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San Juan County
/ Washington / United States / Home

San Juan Island County ($an juan county) of Washington State offer bike, hike, kayaking and camping opportunities you will not believe. Gorgeous area to visit and spend time exploring and relaxing if you have rich and NOT riding a bike, walking or ...

People live on the islands supposedly to get away from the famous unfriendly Seattle / attitude. But the attitude in the islands is please stay home unless maybe you are one of the many rich and famous.

I do NOT recommend San Juan County for much of anything other then a quick day trip. I suggest camping in Washington Park in Anacortes and doing a few hours on an Island of your choice via the ferry service.

San Juan County is overrun with tourists and stressed .gov and residents. Thousands of people board the ferries and invade the islands each summer. If you are from the east coast of the USA you might be used to all this but the point of this web site is about getting away from stress.

The roads have zero shoulders. San Juan Island is a dangerous place to cycle. The island is chopped up into tracts. Not much of any value to see on San Juan Island. Lopez can sometimes get HUNDREDS of bikers in a day or in one ferry load according to a WSF worker? Consequently the park system, roads and the people that live in the islands are stressed because there are thousands standing behind you ready to spend cash.

If you choose to try to bike and camp on the islands good luck. The county parks are not very helpful. Remember if you go to an island and need a place to spend the night you might be out of luck unless you plan weeks or months in advance. Plus you will have to deal with massive crowds and stressed out over worked .gov people and other workers.

Instead Washington Park Anacortes. Go early and stake a nice camp site. It is cheap and convenient. Lovely park with salt water access and next door to the WSF to the islands and back in one day trips.

Another idea is to use either Spencer Spit State park on Lopez or Moran State Park on Orcas Island. You can see and reserve a campsite online. Once on either island you can then travel inner island on WSF for the price of the one ticket.

If you want even less stress free and FRIENDLY people place, skip the San Juan islands, they have made it more then clear "don't come here". See the island and mega homes from the less stressful ferry on the way to British Columbia from the friendly city of Anacortes. People are EXTREMELY friendly and welcoming on Vancouver Island and elsewhere in Canada. For a SHOCKING experience, go to Victoria BC and find out how you can be treated with RESPECT when riding and walking. If you approach a curb there ALL traffic halts. If you approach much of anything in the "F" you state of Washington and San Juan county, good luck. Shaw Island

Lopez Island


Links
  • FSkagit County Bike Map GREAT bicycle resource available online or in print at bike shops. Recommend you get this map if planning on riding in FSkagit County.
  • Stanwood Velo Sport Stanwood
  • Skagit Cycle Center Anacortes and Burlington
  • Some of the bike tours with links here now or soon.


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