Bureau of Land Management Oregon, Flickr Creative Commons
According to Webster’s Dictionary:
Island – a tract of land surrounded by water and smaller than a continent.
I love the “surrounded by water” portion of that definition. I also love the Pacific Northwest portion of the US. Compared to the usual drought stricken Texas we’ve gotten used to these last eight years or so, the Pacific Northwest is so cool, and so green and lush, Lord have mercy. So I started thinking about that region and thought about how far north and west you could get, and the San Juans are just about the last stop before you hit Vancouver Island, Canada. The great thing about the San Juans is you CAN GET THERE IN YOUR RV!
Here’s how you do it. You drive north out of Seattle on I-5 until you get to Burlington, where you turn west onto Hwy 20 which you follow all the way to Anacortes and the ferry landing. Now there are several of the San Juans you can reach via ferry: Shaw Island, Lopez Island, Orcas Island, and Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Now, San Juan Island and Orcas Island are the biggest of the ferriable islands and both offer RV destinations. West Beach Resort is on Orcas Island and Lakedale Resort is on San Juan.
If you’d prefer to see the San Juans independent of the RV, there are several places available in and around Anacortes near the ferry landings. Fidalgo Bay Resort, Lighthouse RV Park, Pioneer Trails, and even one just south on Whidbey Island which is reachable by bridge. The ferries of course will let you take you car, so basing the RV on the mainland and making day trips out to the islands is a delightful alternative.
If you plan on taking the ferry, PLEASE make a ferry reservation. During the summer months the ferries get very crowded and if you haven’t secured a spot on one, there is a good chance you’ll miss your arrival time, and then all the trouble that brings down the line with late fees or parking spaces given to someone else start raining down upon you. So, make those ferry reservations, and before you go come say howdy to us over at PPLMotorhomes.com and let us see if there is anything we can do for you!