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Washington

Kayaking the San Juan Archipelago

Program No. 23766RJ

Discover the rich array of fauna along the forested coasts of the San Juan Islands. Join expert kayakers and naturalists to relish vistas and discoveries you can only find by kayak!

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Water Sports Outdoor Adventures Regional Studies Small Group Nature & Environment

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7 days

6 nights

16 meals

6B 5L 5D

Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Seattle

Anacortes, Fidalgo Island Kayaking, Ferry to San Juan Island

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Limekiln Lighthouse, San Juan Wildlife, Early Evening Paddle

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Whale Museum, Free Time, Early Evening Reception

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Kayaking Friday Harbor, SJI National Park American Camp Hike

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Kayaking Garrison Bay, Henry Island, SJI West Side

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Ferry to Mainland, Transfer to Seattle, Program Concludes

Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

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At a Glance

Come explore the San Juan Islands — one of the top kayaking destinations in the Pacific Northwest and home to unique creatures of the land and sea, from orca whales and Dalls porpoise and harbor seals, to bald eagles, and unique intertidal creatures. Where forest meets sea, discover the rich array of fauna with expert naturalists while you relish vistas and discoveries unique to kayaking during four distinct kayak excursions. Paddle your way through sheltered waters along rocky coasts, through waters rich with seabirds and marine mammals. Plus, enjoy hiking in San Juan Island’s National Park with dramatic coastal vistas.

Activity Level

Outdoor: Spirited

Four 3-hour excursions on two-person sea kayaks; two 1-3 mile easy/moderate hikes. On this program, the following equipment is provided: tandem kayaks (no solo kayaks); paddles, life vests, and spray skirts. Dry bags are available upon request. Note: Our kayak providers may use triple kayaks on occasion – for odd group numbers or for safety.

Small Group

Small Group

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

Best of all, you’ll…

Paddle the archipelago in distinct locations around San Juan, Pearl, Henry, Fidalgo and Burrows Islands.
Visit Limekiln Lighthouse, a whale research and observation outpost and one of the best land-based sites to spot Orca whales in their native habitat.
Enjoy field trips to the Whale Museum and the University of Washington's Marine Labs to learn about the Salish Sea ecosystem.

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.

Cindy Hansen View biography

Cindy Hansen, born in Gary, Indiana, 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 an expert at a gray whale camp at Laguna San Ignacio in Baja. She is currently the education and advocacy coordinator for Orca Network, and volunteers for the research organizations Orca Behavior Institute and Wild Orca. She also volunteers for Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and with the local animal shelter.

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.

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.

Nancy Spaulding View biography

Nancy Spaulding and her husband Lewis have lived on San Juan Island since 1978. The island and their garden have remained major influences in their artistic expression. Nancy approaches landscape from a broad and intimate perspective. She continues to create new works using pure pigment, soft pastel. She enjoys exploring new materials such as mixed media, often in combination with her pastels. Nancy recently showed her art at the National Botanic Garden in Washington as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of U.S. National Parks.

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 (6 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.

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Kayaking the San Juan Archipelago

Program Number: 23766

Rainshadow World: A Naturalist's Year in the San Juan Islands

by Susan Vernon

The San Juan Archipelago of Washington State is a wondrous place where the land meets the sea. In Rainshadow World, naturalist Susan Vernon explores the fascinating world of wildlife in one of the earth's richest biological realms. From rocky shores and tall grass prairies, to forests draped with mosses and lichens and resonating to the drumbeat of pileated woodpeckers, she encounters the first wildflowers of spring, watches a bald eagle's first flight, surveys rare island marble butterflies, and wonders at whales playing in the moonlight. Susan knows the secret places to explore and takes readers on a compelling journey through an island year.

Birding Washington

by Rob and Natalie McNair-Huff

As the first stop in the continental U.S. for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway, Washington offers a wide range of birding opportunities and species, from the typical fall migrations of ducks and geese to the convergence of millions of shore birds in Grays Harbor each spring.

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.

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.

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.

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