Day Trip to San Juan Island
In my (humble) opinion, there is no place more beautiful in the entire world than the San Juan Islands in Washington State. The water, beaches, tree-lined islands, mountains in the background! A ferry crossing by (if you’re lucky, maybe an orca!) – it’s breathtaking. Now, I realize I’m a native pacific northwest girl, and I’m a bit partial… but even if you don’t totally agree with me, a day trip to Friday Harbor is still a great way to visit the San Juans. If you’re looking for a full day summer adventure with your kids or you have some family visiting from out of town, try this day trip to Friday Harbor and San Juan Island!
General Itinerary:
8:45 – Arrive at Anacortes Ferry terminal: park and buy ferry tickets
9:05 – Walk-on ferry from Anacortes
10:10 – Arrive at Friday Harbor
10:35 – Hop on Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley for a tour around the island. Make stops in: Roche Harbor, Lime Kiln Point State Park, & Pelindaba Lavender Farm
4:10 – Return to Friday Harbor for some shopping
5:00 – Early dinner at Downriggers
6:00 – Ice Cream from Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co.
6:30 – Walk onto Anacortes Ferry
7:35 – Arrive Anacortes
Bring:
Baby Carrier – there are definitely portions of this day where you wouldn’t want a loose toddler, but unfortunately these spots aren’t super stroller friendly (Trolley, Lime Kiln Park)
Backpack diaper bag
Sunscreen & hats for a hot day
Extra layers for ferry
Deck of cards for ferry ride
Water bottle
Dog – this entire day is surprisingly pet friendly
Cash for trolley $25 per adults, $20 per kids under 10 (plus a bit extra to tip)
PJs for the kids, left in the car at Anacortes – we change them before the trip home, just in case!
Don’t Bring:
Life jackets – there are free life jackets to use at Roche Harbor if you want to walk down the docks
Stroller – would be a challenge on the trolley and at Lime Kiln
Lunch – there’s too much yummy food on the island to bring your own!
When to go:
Any non-rainy day from late May through early September is the time for this day trip. San Juan Island has a tourist “season” from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Outside this window some of these places could be closed. Even within the season some stores and restaurants will be closed or have limited hours Monday – Thursday. With all that said, my perfect day to do this day trip would be a nice sunny, summer Friday.
Details:
This day trip is no-joke. For us, coming from Sammamish, it’s a 6:30am to 9:30pm full day! But if you’ve got a free Friday during the summer where you’re up for a big adventure, this is a perfect way to experience the Pacific Northwest. The above itinerary is one way to see the island, but it does miss a few other things that we like to do there: whale watching tour, kayaking, lunch or happy hour at Westcott Bay Shellfish Company, wine tasting at San Juan Vineyard. As you can tell, this is a full list. Which is why we normally spend a week on the island every summer! If you’re really on top of your summer planning, you can reserve a Roche Harbor Historic Cottage a full year in advance and take a longer visit to the San Juans the same way we do. But if you only have a day, this is still a great adventure.
Plan to arrive at the Anacortes dock 20-30 minutes before your ferry’s departure to park, purchase crossing tickets, and use the bathrooms. The parking fee is $13.00 per day and can be paid in the lot kiosks. If you’re looking to drive on the ferry, you really need to book reservations well in advance and arrive earlier to insure your spot on the boat.
If you take a direct ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor the trip is just over an hour. Some of the other crossings stop along the way at other San Juan Islands and are therefore longer. As a kid I particularly liked stopping at Shaw Island because until 2005 an order of Franciscan nuns ran the ferry docks! If you do have a stop along the way, be sure to pop onto the outside deck to watch the docking, loading, and unloading process.
Otherwise, walk onto the ferry and quickly snag a seating area with a table along the windows. I try and sit along the right side of the boat so we’re not baking in the sun. If you want to get a breakfast snack during your crossing do that quickly as the galley does run out of food. They have breakfast sandwiches, pastries, coffee, etc. We like to play cards and games of eye spy to keep busy during the hour.
Stop into the potty about 10 minutes before docking. Then head down to the car deck on the forward end of the boat to disembark. It’s fun to be right up against the rope line to watch the ferry come into the Friday Harbor dock. One time, the Dolan boys were actually used as deck-hands to pull the ferry into the terminal!
Friday Harbor is an adorable little marina town, but I highly recommend adding another activity or two to your day to fully experience this beautiful Pacific Northwest location. We’ve taken whale watching tours right from the Friday Harbor docks. There are also guided kayaking tours you can schedule, which would be great if you have older kids. But if you’re looking to really see the area, taking a full loop around the island on the Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley is a great option!
As you walk off the ferry, head to the trolley office to buy your tickets – located between the Salty Fox Cafe and Friday’s Crabhouse at 85 Front Street. Tickets are $25 per adult and $20 for kids under 10. They take cash only and tips are of course welcome! The fare gets you a full day of hop-on, hop-off trolley rides. Well behaved and leashed dogs are free and welcome to join.
Jump on the 10:35 trolley in Friday Harbor and ride 30 minutes to the Roche Harbor Sculpture Park. Walk right into Roche and spend a couple hours exploring this darling marina resort.
We like to spend a full week here each summer and my parents actually were married in the tiny little Roche Harbor Chapel, so this spot is near-and-dear for my family. But I believe it’s charm will be appealing to even those new to town. If you brought the dog, head to Lime Kiln Cafe for lunch on their outside picnic tables. If not, have lunch on the deck at The Madrona Bar & Grill (I love their Bloody Mary’s!).
After lunch, take a walk down the main dock to look at the big yachts and the sea planes docking. They have free life jackets for kids you can use if you’re nervous about them on the docks. The jackets are stored on the west side of the main pier, between the back sides of the grocery store and Lime Kiln Cafe. In Roche, there are a few shops and stands for shopping, the gardens are beautiful to wander through, and the sculpture park is a peaceful (and surprisingly child friendly) place to explore if you’ve got a few extra minutes before the trolley comes.
Depart Roche on the 1:10 trolley and ride until your next stop at Lime Kiln Park around 1:45. Spend an hour hiking, visiting the lighthouse and if you’re very lucky watching whales.
This park has been known in the past for incredible whale watching experiences – I personally saw a “mega pod” of whales here in the mid-2000s where 3 different pods of whales came together and were swimming just off the shore from the park. It was incredible. Sadly the resident orcas are sighted less frequently, but I still think this is a nice spot to visit.
At 2:45 depart Lime Kiln and ride 10 minutes to the Pelindaba Lavender Farm. Here, you can shop, snack, and harvest all things lavender! The farm is a beautiful (looking and smelling!) place to visit and my boys love picking (or really cutting) a bouquet of lavender. This is actually why we normally don’t visit the tulip festivals, because there is no picking allowed and that’s confusing to them! For a small fee, the farm will provide you with scissors to use during your visit and you can take home your own bouquet of lavender. We also like their ice cream and short bread cookies, their soaps and lotions make great little gifts.
The trolley will swing by again at 3:55 and drop you back in Friday Harbor at 4:10. Spend some time wondering this cute little town, making your way slowly to Downriggers restaurant near the docks for dinner. Hopefully this earlier time will help insure you a seat on the deck, overlooking the marina and ferry terminal.
After dinner, grab an ice cream from the Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co. and enjoy your treat while you wait to walk-on the 6:30 crossing. The tickets you purchased in Anacortes are round-trip, and don’t need to be shown again as you embark onto the boat.
We like to change our kids into their PJs when we arrive back in Anacortes and pop a movie onto the iPad for the ride home. Their tummies will be full and they will certainly be exhausted after this adventure to San Juan Island!
Links:
Anacortes Ferry Schedule: https://wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/scheduledetailbyroute
Friday Harbor Jolly Trolley: https://www.fridayharborjollytrolley.com/
Roche Harbor Resort: https://www.rocheharbor.com/
Lime Kiln Point: https://www.parks.wa.gov/540/Lime-Kiln-Point
Pelindaba Lavender Farm: https://www.pelindabalavender.com/visiting-the-farm
Downriggers: https://www.downriggerssanjuan.com/
Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co.: https://www.yelp.com/biz/friday-harbor-ice-cream-co-friday-harbor
Destination Address:
Anacortes Ferry Terminal: Anacortes Ferry Terminal, Anacortes, WA 98221
Trolley Office: 65 Front St S, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Downriggers: 10 Front St, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
