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Washington

Two-Island Trek: Great Coastal Hikes in the San Juan Islands

Program No. 16296RJ

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Revel in the seascapes of untold beauty with expert naturalists, marine educators and environmentalists who lead you into their backyard world of the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea. Consider the environmental issues of the prairie bluff, beach, mountain and old-growth forest ecosystems. Journey by ferry to Orcas Island to witness the profusion of life and the fragility of beauty along Washington’s fabled diamonds of the emerald seas.

Best of all, you'll...

Enjoy coastal and wooded hikes on San Juan Island with views of the beach and mountains.
Hike the old-growth forest on Orcas Island and around mountain lakes of Moran State Park and Mount Constitution.
Search for Orcas and other marine mammals of the Salish Sea from the vantage point of the Limekiln Lighthouse.

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Featured Expert

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Cindy Hansen

Cindy Hansen received a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Washington and previously worked as a whale watch naturalist, education curator for The Whale Museum, and a guide at a gray whale camp at Laguna San Ignacio in Baja. She is currently the Skagit Valley College Road Scholar program manager as well as the education and advocacy coordinator for Orca Network. She also volunteers for the research organization Orca Behavior Institute and with the local San Juan Island animal shelter.

Please Note:

This expert may not be available for every date of the program

Please Note:

These experts may not be available for every date of the program

Cindy Hansen

Shona Aitken

Shona Aitken is the education coordinator at Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and has worked in education and rehabilitation positions at the center for over three decades. Born and raised in Scotland, she has a degree in ecology and environmental science from Stirling University and worked in a range of ecology and wildlife-based positions in Scotland and Sweden before coming to the U.S. Shona teaches about local wildlife and increases awareness of the impacts of human activities on these animals and their habitats.

Kevin Culmback

Kevin Culmback's years of travel as well leading wildlife excursions in Western Washington, make him a perfect group leader for the San Juan Islands and Pacific Northwest. Growing up outside Seattle, Kevin has always enjoyed all things outdoors. Kevin has spent years traveling the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii and beyond, exploring the natural world and capturing those areas through his camera lens. After 20 years in the San Juan Islands, his heart is in the Northwest... until the travel bug bites again.

Bill Engle

Bill Engle is a retired postmaster of Shaw Island. He grew with a mountain-climbing father and a gardening, birding, environmental activist mother, and has always had a passion for the outdoors. He has lived in the San Juan Islands for more than 30 years and is the founding president of the San Juan Islands Chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society. Before becoming postmaster, his role as a part-time flex clerk placed him in every post office in San Juan County.

Kathleen Foley Lewis

Kathleen Foley is the Stewardship Manager of the San Juan Preservation Trust and has been a staff member since 2005. In this role, she oversees the management of 30+ different nature preserves, conducts annual monitoring visits, and coordinates restoration activities and youth education. She is a Washington native with a long history of exploring the San Juan Islands and enjoys a wide variety of outdoor pursuits. Kathleen lives with her son, Evan, and partner, Bill, near the lovely False Bay on San Juan Island.

Randy Martin

Randy Martin is the executive director of the San Juan Center of Skagit Valley College and its Road Scholar program. Randy has been planning and administering Road Scholar programs for over 25 years. Raised in Gig Harbor and a lifelong Washingtonian, Randy takes great delight in sharing his love of the Northwest. Randy is a father of three, who all enjoy hiking and mountain biking throughout the Pacific Northwest. He and his spouse Melissa and family have lived on San Juan Island for 25 years.

Barbara Marrett

Barbara Marrett has been engaged in her community since arriving in Friday Harbor in 1978. Barbara recently retired as the communications and stewardship manager for the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau. She is the co-author of the sailing adventure book, 'Mahina Tiare: Pacific Passages,' and was a 30-year contributing editor to Cruising World magazine. While calling Friday Harbor homeport, she sailed the world’s oceans as professional crew and instructor for Orange Coast College’s School of Sailing and Seamanship. As an exploration leader on the small cruise ship, Spirit of Oceanus, she presented lectures and led shore excursions in the South Pacific. Barbara is the former manager of the Arctic Raven Gallery in Friday Harbor, which focuses on Northwest Coast and Alaskan Native art, and enjoys sharing her knowledge of local Native culture as well as Island history and the natural environment. She has been a Friday Harbor Port Commissioner since 2005. She graduated cum laude from Marymount College, now part of Fordham University.

Hadley Beahan

Hadley Beahan is a graduate of CSU Channel Islands with a degree in biology and a background in environmental science resource management. Through CSUCI Hadley participated in restoration work through the National Park Service and conducted research under the Keiki Kohola Project in Maui, studying coral reef quality, microplastics, and humpback whale mother and calf behavior. She also interned with Cascadia Research Collective, focusing on photo identification, necropsies, and population counts of West Coast cetacean and pinniped species.

Darleen Nixon

Darleen Nixon earned her MBA and worked in marketing in the health care industry in Colorado until she moved to San Juan Island in 1998. She had always been interested in art but it was not until she moved to the San Juans that working in glass caught her imagination. Today, she is an accomplished glass artist with her own studio and her art on display in galleries throughout the United States.

Sarah Hanson

Sarah Hanson is a graduate of Western Washington University with a B.S. in geology and geophysics, and is certified in CPR and as a Wilderness First Responder. Sarah is the program director and crew leader for San Juan Island Conservation Corps (SJICC). Sarah joined the Madrona Institute in 2012, to direct the youth conservation program on San Juan Island and has worked with the Student Conservation Association since 2003 as a high school conservation crew leader, professional crew leader, and work skills instructor. She has experience in trail design, maintenance, construction, and restoration throughout the Western States. Sarah has served as a technical advisor and crew supervisor for the Pacific Crest Trail Association and a crew leader for the Washington Trails Association. No stranger to San Juan Island, she was a middle school and high school sports coach for the San Juan Island School District for two years, a former kayak expert on San Juan Island, and has volunteered with the Garry Oak Restoration Project on San Juan Island and The Whale Museum’s Soundwatch Program.

Activity Level

Outdoor: Spirited

Walking 2-6 miles daily on varied terrain and boarding vans.

Small Group (13 to 24)

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Suggested Books and Resources

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You can also find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone?

We can help. Give us a call, and we can answer all of your questions!

Call 800-454-5768

Helpful Links

Trip Protection

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Peace of Mind

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. That’s why we go to the ends of the earth to give you peace of mind, from the moment you enroll until the day you return home.

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Assurance Plan

Road Scholar is committed to the well-being of every participant, whether on a program in the United States or abroad. That’s why all participants are covered under our Road Scholar Assurance Plan, which provides 24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during your program, as well as insurance for emergency medical evacuation.

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Want to Protect Your Investment?

Road Scholar is pleased to offer its Trip Protection Plan as a way to protect your program investment. You may purchase this optional trip protection plan when enrolling in your program.

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Sustainable Travel

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Read about our commitment to a more sustainable planet.

An illustration of a hand holding a globe with a small bird flying around it

Peace of Mind

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. That’s why we go to the ends of the earth to give you peace of mind, from the moment you enroll until the day you return home.
Assurance Plan

Road Scholar is committed to the well-being of every participant, whether on a program in the United States or abroad. That’s why all participants are covered under our Road Scholar Assurance Plan, which provides 24-hour assistance in the event of an emergency during your program, as well as insurance for emergency medical evacuation.
Want to Protect Your Investment?

Road Scholar is pleased to offer its Trip Protection Plan as a way to protect your program investment. You may purchase this optional trip protection plan when enrolling in your program.
Sustainable Travel

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Read about our commitment to a more sustainable planet.

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