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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 local art gallery, discover museums and immerse yourself in history and tradition as you explore San Juan, Orcas and Lopez islands.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
climate
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itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Apr 15 - Apr 21, 2023
Starting at
2,049
Itinerary Note

This program features a visit to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on day 2. A long-standing tradition for over 35 years, the Skagit Valley Tulip festival features fields of color and splendor for all to enjoy!

Jun 24 - Jun 30, 2023
Starting at
2,299
Jul 15 - Jul 21, 2023
Starting at
2,349
Sep 9 - Sep 15, 2023
Starting at
2,199
Oct 7 - Oct 13, 2023
Starting at
2,099
Apr 20 - Apr 26, 2024
Starting at
2,149
Itinerary Note

This program features a visit to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on day 2. A long-standing tradition for over 35 years, the Skagit Valley Tulip festival features fields of color and splendor for all to enjoy!

May 4 - May 10, 2024
Starting at
2,099
Jun 1 - Jun 7, 2024
Starting at
2,249
Jun 22 - Jun 28, 2024
Starting at
2,249
Jul 20 - Jul 26, 2024
Starting at
2,399
Aug 17 - Aug 23, 2024
Starting at
2,399
Sep 14 - Sep 20, 2024
Starting at
2,249
Oct 12 - Oct 18, 2024
Starting at
2,199
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Apr 15 - Apr 21, 2023
Starting at
2,469
Itinerary Note

This program features a visit to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on day 2. A long-standing tradition for over 35 years, the Skagit Valley Tulip festival features fields of color and splendor for all to enjoy!

Jun 24 - Jun 30, 2023
Starting at
2,909
Jul 15 - Jul 21, 2023
Starting at
3,099
Sep 9 - Sep 15, 2023
Starting at
2,809
Oct 7 - Oct 13, 2023
Starting at
2,519
Apr 20 - Apr 26, 2024
Starting at
2,589
Itinerary Note

This program features a visit to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on day 2. A long-standing tradition for over 35 years, the Skagit Valley Tulip festival features fields of color and splendor for all to enjoy!

May 4 - May 10, 2024
Starting at
2,539
Jun 1 - Jun 7, 2024
Starting at
2,839
Jun 22 - Jun 28, 2024
Starting at
2,839
Jul 20 - Jul 26, 2024
Starting at
3,139
Aug 17 - Aug 23, 2024
Starting at
3,139
Sep 14 - Sep 20, 2024
Starting at
2,839
Oct 12 - Oct 18, 2024
Starting at
2,639

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 up to 5-10 blocks per day, with some paved paths, and some dirt or uneven paths. 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.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
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.

Profile Image of Michael Vouri
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.
Profile Image of Shona Aitken
Shona Aitken View biography
Shona Aitken has a degree in ecology and a background in environmental education in her home country of Scotland, and from two years spent in Sweden. She is currently the education coordinator for Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on San Juan Island. She teaches people about local wildlife and increases awareness of the impact of human activities on wild creatures.
Profile Image of Kevin Loftus
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.
Profile Image of Keith Keyser
Keith Keyser View biography
Keith Keyser has spent more than four decades in the Pacific Northwest. He has backpacked and camped in the Cascades and Olympics and has explored the wilds of the foothills of the Rockies in Washington and Idaho. He enjoys kayaking with either his single or double mahogany kayaks that he built from blueprints. An amateur naturalist, Keith has had a longtime interest in birding, wildlife tracking, habitat preservation, and wild plant identification and uses. Retired from teaching, he now gardens, landscapes, and makes natural furniture.
Profile Image of Kevin Culmback
Kevin Culmback View biography
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.
Profile Image of Andre Entermann
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.
Profile Image of Kelley Balcomb-Bartok
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.