Hike rugged bluffs, explore charming island paths and sleep steps from the Salish Sea—an intimate look at the islands’ best immersive adventures

written by Cathy Carroll

From iconic hikes packed with history, vistas and wildlife to serendipitous finds for those who wander, spring days in the San Juan Islands end best with dreaming by the sea.

Sunsets, Stories and Island Trails

Of all the indelible moments of San Juan Island’s Jakle’s Lagoon-Mount Finlayson trail—fern-filled forests teeming with songbirds and spring wildflowers, a rocky shoreline rich with oysters and clams and windswept prairie ridges unveiling views of the Olympic and Cascades ranges—one relatively humble spot prevails. Just beyond the lagoon’s beach, where the coastal trail slips into the woods, an enormous western red cedar swoops over the path.

“People just gravitate toward it,” said Jason Tracer of Trace Your Trail guided hikes in the San Juan Islands. “They need to touch it, stop and hang out with it for a while. They’re just kind of awestruck.”

The effect of that one cedar is emblematic of why Tracer, who grew up in Port Townsend and led sea kayaking and hiking tours in Alaskan backcountry for two decades, began guiding here three years ago. Aside from the cedar’s striking beauty, Tracer notes how the Coast Salish communities thrived here for 11,000 years, using western red cedars for everything from baskets to roofing. They would cast reef nets to catch salmon along these shores and harvested camas bulbs from these forests.

More botanical insight lies ahead on the moderate, 3.8-mile loop that rises about 290 feet in a roughly quarter-mile stretch through big-leaf maples and cedar groves climbing toward Mount Finlayson. Brushed up against stinging nettles en route? The remedy grows nearby. Just rub the powdery spores from the back of a western sword fern frond for some instant backwoods pain relief, Tracer said.

Emerging from the forest, the trail reaches a ridge of windswept golden grasslands that looks out over the Salish Sea to Mount Baker on a clear day. “It’s prairie land up there—a completely different environment,” said Tracer. “On the right is forest dropping away; on the left, prairie and sea.” Sea lions, orcas and humpback whales surface and dive below; bald eagles, turkey vultures and hawks circle above.

Rabbits, as well as the red foxes pursuing them—two species introduced by settlers more than a century ago—aren’t the only remnants of the era. The 2.6-mile American Camp-Salish Coast hike with Tracer combines forest and coastal ecology with frontier history. Explore two of the original U.S. Army officers’ quarters dating back to the Pig War of 1859, sparked when an American farmer shot a British-owned pig rooting in his potatoes. With both nations claiming the islands, U.S. and British troops occupied them jointly until 1872, when Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm I arbitrated in favor of the United States.

Reflect on more recent time passages by meandering through madrona and oak on Young Hill, a 650-foot point for watching the sun set over islands stretching into Canadian waters. (www.traceyourtrail.com)

Ways to Wander

Flowing through yoga takes on another level of conscious connection at Heaven on Earth Animal Retirement Sanctuary on San Juan Island. An instructor leads the classes on a pasture amid cedars and Douglas firs—as well as llamas, sheep, donkeys, cows, pigs, goats, chickens and geese—May through September. The sanctuary, which provides lifelong care for animals rescued or retired from working farms, aims to foster empathy toward animals, boost human health and reduce climate change by promoting plant-based diets. (www.heavenonearthanimalsanctuary.org)

On Orcas Island, The Little Farm on Olga Road invites mean-derers—no appointment, no agenda. Follow pathways lined with vegetables and herbs and wander among rows of flowers. QR codes on a bird perch offer a glimpse into what the farmers are growing and why, along with insights for the gardening-curious. The farm stand offers seasonal bounty and pick-your-own bouquets. (www.littlefarm.life)

Sleeping by the Sea

Waterfront cabins and suites with vaulted ceilings offer expansive views over Mitchell Bay at Snug Harbor Resort on San Juan Island. The resort loans kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, bikes and e-bikes for exploring. Three major whale research organizations operate out of the resort marina, a prime location for marine mammals as well as fishing and crabbing. (www.snugresort.com)

On Orcas Island at Doe Bay Resort & Retreat, cabins, yurts and geodesic domes are secluded in the woods or overlook the Salish Sea. Clothing-optional soaking tubs and a sauna are set over a waterfall, and guided ecology hikes into nearby Moran State Park round out the experience of wandering, as much about where you rest as where you roam. (www.doebay.com)