Hidden Gems: North Shore Hikers Bike Trip to San Juan Islands

As it was an exploratory trip, we used the apps “Ride with GSP” and “MAPSME” to guide us around three islands: San Juan, Lopez and Orcas islands. We all drove down separately to Anacortes, USA and met up to catch the 11:50 am ferry to Friday Harbour. We paid $18 USD for the ferry, and it included all inter island ferry rides too. A surprisingly good deal and only $10 for seniors!

At this time of year, there are very few tourists, but hotels still charge high prices at Friday Harbour, our base camp. Food was expensive too, and locals complained to us about the high prices of groceries.

On arrival at Friday Harbour, we disbursed quickly to find our various hotels. People were hungry and exhausted from the early start. We regrouped at 7 pm in my hotel lobby to plan out the next three days of biking. Based on the ferry schedule, we decided 8:30 am ferries would be best for the other islands.

Friday Harbour is a beautiful town with interesting chic-modern architecture to restored historical gems. We met a local historical buff, and he gave us a short rundown on the history of the British/American Pig War of 1859 to 1872 and the Oregon Treaty. Chuckling, he stated that the “Pig” was the only casualty in the Pig War.

“San Juan Island remained under joint military occupation for the next 12 years. The standoff ended in 1871, when Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Washington. Then San Juan’s territorial rights were referred to Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany for settlement. The Kaiser referred the issue to a three-man arbitration commission that met for nearly a year in Geneva. On October 21, 1872, the commission, through the Kaiser, ruled in favour of the United States, establishing the boundary line through Haro Strait. Thus, the San Juan Islands became American possessions and the final boundary between Canada and the United States was set.”

With a welcome tailwind, we biked north to Lime Kiln State Park as they have shaded picnic tables, washrooms and a long 30’ bike stand. In the summer, this place must be packed with cyclists. We noticed several “bicycle pull-out” areas along the roads, indicating that there must be too many cyclists on the roads during high season.

After a 30-minute lunch break, we biked north to English Camp San Juan Island Historical Park. Some of the group were hesitant to bike down the narrow, steep hill to the Camp, because it meant pushing our bikes back up the hill! But it was well worth it, as we saw a stark contrast in how the English lived. The sophisticated English Camp had a manicured lawn with a classic boxwood hedge labyrinth; a high level of hygiene and care with a hospital, surgical staff; accommodation for both married and unmarried soldiers; educational facilities with a library and an elementary school for the children; and all set in a calm, sheltered bay with easy water access. Quite the disparity to the more primitive American camp. The group was getting pretty tired, but we had one more stop on the itinerary, and it took one cyclist to say, “We’re going,” and the rest reluctantly followed. Down the forested hill we went to Roche Harbour. Suddenly, we slid back in time to a “peaceful”, picturesque historical village after visiting two historical war camps. This quaint village is no doubt home to wealthy tourists. There are towering stone ruins of an old lime kiln, and the sign said it was the largest lime kiln west of the Mississippi River. Melted lime is used for making paper, steel, cement and plaster.

We stopped to have an afternoon tea in a café along the waterfront. I was fascinated by the historical architecture and went for a walk. But on closer examination, the historical architectural beauties were actually brand new hotels and condos, like the famous “Painted Ladies” in San Francisco. Conversely, in the village, the buildings were restored historical buildings, and advertised as a wedding destination. The mini-castle overlooking the village looked like a private residence for the rich and famous.

Two cyclists were eager for a hot shower, and we rode straight back to Friday Harbour. I had an outdoor hot tub waiting for me at the hotel. After dinner, I enjoyed watching a Netflix film in the hotel movie theatre. One perk during low season is that I was given special permission to bring my bike into my suite, otherwise, during the high season, you are asked to lock the bikes outside.

Believe it or not, this is the flattest of the three islands–no steep climbs like yesterday. We met in the dark at 8:30 am at the ferry dock. The forecast was for showers on and off all day. I was fully waterproof from head to toe with my rain helmet to rain booties. I find rainy days more memorable as they are challenging in a fun way.

We biked 30 minutes to Lopez village for a brief stop for coffee/tea/food. Two riders said they were thinking of going back to the ferry as it was too wet for them. I said that I was going to go as I really wanted to see the island. With encouragement, the group decided to follow me. We biked south, passing many lovely coves and inviting beaches. At the most southern tip, there was a private outhouse with a tip box.

Eager to catch the 3 pm ferry, we biked back up north and ducked under an Elementary School canopy on School Road to eat our lunches. We went at a pretty fast pace of 20 km/hour. When we got near Shoal bay on Stanley road, the Ride with GSP app wanted us to go down a steep dead-end forest path, which required walking our bikes down as it was slippery.

We arrived an hour early for the ferry and stay in the warming shelter. Two riders said they had enough and would skip our last day of riding. They couldn’t see riding with fully loaded bikes in the rain, as we needed to check out of our hotels.

Again, I wished I had travelled lighter. Did I mention that I accidentally packed 12 pairs of gloves? The two U-locks with two cables alone felt like 20 pounds.

In clear blue skies, we caught the 8:30 am ferry to Orcas. But when we arrived on Orcas Island, it started to drizzle. On with the rain gear again. It was a short 13 km to the village of East Sound, which local residents said was nicer than Friday Harbour, as it didn’t have urban sprawl! Checking the ferry schedule, we decided to quickly catch the 12:25 pm ferry to Anacortes as the next ferry was in 5:15 pm! Trying a new route back, it turned out to be extremely gruelling racing back to the ferry as the hills were numerous, steep and long. There are mountains on this island that go as high as 800 m. We biked/walked up a long, steep ascent with fully loaded panniers as our legs became jelly-like. This bit of road was called the Enchanted Forest, but it was hard to notice the enchantment! Time was getting tight, and I said we had to go even faster to catch the ferry. With intense hunger and thirst, we arrived at the ferry at noon, and the ferry was just unloading. We were very happy to have put in the heroic effort to catch this ferry, as we got back to Vancouver by 5 pm.

All in all, a fabulous Halloween weekend visiting three unique West Coast Islands.

Big thanks to all the participants who maintained joviality and zealousness despite the weather and challenging terrain. Another bucket list item checked off!

-Ye Chu, a member of the North Shore Hikers.