Friends enjoying summer on San Juan Island

40 Things To Do On San Juan Island This Summer

Summer on San Juan Island

Rolling pastoral farmland, rocky shorelines, and windswept hills offer a pristine, sun-filled oasis in the far reaches of the Salish Sea. Here, outdoor activities abound, ranging from thrilling whale watching adventures to brilliant sunset strolls. Among the most popular of the archipelago, you’ll find a plethora of things to do on San Juan Island this summer. Discover some of our favorites!

Looking for the fastest and most scenic way to travel up to San Juan Island from Seattle? Skip the ferry lines and hop aboard a scenic seaplane flight from Lake Washington or Lake Union. Direct flights aboard our wheeled aircraft, Kenmore Air Express, are also available from Boeing Field to Friday Harbor Airport.

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Chef Cynthia Burke on San Juan Island

Cynthia Burke on San Juan Island

Cynthia Burke on San Juan Island

If you know anything about Cynthia Burke, you know she makes good food. It’s not necessarily a work of art. Her kitchen isn’t equipped with tweezers. Her staff doesn’t make gold leaf garnishes. And her cuisine doesn’t fall into a specific Mexican, Italian or Mediterranean camp. 

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Bobby Ryan of Inspired Earth Teas on San Juan Island

Inspired Earth Tea – Handcrafted on San Juan Island

Bobby Ryan of Inspired Earth Teas

The salty crispness of a craggy, windswept shore. The heady scent of damp wood. The warmth of sweet sunshine. The San Juan Islands have long been a refuge for weary hearts and creative minds — and it’s this wildly scenic and peacefully unimposing beauty Bobby Ryan is capturing in a cup. 

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Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve on Lopez Island

Walking Trails at Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve

Fisherman Bay Spit Preserve

Fisherman Bay is a calm and protected inlet located near the northern end of Lopez Island. Boaters both love and dread the protected anchoring grounds, as the one-way entrance and exit is well-known for its narrow navigation lines. (Spanning just five feet in some sections at low tide, boaters are strongly encouraged to come and go when the water is at its peak.)

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The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden in Victoria BC

The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden

The Teahouse at Abkhazi Garden

While coffee is the ‘get up and go’ boost that starts many a day, tea invites the mid-day respite from the hustle and bustle. This afternoon practice brings with it a sense of calm and luxurious indulgence. It speaks to a time when life was slower and device free — as it was when the Prince and Princess Abkhazi began cultivating their stunning estate in the mid-1940s.

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Boating in the Salish Sea by Vancouver Island

Where to Dock When You Cruise the Salish Sea

Boating in the Salish Sea

There are hundreds of islands in Puget Sound, the San Juans, and Canada. The Straits of Juan De Fuca divide Washington from Vancouver Island, Canada and connect to the Pacific Ocean 60 miles west. The islands form a protected inland arm of the ocean that covers over 1,000 square miles called the Salish Sea. Astounding water depths dropping over 900 feet fill gaps between the rocky islands. Over a trillion gallons of water move during each tide refreshing the sea every day and providing a home for myriads of sea life.

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Orca killer whale off the coast of Canada breaching

Seattle Whale Watching Tours: Tips, FAQs & More

Orca killer whale off the coast of Canada

Few sights are as humbling as seeing a whale breach the ocean’s surface and slap its body back into the water. It puts the massiveness of Mother Nature on full display with a heart-pounding thrill that’s hard to equal. Of course, not every Seattle whale watching tour includes a breaching orca whale. But most do include a whale sighting, especially aboard San Juan Safaris whale watching tours. 

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Kenmore Air Flight Instructor Ava Karr and a Piper SuperCub

Meet Flight Instructor Ava Karr

Ava Karr Kenmore Air Pilot

Flying wasn’t always the plan. Initially, it was a means to an end. Ava Karr wanted a job where she could travel. A job that allowed her to take adventures.

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Fox Kits on San Juan Island. Iandewar Photography

Safely Viewing Fox Kits on San Juan Island

Fox Kits. Photo by Iandewar Photography.

Delicate vegetables. Sprawling wildflowers. Bouncing babies. What’s not to love about spring? San Juan Island offers a particularly cute ball of energetic new life — fox kits (aka baby foxes). The fluffy pups are most predominantly spotted on the prairie above South Beach in American Camp National Historical Park.

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The Lodge at St. Edwards in Kenmore

The Lodge at St. Edward — A City Escape without the Drive

The Lodge at St. Edwards

Venture some 15 minutes from the heart of Seattle into a quiet sanctuary, where grassy fields roll into pristine forests heavy with moss and an undeveloped waterfront hides a high-end retreat known as The Lodge at St. Edward. 

In the early 1900s, The East Side Journal said, “New York has its Brooklyn, San Francisco has its Oakland, Seattle is building its Kirkland.” At the time, Lake Washington was nine feet taller than it is today. Its eastern borders were considered a remote, country destination dotted with worn farmhouses, muddy lanes, and the occasional ‘second home’ of the city’s elite.

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