Island Getaways: The San Juan Islands

THE BIG ATTRACTION: SAN JUAN
The second-largest and most populous of all the islands in the archipelago, San Juan Island is flush with visitor amenities. Whether you’re a history buff, nature lover, culture hound or foodie, chances are you’ll leave San Juan Island jonesing for a return trip.

Tour Historic Friday Harbor
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island’s big town, is celebrating its centennial (historicfridayharbor.org). Get a sense of the history of this quintessential island burg by taking a free guided walking tour (Saturdays, 9 a.m., May–October; reservations required at 360.678.2810) that highlights buildings such as the Bowman House (circa 1876–1878), the island’s oldest continuously inhabited residence. Or pick up a self-guided-tour brochure at Friday Harbor Town Hall (60 Second St.).

Have a Whale of a Time
The nonprofit Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, three blocks from the ferry landing, features interactive exhibits about the natural history of marine mammals, with a special focus on the orca whales that inhabit the waters of the San Juan Islands. Real whale skeletons, a family tree of the resident orca pods and a Whale Phone Booth featuring the “songs” of various whale species are highlights.

Sustain Yourself Overnight
In building the Juniper Lane Guest House in Friday Harbor, islander Juniper Maas made a point of sustainability. The comfortable accommodation offers three chicly decorated guest rooms for couples and two larger bunk-style rooms with lodgy charm. About 80 percent of the wood used in the building’s extensive interior carpentry and paneling comes from locally milled “salvage” sources—either driftwood or trees knocked down by storms. The gorgeous concrete and granite tiles that cover the lobby floor were rescued from the dump by Maas’ mother. And to conserve energy, each room has its own adjustable convection-air electric heater that consumes half the power of a traditional baseboard electric radiator.

Dine in Style
Just because it’s the only fine-dining option in Roche Harbor doesn’t mean the food at McMillin’s is ordinary. On any given night, the $30 four-course tasting menu could include rosemary mushrooms topped with locally sourced goat cheese, Dungeness crab bisque, smoked San Juan Island delicata squash, freshly caught wild prawns, or any number of other fresh, zesty dishes. Don’t miss the fireplace-warmed Madrona Bar & Grill adjoining McMillin’s.

Be One with the Orcas
Glimpsing orca whales cavorting in their natural offshore habitat is a big draw for visitors to the islands every summer. To get on the water, Discovery Sea Kayaks leads half-day, full-day and multi-day (camping) trips throughout the summer months and upon request during the rest of the year. If you bring your own kayak, park and launch at Small Pox Bay within San Juan County Park on the island’s wild west side. Or hop aboard a whale-watching cruise with one of the tours leaving from San Juan Island: Western Prince Whale & Wildlife Tours, San Juan Safaris, San Juan Excursions and San Juan Outfitters, among others.

Breakfast at the Harbor
When the sun is shining, grab a table outside under an umbrella at the Lime Kiln Café, which serves what may be the island’s best breakfast and brunch (until 11 a.m., and lunch after that). Watch the boats, seals and eagles come in and out of bustling Roche Harbor as you eat.

Sample More Wine
Featuring one of the largest wine lists in the San Juans—with many varieties available by the glass or even half-glass—and top-notch Northwest cuisine to match, Steps Wine Bar & Café is a treat for locals and visitors alike. Chef/owner Madden Surbaugh focuses on crafting unique culinary delights out of locally sourced produce, fish and livestock. Open year-round, the menu changes daily.

Stock Up for the Ferry Ride
Right next to the ferry terminal, Doctor’s Office Espresso and Homemade Ice Cream  serves up a mean menu of tasty sandwiches—perfect for those long boat rides back to Anacortes—as well as a variety of espresso drinks and on-site churned ice cream.

Take Shore Leave
Lime Kiln Point State Park—the site of one of the biggest lime-processing facilities in the country back in the 19th century—is now home to 36 acres of forest and rocky shoreline, and is surrounded by another 200 acres of preserved county land, all of which is open to the public. In July and August, keep a lookout for orca whales: The waters off Lime Kiln are a virtual all-you-can-eat buffet for the big black-and-white carnivores, making the park perhaps the best place in the world to see them up close without leaving terra firma. Don’t miss the cute little old lighthouse—it still works, but these days is automated.

Relive the Pig War
San Juan was a bone of international contention in the 19th century, when two separate military encampments (American and English) occupied different ends of the island. Seething tensions regarding which nation had sovereignty over the archipelago were sparked when American farmer Lyman Cutlar shot a British pig rooting in his potato patch. Thus began the 12-year “Pig War”—which amounted to little more than a military stand-off and was resolved through diplomatic channels 12 years later with the San Juan Islands awarded to the United States. Today the English Camp and American Camp are managed by the National Park Service and house some of the original buildings erected by the troops a century and a half ago. On July 25 and 26, the park service will celebrate the 150th anniversary of peace with an encampment and reenactment at English Camp. The boulder-strewn rolling hills of American Camp are right out of an Andrew Wyeth painting; at English Camp, the Bell Point Trail zigzags along some of the most beautiful coastline this side of British Columbia.

Identify Sea Life
You know you’re going off the beaten path when the road turns from pavement to dirt under your tires. Studded with rocks large and small for some 50 yards out to the oncoming surf, False Bay is one of the best spots around San Juan Island to see sea life including sea urchins, anemones, starfish and more. Don your wellies and take a closer look at what lies at your feet. Or just relax and watch the golden sunset make the glistening tidal rocks of False Bay sparkle.

Step Back in Time
Fresh from a recent renovation, the Roche Harbor Resort’s Hotel de Haro is looking as good as it did the night President Teddy Roosevelt reportedly stayed there in 1907. If you reserve Teddy’s old room—now dubbed the Presidential Suite—you’ll get your own bathroom. More modest rooms with shared bathrooms  are less expensive, but also feature period furniture and are equally charming. Built in 1886, the 20-room hotel—originally built to house visiting guests of the Roche Harbor Lime & Cement Co., is on the National Register of Historic Places. While here, be sure to tour Roche Harbor’s expansive and colorful formal gardens—or head out to the resort’s marina to ogle the fancy yachts that tie up at this popular stopping point. If you’re yearning for exercise, head into the woods above the resort to the McMillin mausoleum, an eerie Masonic-style memorial to the lime-quarry founder and his family.

SAN JUAN ISLAND RESOURCES Discovery Sea Kayaks (Friday Harbor) 1 Spring St. 360.378.2559 Doctor’s Office Espresso and Homemade Ice Cream (Friday Harbor) 85 Front St. 360.378.8865 English Camp and American Camp False Bay (off False Bay Road, just northwest of American Camp) Juniper Lane Guest House (Friday Harbor) 1312 Beaverton Valley Road 888.397.2597 From $65/night Lime Kiln Cafe (Roche Harbor) 248 Reuben Memorial Drive 360.378.7954 Lime Kiln Point State Park (Friday Harbor) 1567 Westside Road 360.378.2044 McMillin’s Madrona Bar & Grill (Roche Harbor) 4950 Tarte Memorial Drive 360.378.5757 (McMillin’s); 800.451.8910, ext. 400 (Madrona) Roche Harbor Resort (Roche Harbor) Hotel de Haro 248 Reuben Memorial Drive 360.378.2155 Steps Wine Bar & Cafe (Friday Harbor) 123 W Front St. 360.370.5959 Whale Museum (Friday Harbor) 62 First St. N 360.378.4710 Whale-watching tours Western Prince Whale & Wildlife Tours San Juan Excursions San Juan Outfitters San Juan Safaris

>>Explore the San Juans: Lopez Island; San Juan Island; Orcas Island; Lummi Island