[catie’s corner] Jeeping Through The San Juan Islands of Washington

TAKING THE JEEP “SAILING” AND ISLAND HOPPING

To say farewell to the Pacific Northwest, I visited the iconic San Juan Islands. This group of islands is gorgeous!!! Each island I visited was unique in its own way.

The main island, (San Juan Island) has all your restaurants, shops and awesome nature spots. To get to it, you take a ferry from Washington state to Friday Harbor. The ferry ride in itself is an adventure. Bella (my Wrangler) and I had a lot of fun sailing through all the islands.

Once we got to San Juan Island, I realized it was unlike any island I had seen before. Since it’s in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), it was a bit chilly and there were pine trees everywhere. Also like much of the PNW, the water is crystal clear. In the summer you can expect a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit at most… Not your typical island characteristics in my opinion. There are also lots of residents who live on the island – lucky ducks!

Another popular island to visit is the Orcas Island. Unlike the San Juan Island, Orcas has some mountains, which make for some spectacular views! The Orcas Island was also much colder and much more windy. Orcas is similar to the other islands in that there are also some great harbor views to catch some beautiful sunsets and soak in the sun. I thought it was cool just seeing all the boats!

Due to the elevation, there are also lots of great vantage points on the Orcas Island. It was the coldest by far but it was also my favorite. I really loved Jeeping around and seeing all of the cool spots this island had to offer.

There also aren’t as many options for hotels, restaurants, or gas on the Orcas island, so plan your trip accordingly. You can also say goodbye to any cell phone service you might have had. But on the other hand, this means there’s a ton of nature to explore without the distraction of technology.

There are lots of cool things to discover all throughout the San Juan Islands. The best part is, they are accessible by ferry so you can take your Jeep with you. Trust me, that part really makes the experience amazing.

There are plenty of places to eat and drink and enjoy the island life no matter what island you visit. There are also tons of “beaches” and places to wander around in nature and explore. As an outdoorsy girl, this was a wonderland for me!

I had a blast exploring this area and I know I will be back one day, maybe during the summer when the weather is a bit warmer! What are your favorite islands to visit? Comment below and share 🙂 Thanks for reading!