KAYAK CAMPING IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS | Original Video + Guide

in travel •  7 years ago  (edited)

Last week Nash and I went on our annual kayak camping trip. We put all our camping gear in my beloved Advanced Elements inflatable kayak and paddled until our arms almost fell off!

Haro Straight between San Juan Island and Canada's Vancouver Island is the best place in the United States to see orcas. However, thanks to a drought a couple years back, there weren't enough salmon to support the three orca families this year and they left. Transient orcas (the seal-eating kind) still pass through from time to time, but we didn't see any on our trip. Maybe next time!

I will do an Adventure Reading write-up of this trip at some point, with prettier words and photos, but for now here's a more casual video of the whole experience:

HOW WE DID IT

1. Get a kayak.


Kayak Camping San Juan Island

I found my inflatable kayak on Craiglist a while back for 75% off the list price. It also came with paddles and other accessories - not bad! If you don't have your own, you can rent top-of-the-line sea kayaks on the island for a pretty penny at places like SeaQuest or San Juan Kayak Expeditions.

We didn't have a rudder installed on our kayak, which made dealing with cross-currents very difficult. Let's just say our right arms got a lot of extra use.

2. Pack


Kayaking Henry Island

You basically need all the same stuff you would bring on a normal backpacking trip, although weight is less of an issue.

You can see all our camping gear in the video (tent, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, camp stove, fuel, cooking pot, water filter, and food). We wore sandals, gloves, exercise clothes, and windbreakers. Not shown are our headlamps, water jug (we used an empty gallon milk carton), sunscreen, toiletries, and warm clothes. We also brought along a dry bag full of our electronics, a printed tide chart, and a map of our route.

Make sure to pack the heaviest stuff at the bottom of the kayak and try to keep the weight balanced. We replaced the center footstop with a duffel bag and used bungee cords to tie the lighter stuff to the deck, since our inflatable doesn't have hatches.

For safety, we always carry life jackets, a bilge pump, and a bilge sponge in the kayak. Since we're in an inflatable, we brought our pump and patch kit. Depending on the conditions, you may need to invest in spray skirts, drysuits, and a marine radio.

3. Choose where to camp


Kayak Campsite Stuart Island

Everything on the island is expensive, and even the campsites range from $12 to $40 a night!

There is a shared human-powered campsite for bikers and kayakers at San Juan County Park. If you plan to stay there in a normal campsite, reservations must be made far in advance.

There are a number of choices for islands to camp on. Posey Island Marine State Park, on a tiny island not far from shore, is the closest but requires reservations. Jones Island Marine State Park is located on the other side, between San Juan and Orcas Islands.

We chose Stuart Island State Park, the westernmost of the San Juan archipelago. The campground is at the end of a long inlet and we had it to ourselves on a weekday in September, though the bay was full of people moored in their bigger boats. There are some hiking trails, or you can walk along the single county road to the lighthouse.

3. Take the ferry


San Juan Island Ferry

The ferry from Anacortes, Washington to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island runs several times a day, but to avoid a long wait reservations are recommended if you're bringing a car. You don't have to worry if you're just walking on.

4. Hang out on San Juan Island

  • Friday Harbor
    This is where almost all the shops and restaurants are, and you can spend the whole day just walking around or hanging out in cafes. We grabbed a very filling breakfast at Rocky Bay Cafe.

  • Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm
    Not a lot to do here besides look out at the herds of alpaca and browse the very expensive store, but it's a worthwhile detour if you have a car.
    Krystal Acres Alpacas San Juan Island

  • English Camp
    A touch of history about the "Pig War" guided by rangers and placards, with a great view and some walking trails. Free.
    English Camp San Juan Island

  • Lime Kiln Point State Park
    You can only park here for free if you have a WA state park Discover Pass, otherwise it's $10. Features a quaint lighthouse at one of the best places to spot orcas from land during the summer months.
    Lime Kiln Point Lighthouse

5. Paddle!


Paddling San Juan Island

During summer, a permit is required to launch from Smallpox Bay at San Juan County Park, and you also need to pay $20 a night (!) to leave your car there. Alternatively, you can risk parking along a road and launch from Deadman Bay to the south.

Now it's just up to your upper body to propel you where to want to go.

Along the way, stay alert for orcas, porpoises, harbor seals, Stellar sea lions, otters, bald eagles, and great blue herons. (We saw all of these except for the orcas!) Also keep an eye on the tides and weather, since currents and waves can be strong.

Bald Eagle San Juan Island

Harbor Seals San Juan Island

Thanks for reading! Hope you don't mind the departure from my usual stories. I'm toying with doing a regular vlog + guide thing to hold myself more accountable, so let me know if you enjoy it / find it useful / just wish I'd stick with actual writing...
- Katie, @therovingreader

!steemitworldmap 48.540854 lat -123.160081 long How to go camping in a kayak in a breathtaking archipelago, with a chance of orcas and a guarantee of fun. D3SCR

FYI, this is the "grandma butt" photo I took:
Grandma Butt English Camp

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  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Brings back so many great memories in SJ Islands!
That little boat looks really fun. I have always loved Doe Bay, and I used to go every summer.

One of the few places left on the N. West Coast where you can camp, overlooking the ocean!
An amazing place to commune with nature; "shush", keep it a secret ;-)

I liked bicycle camping; no waiting in line with the car at 6am for the ferry!
Maybe next time I'll try it on a kayak; I hope the inflatable holds air!

My dad has kayaks; we go out in the mountain lakes in AZ. There is an area there cordoned off as Bald Eagle sanctuary and as I took my new mini cam and looked through the viewfinder to capture the bird landing at the top of a tall pine, I immediately rolled the boat over!

Don't look through your viewfinder while in the boat :-)
I was fortunate to have another kayak nearby, and hand off my cam or I might have lost it..

And by good fortune, I had days before, watched the video on how to get back into a kayak after rolling it!
I had the procedure down but might have failed if I had not trained myself how to do it.

Hahaha, that is a fantastic story! I would have been panicking about keeping the camera above water too, that hand-off must have been something special to witness. Fortunately, inflatable kayaks are pretty stable (albeit slow). The only time I've rolled was on a whitewater stretch of river and it was my own fault.

I'm happy to be able to share memories of the San Juans with you. They are just a straight-up special place.

wow, you guys had lots of fun. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! Have you been up to the San Juans at all? I love how close they are to Seattle!

Not yet. But one day, I hope. Just need to overcome fright of ferries :). I glad curie approved your post.
upvotes.gif

Thanks for nominating me! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Maybe you can start with the ferry over to Bainbridge with someone you trust along for the ride. It's not too long a journey and there's some good food on the other side.

We want to start with Whidbey Island first as a family trip.

That sounds perfect, and you can always drive around if you decide you don't like the ferry (or ride on to Port Angeles if you do!)

Hello. I enjoyed San Juan Island ten yr. ago - with my cousin Suzette.
It was a nice boat ride over, as I got to see #EAGLES in their nest !

At Friday Harbor island, I saw the #Whale museum (& a cool educational film on orcas ).

Good tip u had, as to Craiglist and finding a #Kayak for cheap .

Also, thanx for tip about LIME KILN Park -- will have to ck it out, as I LOVE #lighthouses !
Plus the alpaca farm looks of interest - noted.

Awesome, I hope you get to return and make new memories! It is a really great place for lighthouses, it seems like there's at least one on every island.

Yea, Lighthouses are inspiring
(I enjoyed 1 at in CA ) -

Kayak is on my to do list at least once, when i grow some courage, it's kinda scary for me to be in the water with such small boat!!

Try it on calm water at sunrise or sunset - it's totally relaxing! While slower, wider or inflatable kayaks are surprisingly stable.

I have never tried kayaking , Canada look so beautiful .

You should try it soon on one of your upcoming trips! Maybe Abel Tasman or Fiordland in New Zealand. :) It's a really cool feeling being right on the water.

My husband wants to drag me there with the tiny children. You make the whole affair sound much more appealing :)

Hahaha, this would be a difficult trip with little ones. But the San Juans are a pretty magical place that I keep returning to year after year.

Thank you sharing your adventures with us. You really made my mouth drool for anticipation of traveling again. And I love craigslist, you can find lots of deals there as long as you play smart and safe.

I've been doing little local adventures like this one all summer (I'm lucky to live in such an awesome place), and I'm excited to go to farther-flung places too!

The day I bought the kayak was actually pretty epic, maybe I'll tell that story sometime. Craigslist is sweet!

Amazing! It looks like you had a lot of fun and it sounds like a real adventure! Do you often go kayaking together? :)

During the summer, we try to take it out about once a week, either on nearby lakes or the Sound, but it usually ends up being less. The downside of the inflatable is that it takes a lot of time to set up and clean up, but it's still so much fun!

Great article. UpVoted and re-steemed

Nice little adventure! Never heard of these islands before, cool! Just went to check out your website, cool idea the bucket list list and the favourite hikes, might have to do something similar for the hikes we have done in Norway this summer.

Hey, thanks for checking out my website! I love documenting things and My Maps on Google is great for favorite hikes and places.

I see you're living on a converted schoolbus! Sounds like a fun leap to take - I've stayed in someone else's bus before (and in a converted airport shuttle) and it's way comfier than the back of a normal car!

Wow looks like a great adventure. Very nice :-)

Thank you!

Along the way, stay alert for orcas, porpoises, harbor seals, Stellar sea lions, otters, bald eagles, and great blue herons. (We saw all of these except for the orcas!) Also keep an eye on the tides and weather, since currents and waves can be strong.

Wow you saw a lots of animaals there!!

Three days on the water gives you lots of opportunites! The otters came at a time when I desperately needed some motivation to keep paddling. :)

Thanks for the tips! Have you tried kayaking on the Outer Banks of North Carolina? Once did 5 days trip from Cape Lookout to Ocracoke--paddling on the sound and camping on the beach side. Absolutely epic. Bring out the big anti-mosquito guns tho

That looks amazing! I only just visited North Carolina for the first time this year (without my kayak) and can definitely see the appeal. I will put it on the list for potential kayak camping trips in the future.

Holy smokes, now that is some deserved reard over there :) So glad to see this!
Schweee

Thank you! It's thanks to @geekgirl and @curie!

Schweee?

I just ran over and schwee'd you back. The wind was carrying me too quickly.

yuhuuuuu....
nice trip broe @therovinggreader

Haha, thank you!

Your welcome..

"i like hiking and kayaking"=Cute I love the San Juan Island area... Thanks for sharing

Thanks for reading! :) The San Juans are indeed a special place.

This was an interesting article with nice pictures! Looking forward to more from you!

Thank you! There's definitely a lot more where this came from haha.

It Looks so fantastic! I love your Video! I hope, you had a great time!

Thank you! Glad to hear you liked the video.