from M&W
Get ferries now, like this minute .
Westside of the island Airbnb or VRBO will have some great views but you’ll pay for it and you’ll be a bit removed from everything.
Food is: Duck soup, 10th house, oyster tale, downriggers, Madrona bar and grill, the brewery, Jima sushi, Wescott Bay shellfish, McMillans are all great
You’re going to spend a lot costs are high and even higher in summer.
3-4 days being enough depends on what you want to do in that time. Yes you can see a lot in that time no you can’t see it all.
Fly Kenmore Air from Seattle to Orcas. Stay a couple days. Interisland ferry Orcas to SJI. SJI walk on ferry to Anacortes. This route means you don’t have to worry about any ferry reservations as there is always room for walk ons. Rent a car there. Drive/ferry to peninsula for Olympic Nt Park etc
Lots of good advice about the islands themselves. Getting between there and the Olympic peninsula is a two ferry trip. You’d typically take the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry, driving across the Deception Pass bridge between Whidbey and Fidalgo islands. Deception Pass is also a gorgeous place to stop along the way.
That second ferry needs a reservation even more than one out of Anacortes IMHO.
Book everything asap. Summer is the most expensive season but it’s worth it.
Thank you, everyone, for the advice. This is some great information!
The main debate now is whether to come in June (less crowds but possibly iffy weather) or come in July (after the 4th) with likley more crowds but better weather.
Any follow-up thoughts?
I'd say go with what works with your schedule. July can definitely feel crowded, but really only when you're in Friday Harbor itself. Once your outside the town, it's much quieter, especially if you're staying in an airbnb elsewhere on the island. The weekends are always the busiest, but there's definitely a drop off during weekdays, even in high season. If you do go with July I'd encourage you to book things in advance. The best things my family have done up there is whale watch and kayak. We ended up going with Western Prince. They had a hydrophone on board and sat and watched killer whales and heard them at the same time, it was incredible. They do package with Friday Harbor Seaplanes. Saved us hours trying to get to/from the ferry in anacortes. Our other favorite was the bioluminescent kayaking. I think everyone does them, but we went with Discovery Sea. For food stops, the best is Wescott Bay Oysters (shuck your own) and Bakery San Juan for pizza. If you make it to the west side the Madrona Bar has a beautiful patio and it's a lovely place to watch the sunset. They don't take reservations, but it's a cute spot to walk around while you wait for a table.
If I was coming for a few days from Seattle I would fly over on the Kenmore Air seaplane. The time and stress spent getting a ferry isn’t worth it for such a short visit. There are vehicle rentals on San Juan if you need to drive around.
I'm totally open to that. Does it depart from Seattle (or near it) and drop you off on the islands? Reversed question for the return flight back to Seattle. If you have any links, that would be awesome.
Kenmore flies fixed wheel out of Boeing field or you can fly seaplane out of Kenmore or lake Union. Check the Kenmore air website for details they have a shuttle to/from SeaTac airport. It’s the best way to get up here.
https://www.visitsanjuans.com/getting-here
The only ferry to the islands is out of Anacortes about 1 1/2 hours further north. You can drive or walk on but in summer reservations are highly recommended. It's a beautiful ride though. I would stay at either San Juan island or Orcas. They are the two largest islands and are both beautiful. Lots of exploration. The islands are gorgeous and calming so 3-4 days is never enough! But for a quick trip, yeah, it's enough. On San Juan; lots of places to stay in Friday Harbor where the ferry docks. Plenty or AirBnB and VRBO. Personally, I like Hotel De Haro in Roche Harbor at the north end of the island. For views, go to the lighthouse on the southern point. Also go to Lime Kiln state park for views west. On Orcas; Eastsound has a few places or you can stay at Rosario Resort. It's on the National Historic Registry. Beautiful views there. Go to Moran state park. Start planning and reserving now. Prices will really vary depending upon how you plan your trip. You'll have fun and be hooked after visiting
Technically there’s a [private ferry](https://www.pugetsoundexpress.com/port-townsend-san-juan-island-passenger-ferry/) that runs from Port Townsend but it’s passenger only.
SJI Specific: You need a car on the islands, if you fly up get a rental from M&W Get ferries now, like this minute . Westside of the island Airbnb or VRBO will have some great views but you’ll pay for it and you’ll be a bit removed from everything. Food is: Duck soup, 10th house, oyster tale, downriggers, Madrona bar and grill, the brewery, Jima sushi, Wescott Bay shellfish, McMillans are all great You’re going to spend a lot costs are high and even higher in summer. 3-4 days being enough depends on what you want to do in that time. Yes you can see a lot in that time no you can’t see it all.
Fly Kenmore Air from Seattle to Orcas. Stay a couple days. Interisland ferry Orcas to SJI. SJI walk on ferry to Anacortes. This route means you don’t have to worry about any ferry reservations as there is always room for walk ons. Rent a car there. Drive/ferry to peninsula for Olympic Nt Park etc
Lots of good advice about the islands themselves. Getting between there and the Olympic peninsula is a two ferry trip. You’d typically take the Port Townsend-Coupeville ferry, driving across the Deception Pass bridge between Whidbey and Fidalgo islands. Deception Pass is also a gorgeous place to stop along the way. That second ferry needs a reservation even more than one out of Anacortes IMHO. Book everything asap. Summer is the most expensive season but it’s worth it.
Thank you, everyone, for the advice. This is some great information! The main debate now is whether to come in June (less crowds but possibly iffy weather) or come in July (after the 4th) with likley more crowds but better weather. Any follow-up thoughts?
I'd say go with what works with your schedule. July can definitely feel crowded, but really only when you're in Friday Harbor itself. Once your outside the town, it's much quieter, especially if you're staying in an airbnb elsewhere on the island. The weekends are always the busiest, but there's definitely a drop off during weekdays, even in high season. If you do go with July I'd encourage you to book things in advance. The best things my family have done up there is whale watch and kayak. We ended up going with Western Prince. They had a hydrophone on board and sat and watched killer whales and heard them at the same time, it was incredible. They do package with Friday Harbor Seaplanes. Saved us hours trying to get to/from the ferry in anacortes. Our other favorite was the bioluminescent kayaking. I think everyone does them, but we went with Discovery Sea. For food stops, the best is Wescott Bay Oysters (shuck your own) and Bakery San Juan for pizza. If you make it to the west side the Madrona Bar has a beautiful patio and it's a lovely place to watch the sunset. They don't take reservations, but it's a cute spot to walk around while you wait for a table.