Our first trip to San Juan Island and Friday Harbor was in April 2021. We boarded the ferry with our car at Anacortes, having made reservations online ahead of time. Everything was very smooth and the only drawback was having to queue up early for the ferry.
We stayed at Friday Harbor House which is very centrally located to most of the harbor sites and activities and was very convenient. The hotel is really outstanding and was a great base for our 5 days of island exploration.
We visited The Whale Museum, which is next door to the Friday Harbor House and provides and in depth insight into sea life in the Salish Sea.
Lime Kiln Point State Park is a great place to visit on the island for various hiking options and wonderful views.
We also had a spectacular dinner at McMillin’s Dining Room which is located at the Roche Harbor Resort. The experience here was outstanding with great service and truly incredible food including a great steak.
We chartered a whale watching excursion with Maya’s Legacy Whale Watch and were delighted with the trip. Our experience with Captain Jeff and Guide and Naturalist April made the trip both informative and special due to their enthusiasm and knowledge of everything related to the area. We were treated to sightings of a gray whale, bald eagles, steller sea lions, as well as a sea otter which is apparently less common in the San Juan Islands.
