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San Juan Islands

Gecko Paddler

Gecko Paddler

Paddler
Joined
Sep 16, 2011
Messages
105
Location
Saanich, BC
Trip planning for 2016 has begun and I'm working on an early May 10-day adventure from Victoria to the San Juans. Lots to research for sure with state park passes needed and paying some good $$ for campsites which isn't an issue. Boarder / customs, food restrictions entering the US .... Lots to do for sure but why not, the San Juans are sooooo close.

Any advise or recommended resources, places we have to go to, places to avoid etc is greatly appreciated.


Thanks in advance
Mark
 
Here is a 10-day, 9-night route that would be pretty cool, with campsite highlighted in bold: Discovery Island to D'arcy Island, to Roche Harbor for customs clearance, to Posey Island (very cool site, but only 2 campsites; reservations a must), to Jones Island (nicest campsites are on the southwest, second nicest in the south central), a brief lunch stop on beautiful Yellow Island, to Blind Island (another very cool site), to Turn Island, to Griffin Bay State Park, to San Juan County Park (this is the main leg for Orcas), back to Discovery Island.

The stretch from Posey-Jones-Yellow-Blind is the most "San Juans" part of the San Juan Islands, and the stretches on the west side of San Juan Island are very good for wildlife viewing. Jones has good day hiking, and there is some hiking on Turn, too. Posey and Blind are both tiny islands that give you an adventurous, castaway sort of feeling. Yellow Island is owned by the Nature Conservancy and is inhabited only by a caretaker. There is no overnight camping, but it's wonderful to wander around an undeveloped San Juan island.

Other than Posey, no need for reservations. Water available at Roche Harbor, Jones, and San Juan County Park. Fees required at all locations. Fees can be paid with cash on-site. Consult websites for amounts. Discovery is a BC Provincial Park, D'Arcy is a Canada National Park, San Juan County Park is obviously a county park, and the rest are all Washington State Parks.

Alex
 
I'm trying to get some ideas for this year's Scout trip. Similarly we were thinking of some version of Nanaimo through the Gulf Islands back to Roche.

You've got me thinking. I understand that if we start in B.C. we need to touch in Rouche coming this direction. What happens if we end in Canada? Is there a specific port we have to end at/ touch?

Thanks ahead of time,

Jamey
 
Jameyt said:
I'm trying to get some ideas for this year's Scout trip. Similarly we were thinking of some version of Nanaimo through the Gulf Islands back to Roche.

You've got me thinking. I understand that if we start in B.C. we need to touch in Rouche coming this direction. What happens if we end in Canada? Is there a specific port we have to end at/ touch?
Click to expand...
Yes, if you plan to run the trip from the US into Canada, viz., launch from Anacortes and eventually end up in Nanaimo. If that is the case, then you need to clear customs in Bedwell Harbour, S Pender before going ashore anywhere else. I believe each person will need a US passport, also. See: http://www.nwboatinfo.com/customs.html

This pretty much makes Beaumont your first night campsite. It is half a mile from Bedwell Customs, which can take a while to clear on a busy day.
 
I thought Posey Island was first come, first serve. I made a quick attempt to find it in the Washington Parks reservation system and it didn't come up. I remember raising an eyebrow because when I went there, I had to pay $10 a day for parking at Roche Harbor, plus $10 Launch Fee, so that was $20 and with no guarantee that there would even be a place to stay.

If you have the time, you may want to stop at Roche for a shower and to do a laundry, but then continue on the the San Juan County Park - they have a reserved space and reduced fee for those who paddle in.
 
Posey Island is the only Cascadia Marine Trail site that allows reservations. Even in vehicle-accessible parks like Spencer Spit or San Juan County, where the general-public campsites are reservable, the paddlers-only Cascadia Marine Trail campsites are not reservable, except on Posey. With the exception of Posey, the Cascadia Marine Trail sites are first-come, first-serve.

Reservations on Posey can only be made by phone. The parks service begins accepting reservations for 2016 starting on Monday, January 4 at 8:00 AM. Details and phone number are on the "camping" tab at the following website:

http://parks.state.wa.us/567/Posey-Island

(The website says January 2 starts the reservation period. That's wrong. It's January 4.)

Alex
 
English is such an interesting language. By "reserved" for the paddlers at the San Juan County Park, I meant the area was set off from the drive-in campsites. But not "reserved" as in "I signed up for it first." :)
 
Campsites that I liked include Point Doughty (VERY nice), Jones Is. (one of the 2 Cascadia Marine trail sites, not the larger more crowded one, if it's available), Turn Island, (which had the worst Raccoon problem I've ever witnessed last July), James Island (Cascadia, not the larger...) & Clark Is. Obstruction Pass State Park camp is nice but may be crowded on weekends. San Juan County Park on west side of San Juan Is was nice although I drove to it and then it cost more for camping by about 3x. That's a large camp but during slow times it would be less crowded.

Blind Island seems like it would be windy and is exposed to lots of traffic. Griffin Bay camp was ok but if a paddler can get to Turn, that would be better. Paddling the south end of Lopez island or around San Juan Island (way cool) may put a person at Griffin and that would be better then.

Avoid Odlin County Park; crowded and noisy. Spencer Spit is odd but interesting.

North of Orcas, Sucia et al. would be desirable.

Posey may be first come first served during off season.

ONE MORE THING; check but aren't some camps closed during off season, which is defined by Memorial Day to Labor Day...???

Can not wait to get back.
 
This thread is pretty darned great...I'm taking notes.

I've been paddling many of the Southern Gulf Islands for almost 30 years now...and I know them quite intimately (one in particular, my home base) but have always looked across to the U.S. islands a bit wistfully. This thread is a great reminder that I need to get my boat over there and see what they have to offer...
 
Stuart Island is wonderful. Lovely campsites, and a 5 mile roundtrip hike to the lighthouse. :) Plus the cutest little t-shirts for sale from big trunks on the trail. See my trip report in my SJI trip for more info!
 
Different (paddle) strokes for different folks - I don't mind Yachties if they are quiet so I don't rule off the North side of Jones Island. There's fresh water, the toilets are clean and there are trees and cleared sites for hammocks or tents. If you get one of the lower campsites, there's no carrying gear, up hill, up stairs, or over 100 yards from the boats (to the good sites) like on the south side.

Same with Stuart - I found the "official" kayak camp to the left of the beach to be a bit dark and wet. The sites on the right side are more open, lighter/dryer, fewer population density, etc. But - and again, some kayak friends disagree - I don't mind the north side at Provost Harbor. Last time I was there, I found a short trail from the "beach" way to the left of the boat ramp. It took me to a site on bluff overlooking the boats and the water. I had fresh water right in camp and toilets just far enough away. The Yachties stayed in their boats, politely shared beers and meals with their friends down on the dock and I had the camp site (three actually) to myself. I realize not all such encounters are as benign so I'm just say'n, don't rule it off. Note: the tide comes WAY up, like lapping the edge of my kayak on the "beach" - tie up or haul up.

Stuart is good place to stretch your legs, walking to the lighthouse (bring water). Purchasing the tee shirts and button down shirts are on the honor system - you can send in the money after you get home.

If you are lucky, that bluff by the lighthouse is another place to see Orcas.

If you intend to paddle from Stuart to Jones, try not to fight the channel current. It my be physically longer, but time and energy-wise shorter, to go down the east side of the San Juan Island and cut across (or go directly to flat top island and then turn south) then to take the shortest diagonal across the channel if the current is not in your favor. This is where a GPS showing your speed can come in handy. It allowed me to find the angle that give me the most progress toward Jones - which was not the direct, shortest straight line route.
 
designer,

-And All,

Last time at Jones, or was it a few days before it... both times I was at (1 of the 2) the west Cascadia Marine Trail camp and walked over to the north camp ( perhaps thought of as the last [of 3] choice for kayakers???) and stereos were blasting. Anyone who didn't appreciate loud music was out of luck. Yuck. The toilets are better on the north and the Cascadia site is the one without water but that North Camp is a short walk from the west. My 1st time camping at Jones was the south side with about 35 other kayaks on a Saturday night, most of them doubles (tours I'm sure). Then, it didn't bother Me, I thought of it as a celebration. In many ways, I'd like to now avoid 30 some other boats but that was actually pretty cool. Glass half full...

Camp at the end of Reid Harbor on Stuart is nice. Circumnavigating Stuart for a day paddle is also good. Maybe it was just a perfect day for it but paddling slowly (barely moving) along the shore (toughing it) out of the north side of Reid Harbor had a lot of sea life, making for a nice (1/2) day too. Memorable out of many days in the San Juan's now.
 
Hey Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies and keep your ideas and suggestions coming!! :big_thumb

Our little group is starting to put the plans together and it looks like we are going to launch out of Sidney and paddle across to Roche Harbour (route TBD) as our departure day offers a great morning flood of .12 knots followed by a slack. As a back up we are checking with Washington State Ferries in case the weather turns ugly either going or coming home.

Our next planning session is in January and I'll post our sort of planned route. In the meantime .... HO HO HO Merry Christmas everyone!!
 
The GCW said:
designer,

-And All,

Last time at Jones, or was it a few days before it... both times I was at (1 of the 2) the west Cascadia Marine Trail camp and walked over to the north camp ( perhaps thought of as the last [of 3] choice for kayakers???) and stereos were blasting. Anyone who didn't appreciate loud music was out of luck. Yuck. The toilets are better on the north and the Cascadia site is the one without water but that North Camp is a short walk from the west. My 1st time camping at Jones was the south side with about 35 other kayaks on a Saturday night, most of them doubles (tours I'm sure). Then, it didn't bother Me, I thought of it as a celebration. In many ways, I'd like to now avoid 30 some other boats but that was actually pretty cool. Glass half full...

Camp at the end of Reid Harbor on Stuart is nice. Circumnavigating Stuart for a day paddle is also good. Maybe it was just a perfect day for it but paddling slowly (barely moving) along the shore (toughing it) out of the north side of Reid Harbor had a lot of sea life, making for a nice (1/2) day too. Memorable out of many days in the San Juan's now.
Click to expand...


Our trip last summer around Orcas had us stop at Jones. Really large group on the South side that took our Group Site reservation. We just went off in the trees since we were hammocking. Really, really bad raccoon problems on Jones. They opened a few day hatches on kayaks and scurried around our hammocks all night. I'll likely avoid Jones next time.

Sucia is amazing. Clarke was really nice. Odelin County park was actually pretty good. We ended up trading our reservation sites on the water (no trees) for some walk-in backpacking/bike sites with trees. No one else was back there with us. So I wouldn't rule Odelin out if you don't mind leaving your boats near the beach and walking back to the woods.
 
Paddler,

Maybe your trip to Jones was early in the summer or you found the raccoon refuge for those that are left. In the past years, we were pestered, sometimes heavily, by raccoons, but the last few times we have seen nary a one on Jones. When I asked some other people, the word was, "... the park service 'took care of it.' "

I found Sucia to be a great place with nice hammock trees if not too crowded. But I'd plan it so there would be time (watch out for flood current) to go to Patos if Sucia was too crowded.

Of course there are those who wonder "Why the San Juans when Vancouver Island is so close?" [coughing in my hand and smiling over at AstoriaDave]. I find it is nice for beginning of the season "shake down" trips and provides a lot of "no surprises" benign experiences for those who want less "adventure" in their kayaking adventure. But it does hurt a little because Vancouver Island and its parks are ... right over there ... and it's a long drive to get up to that area.

Sometimes you want the "unknown" (at least to you - if it's your first trip to the Broken Group); other times you want a more predicable environment.

My point was - the "kayak" side of Jones can be just as rambunctious as the yachties side. So I wouldn't automatically rule one out. I've been to the CMT and it is okay; you might even say "more authentic" because there is no running water and the pit toilet is a little more exposed to the elements. But if I'm going to Jones, I'm all for fresh water out of a spigot and bathrooms in enclosed structures.
 
I'll throw my two cents in as well. I would say go north if you can, this gets you out of the ferry channels and into some great terrain. Doughty has the best sunsets on the San Juans but a small beach so if your there on a flood tide you may have to carry your boats up the stairs to the campsite. Sucia, Matia, and Clark are all worth going to. Sucia is the busiest but should have water and if you stay in Fox cove or Ewing Cove there are a lot less people. The outer islands are a great place to see sea lions. Camping on the east side of Lummi is great and it's a DNR site so it's free. If you can make it to Cypress it is hands down my favorite island in the San Juans, very little development, free camping, great hiking, and pelican beach has the best skipping rocks in the islands. Jones, Turn, and James all have terrible raccoon problems but as long as your good about food storage you'll be fine. I've heard the south side of Lopez is amazing but I haven't paddled there. Blind is great and I've never had any issues with it being too windy. The only sites I would say to avoid for sure are any of the county parks (except maybe San Juan) and Obstruction pass, even on weekdays these are often crowded and loud. Be aware though that if your going in Peak summer season that Camp Orcilla runs a ton of programming in the area and will often take many of the campsites. The San Juans are great and with 10 days you should have enough time to get some pretty serious ground covered and get a good feel for the islands. Also definitely get a ferry schedule before you go because it will make timing crossings much better.
 
Just my 2 cents that you might want to confirm the water spigots will be on if you are planning on using them - rather than carry all your own. They definitely have enabled/disabled months and I don't know how early in the season they are turned on.

And though I've run into the Jone's Island bandits (a.k.a raccoons) in the past, in the last two visits I saw nary a one - which jibes with reports that the park service let them know there's a new sheriff in town and "took care of them."

But maybe I was lucky two visits in a row.

If Sucia is a potential, remember Patos is just a hour away - or less if you play the currents (or maybe 10 hrs if you play them wrong). No water but clean toilets and less dense, boat-wise.
 
designer said:
Just my 2 cents that you might want to confirm the water spigots will be on if you are planning on using them - rather than carry all your own. They definitely have enabled/disabled months and I don't know how early in the season they are turned on.

And though I've run into the Jone's Island bandits (a.k.a raccoons) in the past, in the last two visits I saw nary a one - which jibes with reports that the park service let them know there's a new sheriff in town and "took care of them."

But maybe I was lucky two visits in a row.

If Sucia is a potential, remember Patos is just a hour away - or less if you play the currents (or maybe 10 hrs if you play them wrong). No water but clean toilets and less dense, boat-wise.
Click to expand...

For the folks with no Raccoon issues on Jones when did you go? We were there in July and they were thick . . .
 
Jameyt,

End of July on the Cascadia sites on the west. No bandit problem on 2 split separate days there, (or other trips either). The problem on that trip was Turn Is, whereas Turn was not a problem in the past.

teleman73,

I'll second the south of Lopez. I was only there a few hours and want more of that.
Mackaye Harbor boat launch on Norman Rd. is a good put in.
 
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