San Juan Islands Boating Guide

Waterfront views steps from the marina, Pacific Northwest seafood.

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 20+ years. Intimate candlelit four-course tasting menus.

Hand-battered fish and chips and craft cocktails. 1 Front Street North.

Two-minute walk from the marina. Morning fuel stop.

Rustic cabin setting. Nearly all ingredients sourced or foraged from the island. Acclaimed by Bon Appetit and Fodor's across 40+ years.

In the founder's former home. 60-day aged prime rib, Wine Spectator wines.

Only sunset-over-water dining on the island. Deck built directly over the harbor.

Fresh doughnuts and hearty breakfasts on the wharf.

Eat oysters where they grow at beachside picnic tables overlooking cultivated tidelands.

Espresso, burgers, fish and chips, pizza right at the marina.

Wood-fired pizza near Deer Harbor Marina.

James Beard Award nomination 2024. Hyper-local seasonal tasting menus.

Seven James Beard nominations. Creative sourdough pizza and seafood small plates.

Inside the historic Outlook Inn. Water-view dining with crab cakes and wild salmon.

Morning essential. Artisanal bread, almond croissants, espresso with bay views.

Carnitas tacos and margaritas on an outdoor patio.

Pizza, burgers, and waterside outdoor dining at the marina.

Ultra-fresh shucked oysters at picnic tables on a working farm.

Buttermilk biscuit sandwiches, curry chicken sandwich, boysenberry lemonade, and cinnamon rolls.

Prosser-sourced wines in a tasting room. Spanish potato chips and resident chihuahua Arthur.

Sandwiches, burgers, and seafood in the historic Porter Building in Eastsound.

Shared tasting barn on Anderson Lane. Apple brandy judged best craft-distilled in the U.S. Spy Hop Gin (silver medals). Westcott Bay Cider from 1,300+ English and French cider apple trees replanted on an 1870s orchard.

Upscale Pacific Northwest cuisine with waterfront views.

Creative agrarian fine dining with local seasonal ingredients.

Asian-inspired dishes with revolving seasonal menus.

Legendary Tiki Bar happy hours and live summer music on the waterfront deck.

Neapolitan-style pizza from a 700-degree stone hearth.

Famous for cardamom coco knots and baguettes.

Views of Cattle Point Lighthouse, Mount Baker, and the Olympic Mountains.

Island's most accessible path through wetlands.

Ocean bluff walking with possible whale sightings.

360-degree panoramic views of Olympic Peninsula, Haro Strait, Canadian Gulf Islands. Native Garry Oak forest and 1860s Royal Marines cemetery.

One of the world's best land-based whale watching locations. 1919 lighthouse, restored lime kilns, hydrophone for live orca calls.

Spectacular waterfall in minutes from the trailhead.

Circles the main lake with swimming access.

More peaceful lakeside circuit.

Climbs Mount Constitution's west face with switchbacks and East Sound vistas.

Eastern ascent from Mountain Lake. CCC-built 1936 stone observation tower at summit — views of Baker, Cascades, Vancouver Island, Rainier.

Connects Twin Lakes with Mountain Lake via forested ridgeline. Quieter alternative to the Constitution routes.

Steep ascent to a secondary summit with views of the Strait of Georgia and Canadian Gulf Islands.

Ascent to the park's eastern summit with panoramic views of Rosario Strait and the outer islands.

Views of West Sound. Managed by San Juan County Land Bank.

Old-growth forest trails to secluded beach at island's southeastern tip.

Boardwalk through old-growth forest to rocky shoreline. Seal and sea lion colonies, strongest currents in the San Juans.

Island's top-rated hike. Forest to windswept coastal meadow at rocky cliffs. Camas lily fields, whale watching. San Juan Islands National Monument.

Flat coastal trail to sandy cove with Mount Baker framed perfectly on clear days. Watmough Head scramble for panoramic summit views.

Best overview of the island. Johnson Point and Shallow Bay with views of Strait of Georgia.

Near-complete island perimeter circuit.

Fossil Bay overlook of Fox Cove and Little Sucia Island. Named for the yachtsman who led preservation.

Circles central and southwest portions. High bluff views of San Juans and Thatcher Pass. Northern half closed as Natural Forest Area.

Dense forest to overlook. Access to 6 pristine beaches. Exceptional native flora — camas, paintbrush, fawn lilies.

From Reid Harbor or Prevost Harbor to the 1893 Turn Point Lighthouse at the island's western tip. Views into Canadian waters.

Loop trail through madrone forest to the 1893 lighthouse at the western point. Tended by volunteer Keepers of the Patos Light.

Summit climb to a 750-foot viewpoint overlooking Rosario Strait and the San Juan archipelago. DNR-managed.

Network of trails including an ADA-accessible paved path. Tame black-tailed deer and a small heritage orchard.

564 acres widely considered Washington's finest marine state park. Hand-shaped form creates six distinct moorage bays — ...

Compact island with tame black-tailed deer, a small heritage orchard, and one of the few ADA-accessible trails in the ma...

Remote park near the Canadian border with two protected harbors connected by a 3.5-mile trail to the 1893 Turn Point Lig...

207 acres of madrone forest on the northernmost island in the lower 48. The 1893 lighthouse is tended by volunteer Keepe...

The crown jewel of DNR's marine holdings. Eagle Cliff summit offers one of the best views in the San Juans. Reed Lake ha...

55-acre island with rocky beaches and madrone groves. Less visited than Sucia or Jones, offering genuine solitude. Unusu...

217-acre nature preserve with exceptional native flora — camas, paintbrush, fawn lilies. Strict day-use rules with appro...

581-acre hourglass-shaped island — two forested hills rising 200+ feet connected by a low isthmus with two white sand be...

25 acres with 25,000 plants of three lavender species. Organic certified with 200+ products made on site. Zulu name means 'place of great gatherings.'

Eat oysters where they grow at beachside picnic tables overlooking cultivated tidelands.

Ultra-fresh shucked oysters at picnic tables on a working farm.

Prosser-sourced wines in a tasting room. Spanish potato chips and resident chihuahua Arthur.

Shared tasting barn on Anderson Lane. Apple brandy judged best craft-distilled in the U.S. Spy Hop Gin (silver medals). Westcott Bay Cider from 1,300+ English and French cider apple trees replanted on an 1870s orchard.

Arctic Raven Gallery

Northwest Coast Native art — masks, carvings, prints from Coast Salish, Haida, and Tlingit nations. 130 First Street S.

WaterWorks Gallery

Contemporary Pacific Northwest artists since 1985.

Island Studios

Exclusively represents artists living in the San Juans. 270 Spring Street.

San Juan Islands Museum of Art

Rotating exhibitions Fri-Mon 11AM-5PM. Administers the Sculpture Park near Roche Harbor. 540 Spring Street.

San Juan Islands Sculpture Park

Free 20-acre outdoor park with 150 sculptures across 5 trails. Open dawn to dusk year-round.

Orcas Island Pottery

Oldest pottery in the Pacific Northwest (est. 1945). Whimsical gardens, working artists.

Orcas Island Artworks

Cooperative in a 1938 strawberry barreling plant. 45 island artists — pottery, glass, wood, fiber.

Crow Valley Gallery

Waterfront gallery since 1959.

Chimera Gallery

Cooperative (est. 1987) — painting, ceramics, glass, fiber, metalwork.

Peter A. Mohlman Fine Arts & Design

Working artist gallery and teaching studio. Atlanta College of Art-trained, full-time Orcas resident. Watercolor and acrylic landscapes. Classes $50 (3-class min) or $65 individual; scholarships available.

Darvill's Bookstore

Independent bookstore and coffee bar for 35+ years. Batdorf & Bronson and Dancing Goats coffee. Overlooks the Sound. 296 Main Street.