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Washington

Best of the Pacific N.W.: Exploring Three of Washington’s San Juan Islands

Program No. 18520RJ

Enjoy nature, learn about orca whales, visit a lighthouse, discover museums and immerse yourself in history and tradition as you explore San Juan, Orcas and Lopez islands.

Wishlist

National Parks Regional Studies Nature & Environment Small Group

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7 days

6 nights

16 meals

6B 5L 5D

Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Seattle

Hibulb Cultural Center, To San Juan Island, Island Life

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Island History,San Juan Island Excursion, Meet Local Artist

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Orcas Island, Mt. Constitution, Historic Schoolhouse

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Wildlife, Friday Harbor Museums, Pre-Dinner Reception

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Lopez Island, Preservation, Sustainable Farming & Living

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Program Concludes

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

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At a Glance

Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the San Juan Archipelago while you uncover the cultures and landscapes unique to San Juan, Orcas and Lopez islands. Meet historians, artists, farmers, preservationists and other islanders who make up the fabric of these communities, and explore scenic shorelines, mountain vistas, rare coastal prairie and the region's iconic evergreen forests.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking between 1-2 miles over the course of each day, with some paved paths, and some dirt or uneven paths or trails with exposed roots. Standing up to one hour in museums and outdoor classroom locations. Elevators unavailable at most locations. Buses do not have lifts.

Best of all, you’ll…

Spend a day on Orcas Island to enjoy the panoramic marine vista from Mount Constitution and a unique schoolhouse from the 1800s.
Ride the Washington State Ferry to Lopez Island to discuss and view sustainable farming and housing on the islands.
Take field trips on San Juan Island to National Historic Parks, a picturesque lighthouse and more.

General Notes

Select dates are designated for small groups and are limited to 24 participants or less. If not specified as a small group date, departures will have up to 36 participants.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Michael Vouri

Michael Vouri retired as the chief of interpretation and historian for San Juan Island National Park after more than 21 years. He has written books about the Pig War, the Royal Marines and San Juan Island. He has worked as a reporter and editor for newspapers, a U.S. Air Force public affairs officer, and as assistant director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Michael has been a Road Scholar instructor on San Juan Island since 1997 and a Group Leader since 2016.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Michael Vouri View biography

Michael Vouri retired as the chief of interpretation and historian for San Juan Island National Park after more than 21 years. He has written books about the Pig War, the Royal Marines and San Juan Island. He has worked as a reporter and editor for newspapers, a U.S. Air Force public affairs officer, and as assistant director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. Michael has been a Road Scholar instructor on San Juan Island since 1997 and a Group Leader since 2016.

Shona Aitken View biography

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 Loftus View biography

Kevin Loftus is the executive director at the San Juan Historical Museum. Kevin spent his formative years in Chicago before heading to Northern Arizona University. After graduating, he answered a call to the corporate world in Dallas, Texas. A love of cycling led to learning about the San Juan Islands. Upon first visiting San Juan Island in 2000, Kevin realized the Islands were calling, becoming his home in 2005. Kevin became the executive director of the San Juan Historical Museum in 2008.

Keith Keyser View biography

Keith Keyser has called the Pacific Northwest home since 1974 after migrating from the East Coast. He attended Evergreen State College and obtained a B.A. in childhood development. After college, Keith taught elementary and middle school for 25 years in Idaho and Washington. Keith has resided on San Juan Island since 2006, enjoying backpacking, kayaking, gardening, wild crafting, and woodworking. Keith works as a landscaper, teacher of sustainable agriculture, and rustic wood furniture maker. Keith started working with Road Scholar in 2011.

Andre Entermann View biography

Originally from Southern California, Andre Entermann grew up surfing and wanting to be a firefighter. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, a visit to Lopez Island in 2005 stirred a stronger desire for a simpler life. In 2008, he relocated to Lopez and began working as a farm apprentice. He met Elizabeth Metcalf in 2012, who shared his dream of owning a dairy. In 2014, the Washington State Department of Agriculture granted Sunnyfield Farm a license to sell raw goat milk and cheese.

Kelley Balcomb-Bartok View biography

Kelley Balcomb-Bartok spent his early summers in the San Juan Islands immersed in Orca whale culture. As a researcher for the Center for Whale Research, he became intimately familiar with the Southern Resident Orca whale population as they traveled through the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia. Kelley's experiences with whales led him to a career in the media communication field, developing a greater appreciation and understanding of the beauty and diversity of the San Juan Islands and surrounding region along the way.

Suggested Reading List (5 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

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

Search for a Title

Best of the Pacific N.W.: Exploring Three of Washington’s San Juan Islands

Program Number: 18520

Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography

by June Burn

This autobiography chronicles Farrar and June Burns travels around the United States and their experience homesteading in the San Juan Islands, teaching Eskimos and traveling across the United States in a covered wagon. She wrote extensively for various periodicals and wrote several books. Burn's autobiography Living High: An Unconventional Autobiography (1941) documents much of her early life story, particularly her time on Sentinel and Waldron Islands in Washington’s San Juan Islands. The book has been republished several times.

The Light on the Island

by Helene Glidden

Classic story of a young girl growing up on Patos Island in the San Juan Archipelago. Her parents raised thirteen children while her father served as the Patos Island lighthouse keeper from 1905-1913. Helene reminisces about the adventure and heartbreak experienced on a beautiful but remote island where smugglers, old timers, and "God" weave in and out of their lives.

Friday Harbor

by Mike Vouri, San Juan Historical Society, Julia Vouri

A book that reviews the rich history and residents of Friday Harbor throughout the past 100 years.

Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands (second edition)

by Scott Atkinson & Fred Sharpe

This wonderful field guide illustrates and describes more than 190 species of wildflowers, shrubs, trees and weeds that occur commonly throughout the San Juan Islands as well as the Gulf Islands of near Vancouver Island, Canada. The text also includes information on how the climate, topography and geology of the Islands affect plant life.

San Juan Islands, Afoot and Afloat

by Marge & Ted Mueller

Thousands of visitors are drawn annually to the San Juan Islands, which are famed for their safe, scenic boating, lush meadows and dense forests, abundant bird life, and fascinating bits of history. Most of those visitors (and residents alike) have relied on this best-selling guide to outdoor recreation in the Islands. Now in a fully revised third edition, the book covers everything you want to know about park and marina facilities, beaches, shorelines, historic sites, natural science, and marine life. Whether you arrive by land, sea, or air, this fact-filled guide is a must for enjoying the best of the San Juans.

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