San Juan Islands Bike Tour

Travel+Leisure Magazine calls the San Juan Islands “a place out of time.” Bike pastoral roads and beside sparkling waters. Hike through an ancient forest. Spend a half-day kayaking coastal waters with naturalist guides. Experience the very best of life on the Salish Sea. Top it off with award-winning lodging and fresh island cuisine. Conde Nast Traveler named Friday Harbor (where you’ll spend a good bit of time) one of the Most Beautiful Towns in America. And Fodor’s Travel Guide trumpets, “You won’t find a nicer place to ride than these islands in the Pacific Northwest’s Puget Sound.” At the end of your tour, hop aboard a chartered float plane for a spectacular flight over the islands straight back to Seattle, included with your trip.
Itinerary
Day 01
Hop aboard a Ferry to sail away to San Juan Island. Ride to Cattle Point and Friday Harbor.
Meals
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Tucker House Inn
Ability Level
All Levels
Distance
28 miles
Elevation
+1807 ft / -1584 ft
Meet us in Seattle for a complimentary van shuttle north to Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island. After a bike fitting, board a ferry to cruise the Salish Sea to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. Ride to Cattle Point, where you’re greeted by incredible views of Lopez Island, San Juan Island, Mt. Constitution and other places you’ll explore this week. Head back to Friday Harbor to browse its shops, art galleries, and whale museum. Spend three nights in pampered luxury at the historic Tucker House Inn. Their fresh, gourmet breakfasts and convenient location in town make it a top choice for an island getaway!
You can read more about the Washington Ferry System here: http://www.wsdot.com/ferries/
Day 02
Bike to Pelindaba Lavender Farm and historic Lime Kiln State Park for whale-watching.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Lodging
Tucker House Inn
Ability Level
All Levels
Distance
23-33 miles
Elevation
Up to +1985 ft / -1985 ft
This morning, bicycle the serene shores of San Juan Island, enjoying open farmland and marine vistas from quiet country roads. Visit English Camp, a national historic park that was once part of the “Pig War” between England and the United States, and Lime Kiln State Park, one of the best orca (‘killer’) whale watching spots in the country. Tour the heavenly-scented fields at Pelindaba Lavender Farm and take your pick of several different routes back to town. Enjoy dinner on your own tonight in Friday Harbor.
Day 03
Kayak to Henry Island.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Tucker House Inn
Ability Level
All Levels
Day 04
Ferry to Orcas Island then hike or bike to the summit of Mt. Constitution, highest point in the islands.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Dinner
Lodging
Lopez Islander
(or Lopez Farm Cottages)
Ability Level
All Levels
Distance
18 miles
Elevation
+1220 ft / – 1220 ft [Mt Constitution adds 10 mi; +2586 ft / -267 ft]
Take a short Washington State Ferry cruise to Orcas Island, the largest and most mountainous of the San Juans. Ride to Eastsound, explore the town and have lunch on your own. Back on the bicycle, pedal to Moran State Park and Cascade Lake. Hike through the last remaining old-growth forest in the islands up to the summit of Mt. Constitution, the literal high-point of the San Juans. Prefer to ride? Challenge the switchbacks on the road to the top of “Mt. C” instead of hiking the trail. It’s one for the books! Either way, your reward at the top is a marvelous view of the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges and the emerald archipelago flung wide below. Ferry to Lopez Island where the Lopez Islander (or Lopez Farm Cottages) will be our home for the next two nights. Dine at Vita’s – another fantastic local restaurant.
Day 05
Explore Lopez Island: Spencer Spit, Agate Beach and Watmough Bay.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Lopez Islander
(or Lopez Farm Cottages)
Ability Level
All Levels
Distance
38 miles
Elevation
+2024 ft / -2022 ft
Explore Lopez Island today. Lopez is the flattest, most rural, and least populated of the three main San Juan Islands. It’s also considered the ‘bicyclist’s island’ for its quiet roads, gentle terrain, spectacular marine vistas, and friendly residents who wave as you bicycle past. Ride clockwise around the island, starting with Spencer Spit State Park, then south to Watmough Bay (watch for seals!). Listen to the sound of the waves gently stirring the rocks on the shore at Agate Beach. This is a great day for views of the Olympic Mountains and looking back over some of the places you’ve explored this week. Dinner tonight is hosted by Haven Kitchen, another of our local favorites.
Day 06
Pedal Fisherman Bay and take once last beach walk before enjoying a scenic, traffic-free, float plane ride back to Seattle.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Ability Level
All Levels
Distance
15 miles
Elevation
+588 ft / -588 ft
Bicycle around tranquil Fisherman Bay this morning (about 7 miles). Walk the beach and savor the peaceful quality of Lopez Island for as long as possible at the wildlife preserve at the end of the Spit. Bypass the infamous Seattle gridlock (on a Friday, no less!) and return to the “big city” in style via a chartered float plane. Savor birds-eye views of Puget Sound, Cascade Mountains, and Olympics as you soar over and past the traffic. Meet the van and a final celebration on the shores of Lake Union in downtown Seattle.
[NOTE: We have a fleet of “Island Bicycles” (older hybrids) which we will use for the ride this morning. Your personal bicycle (including our fleet bikes used for the first five days of the tour) will be returning to Seattle with our van that leaves Lopez Island on the early morning ferry.]
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