Book Your Overnight Getaway to Victoria!
Day Trip from Seattle to Victoria, BC, free parking included!
Join us for a half day of wildlife and whale watching, leaving directly from downtown Seattle.
We’re excited to have you join us today! Please sit back and allow our Captain, crew and onboard expert naturalist guide you on an excursion through some of the most picturesque isles in the world. Cruising aboard the San Juan Clipper, you will have the chance to view magnificent scenery in the region, from the Cascade Mountains to the jagged cliffs of Deception Pass.
We want your trip to be highly educational, inspiring, comfortable and memorable! To that end, it is our goal to have you arrive at your destination safely and in good spirits. Our vessels cruise through waters trafficked by other vessels often many times our size. Please be aware that swells can rock the boat without warning.
Watch your step while moving about the cabin and outer decks, use the hand rails while climbing or descending the stairways and keep personal items out of the aisles.
Your safety is our primary concern. Please obey posted signs and cooperate with the crew’s instructions.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please bring it to our attention. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the epic adventure!
10:30 AM: Depart Pier 69 in Seattle10:30 AM to 4:30 PM: Whale & Sealife Search4:30 PM: Arrive Seattle
NOTE: Tour time may vary between 4-6 hours based on whale and sealife sighting locations.
For over 20 years, FRS Clipper has provided the only whale and sealife viewing tour direct from downtown Seattle. In accordance with the Pacific Whale Watching Association Guidelines (PWWA), FRS Clipper uses low-impact, science-based viewing methods to ensure guests are observing whales and sealife in a non-disruptive manner.
Furthermore, FRS Clipper, along with other members of PWWA, serve as whale and sealife protectors and educators by modeling safe viewing areas and behavior for surrounding recreational boaters. Each FRS Clipper whale watching tour also features expert research-based naturalists who guide and educate passengers on whale and sealife behavior in the species’ natural environment. Data is collected in real-time and reported back to The Whale Museum as well as other whale research organizations to accurately track and monitor the health of locally spotted whales.
FRS Clipper is a proud member of the Pacific Whale Watching Association and is committed to education and responsible whale watching.
Maintain a 200 yard radius around any orca whale as a “No-Go” zone, in which no vessel may approach.
Recommended 880 yard (1/2 mile) radius around any orca whale as a “Go Slow” Quiet Zone, in which no vessel may exceed 7 knots.
Avoid approaching closer than 200 yards to any whale. Keep an eye out for whale warning flags and actively communicate via radio with professional whale watching vessels on location or in the surrounding area.
When whales have been spotted, professional whale watching vessels will fly the whale watching warning flag.
Allow the whales to pass if your vessel is unexpectedly within 100 yards.
Make sure you reduce speed to less than seven knots when within 880 yards of the nearest whale. Avoid abrupt course changes.
Stay away of the whales’ path and avoid positioning within the 880 yard area in the path of the whales.
Approach areas of known or suspected marine mammal activity with extreme caution. Look in all directions before planning your approach or depature.
When the whales are traveling close to shore, stay on the offshore side. Remain at least 200 yards offshore at all times.
What can you do to help protect our cherished salmon-eating Southern Resident Orca Whale population? There are several good answers — contribute donations or volunteer your time towards Chinook salmon habitat restoration projects (the primary food source that Southern Resident orcas rely on), as well as follow conservation best practices in your daily life at home. Here are a few ways you can help ensure a healthy future for these animals:
Volunteer or Donate: If you live in the Northwest, ask your onboard naturalist about how to get involved with habitat restoration projects to protect and increase the supply of Chinook wild salmon. If you are visiting the area, consider visiting The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor to donate in support of research and rehabilitation efforts to protect our salmon-eating Southern Resident Killer Whales.
Avoid farmed Atlantic salmon: Farmed salmon have a detrimental effect on our wild populations, causing issues such as the spread of disease, environmental pollution (the concentrated antibiotics, pesticides and chemicals used in farms often leach into local waters) and a potentially weaker salmon gene pool due to wild-farmed salmon hybrids.
Eliminate Unnecessary Plastics: Instead of plastic bags and bottles, which often end up in the ocean, use reusable shopping bags and stainless steel water bottles.
Avoid Toxic Chemicals: Avoid using toxic pesticides and fertilizers in your yard and garden, and choose organic foods when possible. This will reduce the amount of chemical runoff into waterways, which eventually end up in our oceans. Use biodegradeable cleaning supplies.
Keep Learning and Share Knowledge: As research evolves, we encourage you to continue learning about orca whales and sharing knowledge with friends, family and co-workers! Knowledge is power in protecting our precious salmon-eating Southern Resident Killer Whales!
Salmon-eating orcas have a smaller and more defined traveling range, spending months at a time in a specific area. They travel in family pods of 20–40 whales. They mostly spend their entire life with the pod into which they are born.
They interact, socialize and breed with other resident pods but rarely change from one pod to another. Adult salmon-eating orcas in the Salish Sea need 100-300 pounds of food a day and rely on Chinook salmon for more than 70% of their diet. An adult orca must consume about 40 salmon a day and thus spend considerable time hunting.
The endangered resident orcas that historically spent 4-7 months of the year in the Salish Sea are known as the Southern Resident Community and are one of the best-studied orca populations in the world. Their community is made up of three distinct pods known as J, K and L pods. These pods are all led by the eldest female.
From spring throughout the summer and sometimes into the fall, these fish-eating whales were regularly seen in the San Juan Islands hunting the salmon returning to spawn. In the fall and winter months, they leave protected waters, sometimes for months, swimming out to the Pacific to follow the salmon. They have been seen as far south as California.
As of January 2021, 74 animals remain in the Southern Resident Killer Whale population.
Mammal-eating orca whales (also called Bigg’s or “transient” whales, here in the Salish Sea) often travel much farther distances than salmon-eating orca whales. The mammal-eating orcas we see here travel between Alaska and the mid-Californian coast in small pods, usually consisting of between one and seven whales.
Mammal-eating orcas are a thriving population (over 80 recorded births) and feed primarily on marine mammals such as seals and porpoises but will also form large temporary pods in order to attack other species of whales like the gray or minke. There is no known socializing or breeding between transient and resident orcas. In fact, resident and transient orcas seem to actively avoid each other.
As of 2018, estimate total population of 349 mammal-eating orca whales.
Orcas are black in color with white undersides as well as white markings located behind the eyes and dorsal fin. The largest of the dolphin family, male orcas average 27 feet in length and weigh eight tons with dorsal fins growing as high as 6 feet. Females are smaller, growing to an average of 23 feet and weighing six tons. Their dorsal fins only grow to two feet and are more curved, making it possible to tell the genders apart while viewing them from the boat.
To spot orcas, look for their black dorsal fins rising through the water. Be sure to scan the horizon for rising puffs of whale exhalation known as a blow. This is a sign that a whale is coming to the surface to breathe.
An orca may jump clear of the water and crash back down on its back or side.
We may also see an orca slap its tail fin on the water’s surface called tail lobbing.
An orca raises its head vertically above the surface to get a glimpse at what is going on outside of the water.
As we cruise along, you may catch sight of a whale torpedoing in and out of the water in a rapid series of short, shallow arcs while swimming. This is called porpoising or speed surfing and allows the orcas to reach speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
FRS Clipper supports the actions taken by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to list the salmon-eathing Southern Resident pods of orca whales as endangered. FRS Clipper is an active member of the Pacific Whale Watch Association and has been proactive in developing and adhering to self-regulating guidelines, beyond those mandated by NOAA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
We are dedicated to working in cooperation with government agencies in both the United States and Canada, as well as with non-governmental and industry organizations, by carrying out the conservation plan designed to provide the greatest protection possible to Puget Sound’s whale population.
Gray whales, like humpback and minke whales, belong to the baleen whale family. Instead of teeth, these whales have baleen, plates of keratin, the same material our hair and fingernails are made of, growing from the roof of their mouths. Baleen looks a bit like the bristles on a push broom, and help the whales filter small fish, large plankton and other prey from the water. Unique among baleen whales, gray whales are bottom feeders. They scoop mud into their mouths from the sea bottom and filter it through their baleen to capture shrimp and other small animals.
The average adult gray whale reaches 40 feet and weighs up to 35 tons. They have robust bodies that are mottled gray, marked with barnacles and orange patches that are caused by parasitic whale lice. To spot this animal, look for a tall and heart-shaped blow near shore as they feed in shallow water. These whales have no dorsal fin and sometimes show their tails when diving.
Gray whales partake in one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet. Each year they travel ten to twelve thousand miles roundtrip. They spend their summers feeding in the waters just south of the Arctic Ocean and spend their winters in the warm waters near Baja. During their migration, gray whales do not feed and therefore lose up to one third of their body weight. Every year a small group of gray whales visit the Salish Sea to feed during their migration north.
Once an extremely rare sight in the Salish Sea, humpback whales are becoming frequent visitors here as their Pacific populations recover from over-hunting early in the last century. Humpbacks are migratory, spending their summers along the Pacific Northwest coast and returning to winter breeding areas in Hawaii or off the coast of Mexico. Members of both populations may be seen in the Salish Sea.
Humpback whales can reach up to 50 feet in length and weigh 40 tons. They have dark gray backs with a small dorsal fin perched atop a rounded hump, for which they are named. These whales have long pectoral fins, usually much lighter in color than the rest of their bodies. Individual humpback whales can be identified by the shape and markings of their tail flukes, which they may show above the surface at the beginning of a deep dive. Using baleen plates, humpbacks feed on krill and small forage fishes.
Minke whales are the smallest of the baleen whales. To feed, the minke takes in a huge mouthful of water; then, using its tongue, pushes the water back out of its mouth catching small fish and plankton in its bristly baleen. Minke whales are dark gray to black with a white underside and a white patch on both front flippers. They often have a pale chevron behind their heads.
Adults grow to an average size of 30 feet and weigh between five and ten tons. Like other baleen whale species, female whales tend to be larger than their male counterparts. Minke whales are usually solitary but may be seen in groups of up to three whales. They spend most of their time feeding, but have been known to breach, usually three times in a row, and are most commonly observed making dolphin-like dives in the water. To spot a minke whale, look for a low, bushy blow at the water line as well as a broad black back and small crescent shaped dorsal fin.
These relatively shy animals are one of the world’s smallest cetaceans, rarely growing more than five feet in length. Those who live in the Salish Sea, unlike populations in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere, remain here year round instead of migrating. Harbor porpoises rarely show more than their dark gray or dark brown backs and small, triangular dorsal fins above the surface of the water. They may be seen traveling alone or in small groups. Their small size makes them challenging to spot in choppy seas, but they are easily visible when surfacing in calm waters.
Harbor porpoises eat a diet of squid and small forage fishes, such as herring and smelt. While behaviorally they are very different from the Salish Sea’s other porpoise species, the Dall’s porpoise, the two species have been known to breed together resulting in a hybrid resembling a harbor porpoise in appearance but behaving more like a Dall’s porpoise.
This is both the most common marine mammal in the area and the easiest to spot. They have short necks, small front flippers and are unable to pull their hind flippers under their bodies. This makes their movements out of the water ungainly and inchworm-like, landing them the nickname “crawling seal.”
Harbor seals’ distinct torpedo shape is the result of a thick layer of fat, called blubber, that insulates them from the frigid waters of the Pacific Northwest. The shape is also important in making the seal hydrodynamic so it can swim quickly and efficiently. Their spotted fur varies from nearly white to almost black, and adults are on average six feet in length and weigh about 250 pounds.
These seals are incredible hunters and are able to dive up to 600 feet deep and stay submerged over 25 minutes to find their prey of fish. Look on rock outcroppings near the water line and beaches for their familiar shape stretched out for a mid-day nap.
Sea lions differ from seals in a variety of ways. They have elongated necks and long front flippers that are used for propulsion when swimming. They are also able to pull their hind flippers under their body. This enables them to use their flippers for four-legged movement, hence the name “walking seals.”
The Steller sea lion is the largest in the region and the least commonly seen. The males are much larger than the females averaging nine feet, 1,500 pounds and seven feet, 600 pounds respectively. They are light brown to blond but appear tan in the water. The males also develop a thickened neck and mane as they age. Steller sea lions are opportunistic feeders and may be able to dive to 600 feet or more.
This species is the most abundant sea lion in the area even though it is almost exclusively males who are seen here. Most females remain at their breeding grounds in California year-round while the males migrate north.
They stay from fall through late spring, feeding on fish and preparing for the summer breeding season. California sea lions are dark brown and appear black when in the water. The males also develop a prominent raised forehead called a sagittal crest. Females average five feet and 250 pounds. To spot California sea lions, look on rock outcroppings close to the water. They are also quite fond of lounging on buoys and docks. Their dog-like barks are also a sure indication of their presence.
Salmon are anadromous fish. They are born in fresh water, migrate to salt water and return to fresh water to spawn. After the returning adults reproduce, they die, and their bodies providing nourishment to the river system. The salmon’s life is not an easy one; they are prey to over 130 predators. On average, a female salmon will lay approximately 4,000 eggs but only two will survive to return to their spawning grounds.
There are five species of salmon found in the Salish Sea. These are the Chinook, Coho, Chum, Pink and Sockeye. Chinook are the largest salmon species. At full growth they vary from 5 to 30 pounds. When these fish exceed 30 pounds, they are often called “king” or “tyee” salmon. The largest Chinook on record weighed an incredible 126 pounds.
The best time to view salmon is during the late summer and fall when they are returning to their native streams. They can be seen struggling up salmon ladders at dams or you may glimpse them in shallow water as they swim upstream.
The Salish Sea is home to many jellyfish species, from tiny, translucent sea acorns to the large lion’s mane jelly that can reach more than two feet in diameter. Jellyfish use stinging tentacles to ensnare their prey. Smaller species eat plankton while larger species may also eat small fish. The bioluminescent crystal jellyfish is common during summer months in the San Juan Islands. Another common jellyfish that resides in the waters of the Salish Sea is the egg-yolk jelly, named for its bright yellow, gelatinous appearance.
Bull kelp is a type of marine algae that grows in the cold coastal waters of the Salish Sea. Each individual is made up of a long flexible stalk (stipe) topped with a gas filled bulb and long leaf-like fronds that protrude out of the top of the bulb. Holdfasts at the base the stipe attach the kelp to rocks along the seafloor. Bull kelp reaches an average of 30 to 60 feet in height, but can grow up 118 feet tall. These organisms usually only live one year and therefore have to grow fast and can grow up to 10 inches a day!
Kelp often form large undersea forests that provide shelter for small fish and invertebrates from predators. Kelp forests also help buffer the shoreline from extreme waves. Many species of fish, crabs, and snails feed on bull kelp, but their biggest predators are sea urchins. As we travel over shallower waters, you may spot the long greenish brown kelp fronds floating along the surface of the water.
Barnacles are inter-tidal crustaceans found living on hard surfaces such as rocks. As larva, barnacles resemble crabs and live amongst the coastal plankton. When adulthood approaches, the barnacle finds a rock or other appropriate surface to live on permanently.
Once a place is chosen, the barnacle flips over and glues its head to the surface using a very powerful adhesive. (The adhesive that barnacles excrete is the strongest in nature — so strong it was used in dentistry.) It then secretes a shell around itself and lives out its life filtering food out of the water with its bristly feet. There are several different species of barnacles found on our beaches. To find them, look for their white or gray “houses” attached to rocks, boat hulls, pilings, etc. during low tide.
The bald eagle is a large bird of prey with a wingspan over seven feet and weighing up to 15 pounds. The females are typically about 20 percent larger than the males. They are opportunistic feeders eating anything from carrion to live fish. This eagle has eyesight that surpasses human capabilities by as much as eight times. They use this ability to track fish and small mammals from the air.
Adult bald eagles are dark brown with striking white heads and tails. A bald eagle’s white feathers do not appear until they are between three to five years old. Juvenile bald eagles are brown, mottled with white in the chest and the undersides of their wings. Bald eagles mate for life and return to the same nesting site each year.
The San Juans boast one of the largest nesting sites in the lower 48 states. To spot these birds, look for what appears to be a golf ball hanging in a tree. This will most likely materialize into the white head of an adult bald eagle. They may also be found on beaches, eating dead salmon that are too heavy for them to lift.
These raptors live around both fresh and salt water, eating almost exclusively fish. They can sometimes be confused with bald eagles but are smaller, with a wingspan of five feet and weighing only three pounds. Adults are dark brown with white on the crest of their heads and a prominent dark eye stripe. These birds build bulky nests in trees, on sheds, poles, docks and on special platforms built for them by environmental groups and local utility agencies. It is easiest to spot this bird while it is in flight. Note how their narrow wings bend back at the wrist like a gull’s. They can also be observed hovering over the water before diving and snatching their prey feet first.
This is arguably the most distinct and recognizable bird in the Pacific Northwest. They are four feet tall, gray birds with a black stripe extending over their eyes. Their white fore neck is streaked with black. The great blue heron is a year round resident to the bays, salt marshes and rocky coasts of this region. They stalk through the shallow water on slender legs while plunging their long, sharp bills under the surface to capture fish, frogs and other small aquatic animals.
Herons nest high in the treetops close to water. They have a six foot wingspan and are the only heron-like birds to fold their necks back into an “S” shape during flight. To spot a great blue heron, look for them wading near rocky beaches, through kelp beds and along the beach during low tides. To spot them in flight, look for their “S” shaped necks. Deception Pass is a favorite heron hangout.
Three different species of cormorants inhabit in the region. The most common are the Pelagic and the Brandt’s cormorant. Cormorants are dark in color with colorful, bare facial skin, set back legs and long hooked bills. Though not closely related to pelicans, these birds also have a small throat pouch used for feeding and breeding purposes.
Unlike most water birds, cormorants do not have waterproof feathers. This allows them to dive to depths of 200 feet or more to capture herring and other small fish. When they surface, they cannot fly immediately and must dry their wings by spreading them away from their bodies and flapping them. The best way to spot cormorants is to look for them drying their wings on rocky outcroppings and on top of buoys.
1. Elliott Bay with its deep bay, protected anchorages and ample water supply attracted the first white settlers in 1851 and has nurtured Seattle ever since. At its entrance, the bay is nearly as deep as the Space Needle is high. Towering Port of Seattle cranes line the south of the bay and the 395-acre Harbor Island — the largest man-made island in the U.S., constructed over tide flats. These filled tide flats also created the area now home to the King Street Station and Seattle’s sports stadiums.
2. West Point was named by American explorer Charles Wilkes because the point of land runs virtually due west from Magnolia Bluff. The West Point lighthouse has been overseeing the Sound’s busiest intersection since 1881, eight years before Washington became a state. Discovery Park, the city’s largest park at 557 acres, sits on the point and bluff overlooking Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains.
3. Shilshole Bay Marina with moorage for 1,400 boats is owned by the Port of Seattle. Just south and inland from the marina are the Hiram Chittenden locks, built in 1916, to connect the fresh waters of Lake Washington and Lake Union to Puget Sound. The Chittenden locks are the busiest in the country, handling more than 100,000 vessels per year, 80 percent of those being pleasure craft.
4. Edmonds incorporated into a town in 1890 when its founder, George Brackett, added his two oxen, Isaac and Bolivar, to the petition, to fill out the required 72 signatures. Twenty years earlier Brackett’s canoe was forced ashore by a storm. Impressed with the land, he bought it and built a wharf and general store.
5. Possession Point is the southernmost point of Whidbey Island. Possession Point and Possession Sound were both named by George Vancouver. On June 4, 1792, Vancouver came ashore near where the city of Everett is today and celebrated King George III’s birthday by taking possession of the land of “New Georgia” for Great Britain.
6. Mukilteo is a variation of a Salish word meaning “good camping ground.” Washington state operates a ferry service between Mukilteo and Whidbey Island. In 1855, Washington Governor Isaac Stevens met with over 2,000 Native Americans representing 22 different tribes, to place their marks on the Point Elliot Treaty. This treaty relinquished any native claims to land in the region in exchange for reservation land and small monetary compensation to include harvesting rights as one of the provisions of the treaty. Point Elliot Lighthouse went into operation in 1906.
7. Everett is home to the world’s largest building (by volume), the site of Boeing’s 747, 767, 777, 787 and 757 Dreamliner assembly line. The city has historical ties to another prominent Northwest corporation, Weyerhaeuser. Frederick Weyerhaeuser bought 900,000 acres of land in the mid 1890s, and within 10 years, he had built the world’s largest sawmill. Naval Station Everett is home port to three destroyers, two frigates and a Coast Guard buoy tender. 8. Langley is a late 19th century town, developed to take advantage of the steamer boat traffic that traveled Saratoga Passage. The town flourished, supplying cordwood to keep the steamer boats’ boilers fired. In 1894, the great Northern Railroad completed its line to Bellingham, which proved too successful for the steamer boats and the town. Many of Langley’s settlers and investors left, leaving a near ghost town. Today it is a thriving community and a stopover port on Clipper’s Gray Whale excursions.
9. Camano Head is the southernmost point of Camano Island. The island’s mills and ship building industry has long since past. Most of its residents’ homes line the shore, with a good portion being retiree or summer homes.
10. Coupeville overlooks Penn Cove, home to the famed Penn Cove mussel farm. Thomas Coupe had the county seat platted and named for himself in the 1890s.
11. Skagit Bay is a shallow estuary that is filled with sediment from the Skagit and Stillaguamish Rivers. State Department of Fish and Wildlife have preserved a major portion of the bay’s shoreline with the Skagit Wildlife Recreation Area. The Skagit River delta and its bay is a major wintering spot on the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds. Over 175 species of birds have been observed here.
12. La Conner is a charming seaside tourist village, home to antiques, art and the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival with over 1,600 acres of blooms.
13. Swinomish Channel is the waterway that separates Fidalgo Island from the mainland. The meandering channel is ten miles long, about 100 feet wide and was dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers to ten feet deep. It is often used by boaters wanting to avoid the often turbulent waters of Deception Pass.
14. Deception Pass, a highlight of our voyage, is a swift-running, narrow pass through steep, jagged cliffs with a towering bridge straddling three islands. Both shores of the pass and surrounding waters belong to the popular Deception Pass State Park, with over 78,000 feet of shoreline and 4,000 acres. The pass funnels an enormous mass of water with a boiling, churning and sometimes violent energy. One estimation of water flow is 2.5 billion gallons of water an hour on an ebb tide. The bridge joins Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands with Pass Island, supporting the bridge in the middle. It took one year to build the 1,487 feet of deck and was dedicated in July 1935. It was built with Civilian Conservation Corps funding for $482,000, an amount today that doesn’t cover its paint job.
15. Rosario Strait along with Haro Strait is one of the two main passages through the San Juan archipelago. If Pig War arbitration had gone against the United States, the border with Canada would have bisected this waterway.
16. Blakely & Decatur Islands border Thatcher Pass, the front door to the islands. They were named by Charles Wilkes who explored the area in the early 1840s. Johnstone Blakely and Stephen Decatur were distinguished officers of the War of 1812. A quarter of Blakey Island was given to Seattle Pacific University for biological and environmental research.
17. Lopez Island is named for Gonzales Lopez de Haro who sailed with the first Spanish ship to explore the San Juans. Before the 1930s, when dams brought irrigation water to eastern Washington, Lopez served as a major agricultural supplier to western Washington. The island’s gentle rolling landscape is increasingly popular with bicyclists.
18. Orcas Island is home to 2,454-foot Mt. Constitution, the highest point of the islands. The mountain is located within the 5,249 acres of Moran State Park, which also offers camping, swimming, fishing and hiking. Robert Moran, a wealthy shipping magnate, donated the land to the parks and sold his lavish mansion in 1938. The historical mansion is the centerpiece of Rosario Resort. Orcas Island is the largest of the islands, one square mile larger than San Juan Island, but slightly less populated.
19. Shaw Island is the smallest of the San Juan Islands that is served by the Washington State Ferries. Most of the island is privately-owned by people who like their slow-paced privacy. For 27 years, a small group of Franciscan nuns ran the ferry landing, working 16-hour days, bustling to meet incoming ferries, wearing smiles and traditional floor-length habits, also operating the “Little Portion” general store and a small marina. In 2004, the aging nuns sold their 1.8 acre waterfront property and moved off the small island, ending an era and the opportunity to buy beer from a nun.
20. San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juans Islands, approximately 6,800 people live on the island which thrives on a mix of farms and year-round visitors. The quaint downtown of Friday Harbor is surrounded by scenic farms, beautiful coastline and stunning Lime Kiln State Park.
21. Cattle Point is the southernmost point of San Juan Island. The Hudson’s Bay Company unloaded livestock at this point when the British settlers considered the island Bellevue Farm. Cattle Point lighthouse is perched atop the sand dunes on the island’s south shore welcoming boaters making their transit across the open water of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
22. The Strait of Juan de Fuca is named for an alias the Greek mariner, Apostolos Valerianos, used while sailing under a Spanish flag. He sailed along the Northwest coast looking for the mythical Northwest Passage but never did sail down the promising strait. The broad 80-mile strait separates Vancouver Island from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and is used extensively by ship traffic.
23. Smith & Minor Islands connect at low tide and are a National Wildlife Refuge for the nesting seabirds and breeding harbor seals found here in the summer months. In 1860, the island was an estimated 50 acres and has since eroded down to 15. Smith Island’s original lighthouse lost its battle and fell into the sea.
24. Point Partridge marks the western-most point of Whidbey Island. During the Second World War, Fort Ebey was built on the bluffs, with its smaller, more modern guns to provide back-up for the gun emplacements further out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It now serves as a 644-acre park and its dramatic bluffs are often used as a launching pad for hang gliders.
25. Protection Island was named by Captain Vancouver for the protection it affords the mainland (and Discovery Bay where Vancouver anchored for ship repair) from northwest winds. The island now provides protection to numerous species of seabirds including a startling 96 percent of the rhinoceros auklets that breed in the contiguous states. Given the rapid development taking place around the region, three-fourths of all of the Sound’s nesting seabirds raise their young on the island as well. In 1988, the island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge.
26. Point Wilson marks the entrance into Puget Sound. In 1879 its light replaced an old ship’s bell as the point’s navigational aid, and a new lighthouse was built in 1914. On Whidbey Island’s Admiralty Head, another lighthouse was built in 1861 to aid sailing vessels tacking across Port Townsend Bay. In the age of steam engines it was decommissioned, but serves today as an interpretive center at Fort Casey State Park.
27. Port Townsend was settled as a farming and fishing community and was blessed when the customs office moved to town in 1854. Speculation that Port Townsend would become the terminus for the transcontinental railroad led to a boom in building. Fortunes were lost and the population plummeted when Tacoma was chosen as the railroad terminus. The town floundered until 1927 when the lumber mill was opened, bringing life to the local economy. Today, boutiques and bed and breakfasts entice visitors to the town.
28. “Triangle of Fire” Three northwest forts, part of a nationwide response to the Spanish-American War, were built in the years around the turn of the century. Fort Casey (on Whidbey Island), Fort Worden (near Port Townsend) and Fort Flagler (on Marrowstone Island). Though armed with ten-inch “disappearing” guns, a marvel of simplicity in design, the forts were obsolete by the time they were completed. Today, all three are very popular state parks.
29. Marrowstone Island is famous for the raising of premium turkeys between 1925 and the 1940s. When Fort Flagler reactivated for World War II, the turkeys became part of local folklore. The fort’s guns were temporarily silenced so as not to disturb the fragile incubating turkey embryos. Fort Flager State Park occupies the island’s north end with 783 acres and 19,100 feet of shoreline.
30. Foulweather Bluff marks the northern end of the Kitsap Peninsula and the entrance to Hood Canal. Captain George Vancouver named Foulweather Bluff for the inclement weather he experienced while exploring the area in 1792. Hood Canal is a 65-mile long fjord and is home to the Submarine Base Bangor, home port for the Trident Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile System.
31. Point No Point Lighthouse, Puget Sound’s first lighthouse, consisted of a kerosene lantern for a time before the fifth-order Fresnel lens finally arrived. The radar tower spinning nearby is part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic System that works with commercial marine traffic.
32. Bainbridge Island is named after the United States Commodore, William Bainbridge. His greatest victory at sea was as captain of the Constitution in the war of 1812 when it defeated the British ship Java. Bainbridge Island is a bedroom community of Seattle, served by the Washington State Ferries.
33. Alki Point was the location of the first white settlement of Seattle in 1851. Settlers moved to the more protected location of the present Seattle downtown after spending one winter on the point. The word Seattle is an adaptation of the name of the Chief of the Suquamish and Duwamish natives of the area.
Puget Sound is the body of water extending 90 miles south from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Olympia, Washington. The major event creating the present Puget Sound was a period of glaciation 13,000 to 15,000 years ago. Huge sheets of ice flowed out of the coastal mountains of British Columbia and bulldozed their way south. Imagine ice more than three times higher than Seattle’s tallest skyscraper. 11,000 years ago, the last of the ice retreated, melting as it went. Sea levels rose and refilled the lowland area creating the present Puget Sound.
The Puget Sound Basin lies between two towering mountain ranges. The Olympic mountain range continues to be created by tectonic action, as the continental plate rises up and the oceanic plate thrusts down, much as carpet wrinkles if pushed against the leg of a chair. This gives the Olympics a distinctly more jagged appearance than the Cascades. Volcanic activity formed the Cascade Mountains approximately two million years ago. Cracks formed by the moving tectonic plates allow molten rock to reach the surface, creating mountains. Many of the famous peaks of the Cascade Range are volcanic, including Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker and Mt. Hood. Even though the erosional forces of wind and weather are wearing away at them, in geologic time, the Cascades are young and still growing.
The San Juan geology is more complex in that six different terranes have been identified. (A terrane is a distinct section of the Earth’s crust different from the adjacent rocks.) Geologists surmise that much of the islands were part of an ancient seabed located near the equator about 450 million years ago. About 200 million years ago, the sea floor erupted with magma, forming seamounts. The San Juan terranes made their way to North America and collided with the edge of the continent. The continent forced the hard plate under itself with its mountains and sediment scraping off. Glaciation grinded down mountaintops and coated the area with glacial till.
1. The Whale Museum Many of the world’s leading orca researchers are based in the San Juan Islands. The Whale Museum is heavily involved with the ongoing study and protection of salmon-eating Southern Resident orca whales. Discover behavioral patterns, observe skeletons up close and get a better sense of the orcas larger role in the Salish Sea ecosystem. To visit the museum, head up Spring Street from the harbor and turn right on First Street to 62 First Street North.
2. Friday Harbor Half Day Kayaking Tour Experience San Juan Island from a unique perspective – aboard your own personal kayak! Soak in amazing views of the region as your expert San Juan Outfitters guide leads you along beautiful shoreline beaches and through the San Juan Channel, with the Olympic Mountains as your backdrop!
3. San Juan Historical Museum See the region’s past come alive through historic artifacts, records and more. You’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a time machine as you experience the island as a turn of the century farming community. To get there, follow Spring Street to Price Street to a two-story white clapboard farmhouse.
4. San Juan Islands Museum of Art (IMA) A testament to the island’s creative community, the IMA is a hub for artists of all kinds featuring both local and international work. Follow Spring Street through town and the museum will be on your right not long after you pass Caines Street. Be sure to wander the adjacent Sculpture Park when you stop by!
5. Explore Friday Harbor’s Shopping District Centered on Spring Street and up a few blocks from the waterfront, Friday Harbor’s shopping district features floral shops such as Robin’s Nest, local produce at King’s Market and sweets at Friday Harbor Chocolates. Don’t miss a cup of great coffee from San Juan Coffee Roasting Co.!
Looking for more? Check out our picks for 25 Things to Do on San Juan Island!
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