San Juan Islands, Washington

The San Juan Islands were Featured in Esquire's
Great Places to Discover on a Last-Minute Summer Road Trip

San Juan Islands, Washington
Nearest highway: I-5
Suggested length of stay: Seven days

I can't stand the beach. Or, to hone the point, I can't stand the beach as most of America does it: overcrowded, oversexed, and bleached of its edge-of-another-world thrill by slatherings of zinc oxide and kitsch. When I crave honest salt air, I wait for winter and its empty shores. Or I sit back and dream of late summer in the San Juans. You take the ferry from Anacortes. You bring or don't bring your car. Doesn't matter. You get off at Lopez Island if you want a sleepy, small-town vibe — the MacKaye Harbor Inn is a gem — or, if you want something with a little more going on, head to Orcas Island. (Stay a night at the Inn at Ship Bay.) Then there's the last stop, Friday Harbor, which combines the sleepiness of Lopez and the goings-on of Orcas for something all its own. What makes the San Juans special isn't the water (though it's as clear as jewels), the backdrop of green forests and snowy mountains, the beachcombing, the whale watching, the kayaking, or the hiking. What makes them special is that they'd exist without you. The world's sea trade passes through here. The fishing fleets come and go. The place has a life of its own. It's another world, so it lets you step out of your own. —TIM HEFFERNAN

San Juan Islands Visitor Guide
http://www.visitsanjuans.com/

The San Juan Island Lodging, Activity, and Travel Guide
http://www.travelsanjuan.com/