Visitors boarding a ferry at Anacortes on the Washington mainland and gliding into the glorious San Juan archipelago for the first time might well feel that they are entering an enchanted land. Here, in a maze of inlets and channels, more than 450 islands – 172 of them named – emerge from the bright blue waters of the northern Puget Sound.
Hills carpeted in old-growth Douglas fir rise from the shores, while the soaring snow-capped peaks of the spectacular Olympic Peninsula tower in the distance. It’s an awesome scene.
If so much natural beauty is too hard to take in at once, indulge in some whale-watching – either from a kayak or the Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island, where you might well catch a glimpse of the resident population of orca whales as they feed.
The San Juan Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific Northwest of the United States between the U.S. state of Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of San Juan County. Wikipedia