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

Everything was great about this trip. Close proximity to the airport with the option to return to the airport is a plus many solo travelers appreciate. The guides, history, and accommodations were excellent. Learning our American history along with being there is heartwarming. I encourage solo travelers to pursue this trip, enjoy the many ferry rides to the islands, and know the guides are always there for you.

I found the emphasis on the environment and First Nations influence of this part of the world and journey most meaningful.

If you would like to experience the wonder of the San Juan Islands from the honest perspective of people who actually live and work there, this program is for you. You will come away with a healthy respect for the history of the rugged souls who first settled these islands, as well as for those who are working so hard to sustain and preserve their island environment today.

I enjoyed the 3 islands we visited and those who taught us about their life style and why they enjoyed living on the on the Islands

This program is excellent. The weather in July was beautiful. It mainly takes you outside with travel on ferries and land. It provides light hiking for those that wish and vans for those who don't. You really do leave the world and its problems behind and go on island life.

We enjoyed the trip overall, especially the Mt Constitution hike (Orcas), the sustainability talk (Lopez), the Pig War info and locales and whale museum (San Juan), and the ferries. More free time in places would be good. The food was good in Friday Harbor. The lecture at the Hibulb Cultural Center should have been 20 mins and then let us wander independently. Same for the Historical Museum (on industry): talk for 20 mins, then let us go to wander on our own. Barbara was a great assistant, and our driver Kevin was exemplary. The leader Kelley was fine overall, but we had one negative interaction: two of us were chatting in the far back of the van he was driving en route to a museum. We did not initially hear him, but we stopped as soon as we did. Upon arrival, Kelley approached us in an irritated fashion and chastised us for talking while he was, because others in the car couldn't hear him as well. He did this within earshot of several other group members, leaving us feeling like kids in trouble from the teacher. Unfortunately, this occurred early in the week, and we avoided him from that point on. There were easily 5 better ways to have handled this situation. Despite this one unpleasant interaction, the area was beautiful, the tour was great, and we enjoyed our trip.

Enjoyed talking with people from areas around the country.

Do not hesitate to join this tour. The tour is a perfect mix of water via the ferry, seeing the shoreline, the land to visit the sites and beauty and the educational content was perfect. You will understand the history of the San Juan islands and the differences between the three islands . The scenery is stunning. The Earth Box Hotel is perfect. Looks to be nearly renovated. My room was clean, quiet, comfortable beds, fantastic water, pressure and great soaps and shampoos. The heated swimming pool was a nice option to enjoy after a day of touring and dinner. The food was high-quality. Most breakfasts included fruit ,pastry, waffles, yogurt, granola, oatmeal, eggs and toast. It is a spread .A couple of lunches were a sandwich or wrap.The wrap was great. I could make my own sandwich the exact way I liked it with good quality ingredients. What a great way to enjoy picnic in the outdoors, Dinner was satisfying held on property after a full day of touring. Dinners were three course affair with a nice salad, a hot meal and an enjoyable dessert. It was nice to spend multiple nights in the same hotel, which was central to anything you wanted in Friday Harbor even a night stroll after dinner. Kelly, our tour director and his staff were outstanding. They made sure everyone felt taken care of. Join with an open mind a sense of adventure, and this tour will check every box.

This is a beautiful area of the US and it highlights an unusual way of life, living somewhat remotely with ferry travel and no stoplights! The quality of the program is high, so informative and interesting. I chose the date that included the tulip festival which was outstanding, but any visit to the islands is highly recommended.

What a beautiful part of our country! Our tour director was outstanding, extremely knowledgeable and personable. The tour lectures, outings, ferry rides were all terrific. Unfortunately, the lodging accommodations are very dated -- more like a very old motel with bad lighting. And the food was less than acceptable, very bland and really was homemade then served in chafing dishes. We even had to make our own sandwiches one day. Several of us on the tour went to restaurants rather than be served mediocre food at the Inn.

Terrific trip. Well organized, beautiful area, interesting topics and wonderful participants. Well done!

The San Juan Islands are beautiful and this is a fun and educational tour.

If you are a history buff, this program has a lot going for it. It's a beautiful area and you will learn a lot.

5 STARS! This is a gem of a program. Kelley, the program leader, is great and made the experience relaxing and fun. A lot of the outings do rely on good weather but even in the rain we enjoyed all the ferry trips and saw the wonderful beauty of the islands. The accomodations were pleasant, basic, and quite comfortable, with a nice warm pool, too, and centrally located within walking distance of the small town. All the lectures were interesting and it is easy to make friends on this tour. We had a great time!

This is a fun way to learn about island life. I thought it was an exclusive resort, but there are farmers, artisans, people interested in wildlife and history, and a lot of commerce going on. It's especially fun to sit on the shore watching the ferry load and unload while the sun sets.

Beautiful area. The staff on our trip was helpful and knowledgeable. Dress for cool rainy weather. We were fortunate that we were able to see the tulip festival. Gorgeous flowers. The islands have quaint towns and the natives are friendly. Lots to see and you find the history of the pig war. But the best thing was the staff. It was a nice trip and a change from our Greece and Egypt tours with Roads Scholar. They are nice trips as well.

Beautiful scenery, stimulating speakers, an interesting look at island life and soooo much fun! "Keep the Pace" rating is an accurate description of the activity level. Kelley, our leader is a local who knows the islands inside-out. He was entertaining and very knowledgeable. He also took good care of us!

Awesome trip! Very well organized and just a Beautiful trip to remember!

Loved the relaxing time on the water surrounded by the beauty of the surrounding landscape and the laid back lifestyle and friendliness of the island inhabitants in this region.

Life on the San Juan Islands is so different than my day to day lifestyle from where I live….I learned so much about the Islands’ history, economic issues, as well as environmental concerns, and the beauty of the Islands is stunning!

The islands were beautiful and the group leader Mike Vouri brought the history of the islands alive.

If you love beautiful waterfront scenery and ferry rides, this is the trip for you. Pack layers because it was cold in the mornings and warmed around 5 pm (I'm from the desert). The islands are small and there is a strong sense of community. People know each other and are mostly laid back.

This program was fun and enjoyable. The weather was just right with no rain during the day. The instructors were knowledgeable and provided amazing stories included with the education. The program is just the right timeframe being outside and instruction inside. Great program to go on. Learned new things and saw amazing views.

Wonderful trip. We liked everything about it.

Very good trip. Made new friends. Hotel food could have been better, but understand the situation with short staff. Loved historical museum. Goat farm disappointing. I have a question. I paid rate for double room to be assigned a roommate. I ended up without a roommate, which was fine. Did I end up paying the single rate instead?

This trip is an excellent introduction to history and the beauty of the San Juan Islands. Mike is an excellent Program Coordinator, group leader, guide, and speaker. With his flexibility, sense of humor and background as a NPS ranger on the island, Mike led this exploration of island life. How many of us have ever heard of the Great Pig War of 1859? After Mike’s animated explanations, we are now experts at this surprisingly significant confrontation between the English and American Forces on San Juan Island. Beginning with a canceled ferry between the mainland and Friday Harbor, we quickly learned that one needs to be patient and flexible if one wants to enjoy living on these beautiful islands. All the talks and speakers were excellent. Perhaps the best presentation was the demonstration, complete with a small blowtorch, by a local jewelry maker. My one concern is that Road Scholar and the program providers have apparently decided that we all need to simply “learn to live with Covid.” We were not encouraged to wear masks, although about 6 or 7 of us wore them indoors, except of course when eating indoors at the large round tables. On Tuesday Mike announced that one of the participants tested positive and would quarantine in her room. Her roommate was moved at another room. He also said that we should now wear masks when indoors together and on the bus. Probably a bit late for this announcement! We obviously needed to take off our masks for eating, so he would arrange for more tables in the eating room. Unfortunately no additional seating was provided, and there were no easily accessible outdoor areas for eating. After we arrived back in Seattle at the end of the week, I tested positive for Covid, and I suspect others did also. Ten days later, I am hoping that my symptoms improve soon. I hope that Road Scholar reinstates their mask requirements, particularly on vans and busses.

well organized, well run tried to accommodate all partespends dietary needs. information introduced easy and enjoyable manor.

San Juan Islands always worth a visit - wonderful natural setting.

If you enjoy travel and learning about the places you visit then sign up for a Road Scholar tour. It is well worth the time and money. A wonderful experience.

This was our first trip with Road Scholar, and I was unsure whether I'd like a tour...whether I'd be disappointed. By the second day I just couldn't list all the ways that the tour had already over met my hopes for the trip. If you're unsure - just try one and you'll be impressed.

This was a nice weeks stay on San Juan Island. You get a taste of some of the difficulties and pleasures faced by those living there. Beautiful scenery and well led tours and lectures with Mike and Kevin.

Experienced a different way of life. Family schedules are dictated by the Ferry schedule.

This was our first Road Scholar trip and we loved it. The tour was awesome, we learned so much, the people and food were great, and we plan ti find another trip to take very soon.

Loved this program! It was interesting and varied and gave an excellent introduction to the San Juan Islands.

This Road Scholar adventure does not disappoint. We chose Island Hopping in the San Juan Islands because we wanted to get a taste of island life off the coast of Washington state. We enjoyed using the ferry system to travel between the islands. The best part was having an excellent group leader like Michael Vouri. His knowledge and passion for the area enhanced our experience.

This was a great program. Lots of great scenery and good information on the islands and the history.

Wide variety of enriching experiences in a beautiful and unique part of the world. Programs touched on the arts, history, nature, farming, and sustainable living. Knowledgeable and approachable leader. Excellent meals including dinners prepared by a "personal chef". Activity level description is accurate, but as a moderately-active traveler, I might choose a higher level next time.