A Travel Photographer’s Guide

Last updated: May 6th, 2024

Overview

Washington’s San Juan Islands (plus, for the purposes of this guide, a few other nearby islands in the Salish Sea), are an amazing destination for travel photography and exploring in general. Sitting in a rain shadow—most winter storms are blocked by the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island—this region gets about half the annual rainfall of nearby Seattle. It’s still part of the Pacific Northwest, so expect some overcast days throughout the year, but if you’re looking for a sunny escape, this is one of your best bets west of the Cascade Mountains. And because they’re close by, I’m including some recommendations here for Whidbey, Fidalgo, and Lummi Islands as well.

This is a travel photographer’s guide to the San Juan Islands and some other nearby islands in Washington’s Salish Sea. It is—and will always be—a work in progress, updated as I continue to explore and photograph the region.

Highlights

Hard to go wrong with any of the three main San Juan Islands (San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez). These are generalizations, but check out Orcas Island for hiking, San Juan Island for a picturesque lighthouse and whales viewable from shore, and Lopez Island for biking and beachfront camping. That said, if you have the time, a week road (and ferry) trip across all three with a couple nights on each is definitely a good call. Some favorites? Don’t miss Lime Kiln Point State Park and American Camp (look for the red foxes) on San Juan Island, Mount Constitution and Obstruction Pass State Park on Orcas Island, and Iceberg Point and dinner at Setsunai Noodle Bar on Lopez Island.

Don’t want to deal with as many ferry logistics? Do a drive up Whidbey Island (take the first-come-first-served ferry from Mukilteo on the mainland), making stops along the way at Langley to look for gray whales (in the spring), Ebey’s Landing for possibly my favorite coastal hike in Washington, and Washington’s most popular state park (and for good reason) at Deception Pass. You’re not technically in the San Juan Islands here, but it’s hard to tell.

When to Visit

The San Juan Islands are really a year-round destination, but most tourism happens in the summer, with spring and fall shoulder seasons close behind. The rain shadow means that winter is milder here than elsewhere in the PNW, but it’s still going to be cold and a little dreary. My favorite time to visit is late spring, but it’s hard to go wrong.

Logistics

The San Juan Islands require some advanced planning to visit, especially on weekends and during the summer high season.

Unless you’re arriving by float plane or private boat, you’ll join the rest of us on the public state-run ferries. This is one of my favorite parts of any trip to the San Juan Islands and makes for an amazing photo opportunity (details and photos below), though the logistics are a little complicated. Ferries leave from Anacortes and stop at Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island), Orcas Island, Lopez Island, and Shaw Island. You’ll need to book your outbound and (possibly) return trips ahead of time. Return ferries from Orcas and San Juan Islands to Anacortes take reservations. Return trips from Lopez and Shaw Islands are first-come-first-served. Ferry tickets are released two months before the season starts, two weeks before the date of the trip, and two days before the date of the trip. A few slots are reserved for emergency and stand-by vehicles. It’s a little complex to figure out, but totally worth it. You’ll reserve your ferry tickets ahead of time (and get more information) here: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries.

If you’re visiting multiple islands, you’ll take the inter-island ferry. This is first-come-first-served and free if traveling eastbound. For that reason, if you’re visiting multiple islands, it makes sense to do in this order (ignoring Shaw Island for this, since it’s rarely visited): San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Lopez Island. More information here: https://www.visitsanjuans.com/interisland-ferry

Whidbey Island is connected to the mainland by ferry (first-come-first-served) at the southern end and by bridge (via Fidalgo Island and Anacortes) at the northern end. You can also take a ferry from the middle of Whidbey Island directly to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula.

Lummi Island has its own county-run ferry route and is generally easier to book.

Note that in the past, there was a passenger-only ferry direct from Seattle to Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island). As of May 2024, that is no longer running, but check the Clipper Vacations website for updates.

Camping and Lodging Recommendations

I’ve always either camped or stayed in cabins—booked via AirBnB—on past trips to the San Juan Islands. There are some boutique hotels as well, but I can’t personally speak to those. In general, the islands are expensive, so expect to pay a bit more than elsewhere in the PNW.

Even for camping, you’ll want to book ahead of time. As opposed to other parts of Washington, there aren’t really any options for free camping along forest roads, so you’ll need a campsite reservation and they tend to fill up in advance. I believe that there are a few spots on Lopez Island (right in Lopez Village) where self-contained camper vans can park for free for up to 72 hours, but I’d personally recommend grabbing a spot at the county park instead. Some places I’ve stayed and can recommend:

San Juan County Park (San Juan Island): Wonderful county park with campsites right on the water (see photos below). Good chance you’ll see orcas swim by the shore here. No shower here, but there are coin-operated showers in Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor. My tip? Snag site 16 if you can.
Moran State Park (Orcas Island): Your only option for a public campground on Orcas Island, it’s a pretty great one. Campsites sit along a couple different lakes: grab one right on the shore if you can.
Odlin County Park (Lopez Island): Some of the campsites are right next to the beach here (see photos below). One of my favorite experiences in the islands has been watching the ferries and seals pass by from my tent while drinking my morning coffee. Magical. No showers here, but there are free public showers at Lopez Village.
Saltwater Farms (San Juan Island): We stayed in one of the adorable tiny cabins here for a couple nights and it was stunning. I believe they only open these to guests in non-wedding-season.
AirBnB: There’s no shortage of AirBnBs at a range of price points. We’ve booked little seaside cottages on Guemes and Lummi Islands before and had good experiences.

Leave No Trace

Hey, let’s leave these places as good or better than we found them. Always good to have a quick refresher on the 7 Leave No Trace principles: https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/

Resources

Rainshadow World: A Naturalist’s Year in the San Juan Islands (Susan Vernon)

Day Hiking: The San Juans & Gulf Islands (Craig Romano)

LOCATIONS

We’ll start with the ferry ride itself, and then break down locations by island. For now, I’ve limited this guide to islands that you can reach by car ferry. There are dozens of others than can be reached by private water taxi or kayak and I’ll add those once I get the chance to visit.