Places: San Juan Islands
DETAILS: San Juan Islands
I spent the month of October island hopping the San Juan Islands + Vancouver Island and it was one of the best stretches of RV life that I've experienced yet! I have a lot of info (+ photos/videos) to share for those interested in planning a trip.
There are 172 islands in the San Juan Island chain (which is part of the state of Washington). Most of the islands are very small and uninhabited, some are private. The four largest islands are accessible by ferry, and the ferries that serve these four islands can all accommodate any size RV (including toads).
The journey begins at the ferry landing in Anacortes, Washington. Reservations should be made in advance online or by calling the Washington State Ferry:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
888-808-7977
I visited all four ferry-served islands by buying a single roundtrip ticket that included the RV+driver. The most economical route is buying the roundtrip ticket from Anacortes to San Juan Island (the most Western island) which then allows you to visit the other 3 islands for free when you travel back Eastbound. So, if you visit the islands in the order listed in bold below, a single ticket purchase enables 5 ferry rides, including the trip back to Anacortes (in the off season this was $153 which included the RV+driver to all 4 islands roundtrip, each additional passenger is a one-time $14 charge). In peak season, these rates are about 30% higher. When considering the convenience of taking your 11,000 lb. "home on wheels" out to these islands and staying without paying even a single night at a hotel/resort or renting a car, I think the cost of the ferry ride pays for itself in a day.
San Juan Island
If you only visit one island, make it San Juan Island. It offers a little bit of everything! Friday Harbor is the main town and also the ferry port. I stayed at Lakedale Resort at Three Lakes in the island's interior and I highly recommend it. It's located on 82 acres which includes 3 private lakes with row boats, paddle boats, kayaks, etc. The resort is mainly a lodge with cabins for guest accommodations, but they do have an extensive tent campground and a special section for 5 RV sites with water+electric hookups. There is a free dump station in Friday Harbor. The campground is wooded, the air is fresh, and the scenery is peaceful. Feels like a mountain lodge, but you're on an island!
Make the 52-mile drive around the island and see the Sculpture Garden, Roche Harbor, Lime Kiln Lighthouse and South Beach. If you drive counter-clockwise, you'll save the afternoon light and setting sun for the Westside tour of the island.
For restaurants in Friday Harbor, check out Downriggers for lunch, Mike's Cafe & Wine Bar for dinner and The Bean Cafe for coffee while waiting for the ferry.
Orcas Island
Orcas is a pretty island with a small, quaint village in the main town (Eastsound). They have a great market and a handful of shops and restaurants, all of which you can walk in about 20 minutes!
There are two places to camp (I stayed at both). The West Beach Resort is a nice spot on the Westside of the island with water+electric, though the RV parking area is away from the water. Moran State Park is dry camping but they do have a water fill and dump station. The latter campground is located in the trees and close to a surprisingly busy road. I got very little sun/solar due to trees, clouds and low sun angle, so I needed to run my generator to charge batteries.
Shaw Island
Shaw is strictly residential with a population of 165 according to a local. The only business on the entire island is a small general store next to the ferry dock! Although I drove the whole island in about 45 minutes "just because", I wouldn't recommend visiting Shaw in an RV because all you will see are houses and coastline and you'll end up hitting low branches no matter how hard you try to avoid them! Beautiful place to live, but not much to see/do as a visitor.
Lopez Island
My favorite camping spot was here, in Odlin County Park. It's right on the ocean, but it looks like a lake. In the offseason, it was quiet and desolate and at night all you see are the lights from stars and ferries passing by in the distance. There's only one way to describe this location after sundown: magical.
There's a small town (the largest on the island) about 4 miles from the campground. It's worth a quick tour and a stop for coffee, lunch, groceries, etc.