Beautiful view on San Juan Island by Benjamin Massello

48-ish Hours Exploring San Juan Island

Beautiful view on San Juan Island by Benjamin Massello

While it’s not the largest island in the San Juans, nor does it have the tallest peaks, San Juan Island is arguably the most popular. Home to the biggest town (downtown Friday Harbor), along with one of the world’s best land-based whale watching destinations (Lime Kiln Lighthouse), this iconic getaway is the perfect place to rest, refresh, and refuel. 

With travel to San Juan Island taking as little as 25 minutes, it’s easy to maximize your time for a quick weekend getaway — a serious boon when there are so many fun things to do. This 48-hour itinerary is a sampling of the best things to do in Friday Harbor and throughout the island. Enjoy.

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Friday Harbor House Fire Pits

Friday Harbor House. Prime Location. Fireside Views.

Fire Pits at Friday Harbor House

A picturesque refuge, Friday Harbor House is nestled on a bluff just one block above Front Street. The dead-end road offers a sense of quiet in the most populated of the San Juan Island towns, while the elevated perch treats visitors to expansive views of Friday Harbor Marina.

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Girlfriends by the beach having fun

Why Orcas Island Should be Your Next Girls Getaway

Girlfriends by the beach

Low-key adventures loaded with scenic views and an internationally acclaimed food and wine scene, make Orcas Island the ideal testosterone-free, comfy jean destination.

Even those born and raised in the Pacific Northwest may not have heard of the San Juan Islands. The remote archipelago sits as close to Canada as it does to the lower 48. Like a marooned captain’s daydream, the roughly 175 forest-covered rocky inlets feature lush farmland, freshwater lakes, and protected coves.

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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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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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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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Family Looking in Tidepool in the Pacific Northwest. Photo by Zargon Design.

Tidepooling in the San Juan Islands

A family looking in a tide pool finds any number of treasures. Photo by Zargon Design.

The rocky shorelines that ring the San Juan Islands create a diverse habitat that’s rich with life. Throughout the crevices and pools, sea anemones live next to mussels and barnacles grow next to starfish. Seaweed varieties abound and shore crabs scuttle.

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Things to do in Friday Harbor with Girlfriends

Top Things to do in Friday Harbor with Girlfriends

Things to do in Friday Harbor with Girlfriends

Breathtaking views, farm-to-table cuisine, and a plethora of low-key activities make Friday Harbor an epic girlfriends’ getaway. 

Roughly 175 forest-covered rocky inlets make up this archipelago. Here, lush farmland butts up against freshwater lakes and protected coves. Saltwater surrounds the shorelines, where seals can be seen playing and mountain views often flirt with the horizon. 

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