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Embark on one of the most exhilarating adventures by kayaking San Juan Islands’ enchanting waters.
Discover pristine landscapes, diverse wildlife, and hidden coves as you navigate the archipelago’s intricate waterways.
Whether you’re a novice or an experienced paddler, discover the fun of this Pacific Northwest gem.
Why Kayak The San Juan Islands?
The San Juan Islands are home to some of the best kayaking opportunities in the world. There’s spectacular scenery, an abundance of wildlife, and a sense of wilderness with the many uninhabited islands to explore.
With the Cascadia Marine Trail, there is access to 160 day-use sites and 66 campsites for paddlers. This means you can kayak through the wild landscape of the San Juan Islands with a safe place to stop roughly every three hours.
The San Juan Islands can be explored on a day trip or over several days or weeks.
Located off the coast of mainland Washington, there are 172 named islands or reefs that make up the San Juan Islands, surrounded by the Salish Sea and its various channels and straits.
The San Juan Islands are also incredibly close to Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
What To Pack For Kayaking San Juan Islands
Sea kayaking around the San Juan Islands is best done in the summer. Kayaking season is generally from April to September but outside of the peak summer months, you will need to dress for cold weather.
Find out more about what to wear when kayaking.
- PFD (Personal Flotation Device)
- Sun protection for the summer sun
- VHF radio (there’s almost no cell signal on the islands)
- Layers of clothing (and potentially a dry suit on top)
- Enough food for your entire trip – there are no stores on uninhabited islands
- Drinking water – this is usually unavailable on the uninhabited San Juan Islands)
- Wetsuit
- Sunglasses (the water can be blinding in bright sunlight)
Discover how to dress for cold weather kayaking.
Kayaking With Orcas In The San Juan Islands: Is It Guaranteed?
Kayaking with orcas can be a bucket-list activity for many people. Kayaking around the San Juan Islands offers excellent opportunities to kayak with these magnificent mammals.
But the orcas that live in the waters around the San Juan Islands are wild animals. This means they’re not confined to a specific place and you may not always be able to locate them.
What this means is you may not see any orcas during your kayaking trip in the San Juan Islands. If you’re heading out on a multi-day kayaking adventure, you will likely have more of a chance of spotting an orca than you would if you were to only kayak on a day trip.
Your best chance of seeing an orca in the wild is from a whale-watching tour.
Find out more about the best places to kayak with orcas.
10 Best Places To Kayak In San Juan Islands
1: San Juan Island
San Juan Island is one of only four that are served by state ferry transportation from the mainland, making it one of the easiest islands to get to (the other three islands served by state ferry are Lopez, Orcas, and Shaw).
With the Haro Strait on the west side of San Juan Island, this can be one of the best places in the Salish Sea to see orcas in their natural habitat. The Southern Resident orca pods call this area home.
San Juan Island is also one of the best places to spot bald eagles. They tend to be most common around the north and northwest coasts of San Juan Island but they can be found soaring over all of the San Juan Islands.
Launching at Roche Harbor, you can access Henry Island Preserve and Posey Island Marine State Park.
Posey Island Marine State Park has primitive campsites for kayakers and can be a great place to stop for a picnic lunch. However, this can often be busy with other kayakers during the summer.
Class of Rapids Rating:
Class I/II – easy to moderate, sheltered coastal bays with access to open-water ocean conditions
Where to Launch & How to Get There:
Roche Harbor Boat Ramp, Reuben Memorial Drive, San Juan, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
2: Orcas Island
Orcas Island can be ideal if you’re a beginner looking to kayak the San Juan Islands, as the waters of the West Sound and the East Sound tend to be a lot calmer than some of the waters around the more exposed coasts of other islands.
Launching onto the East Sound can be a great introduction to sea kayaking. If you’re a more experienced sea kayaker, however, it can be an ideal starting point for a multi-day adventure exploring the rest of the San Juan Islands on the Cascadia Marine Trail, for example.
Launching from the public beach in Eastsound, you can kayak around the tiny Ohio Island before making your way south toward Obstruction Island at the mouth of the East Sound.
Kayak camping areas can be found at Obstruction Pass State Park on Orcas Island, with views across to Obstruction Island.
Class of Rapids Rating:
Class I/II – easy to moderate, sheltered, calm waters with access to more challenging coastal waters
Where to Launch & How to Get There:
Haven Road, Eastsound, WA 98245. The beach is located next to the public dock.
3: Lopez Island
Image: Lopez Island Paddle Boarding Dog
Lopez Island can be easily reached by ferry from the mainland. This is an excellent place to kayak, with lots of small and uninhabited islands within easy paddling distance, even for beginners.
Lopez Island can also be an ideal spot for viewing marine life, particularly resting seals and nesting birds. However, many of the smaller islands are protected wildlife refuges and people are not allowed. It’s important not to approach or disturb wildlife.
You can visit and kayak around Fortress Island, Crab Island, and Skull Island if you launch at Hunter Bay at the southern end of Lopez Sound.
From Lopez Sound, you can kayak around the coast of Decatur Island on your way to James Island Marine State Park. Kayak camping can be found at James Island, with kayaking access from the western cove.
Class of Rapids Rating:
Class I/II – easy to moderate, sheltered flat waters in the bay with access to open-water coastal conditions
Where to Launch & How to Get There:
Hunter Bay County Dock, 24 Crab Island Road, Lopez Island, WA 98261. There’s a sandy beach next to the dock for launching kayaks.