The San Juan Islands are a group of islands (archipelago) that sit in the Salish Sea in northwest Washington. Unlike many of the other tourist islands in Washington, the San Juan Islands do not have bridges to the mainland and are only accessible by plane or boat. While the San Juans include 400 islands, the three main islands are Lopez Island, Orcas Island, and San Juan Island. Friday Harbor is a cute town on San Juan Island that is close to the harbor and has some fantastic restaurants and shopping.
The most popular tourist activity is whale-watching and dolphin-watching. The San Juan Islands also have the greatest concentration of bald eagles of anywhere in the country.
The San Juan Islands have several operators for sea kayaking tours. The trips are relaxing (with a little bit of a workout), peaceful, and educational. The waters are calm, and you are very likely to run into wildlife.
The islands are generally quite hilly and great for hiking. Hikers enjoy seeing the landscape, the views, and checking out the flourishing wildlife.
The islands have several farms which provide farm-fresh food to many local restaurants. The seafood is incredible (make sure to try some oysters). For boozies, consider stopping by San Juan Island Distillery for the gin and apple cider.
The San Juan Islands get significantly less rain than Seattle. Winters are cool and can be a bit miserable with spouts of freezing rain. Winter is the off season for tourism.
Spring can be a good time for whale watching. The season is mild with about half the rain as the winter receives. Daily highs are in the upper 50s and lower 60s.
Summer is the peak time for tourism. The daily highs only hit about 70 degrees, and it is perfect for the outdoors activities. Visitors enjoy boating, kayaking, whale-watching, and hiking.
Early fall is nice, but late fall transitions to the rainy season. September and early October can be a good time to visit as the crowds thin out.