San Juan Islands and the Olympic Peninsula: Insider’s Guide to Washington

The insider advice on this page is from one of Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts for the Pacific Northwest: Sheri Doyle of Pacific Northwest Journeys.

Trusted Travel Expert

Sheri Doyle

A former corporate attorney, Sheri Doyle brings her legal-eagle eye for detail to the itineraries she crafts. She plans urban and adventure trips all over the Pacific Northwest—in both the United States and Canada—as well as the northern California coast and parts of the Canadian Rockies. Her self-drive itineraries typically run to 20 pages, covering everything from detailed driving directions to activity suggestions and restaurant recommendations in each location. Geared to your interests and preferences, each itinerary is a personalized guidebook to save you hours of research time. As a resident of Seattle for nearly three decades, Sheri has traveled extensively within the region; she’s repeatedly hiked the trails, kayaked the waters, slurped the oysters, and attended the jazz concerts at every place she recommends. She has slept at most of the hotels, too, and gets preferred rates at many of the top properties, which saves her clients a bundle—especially in the popular summer months.

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Expect trips orchestrated by Sheri to start at $650 per day for two travelers.

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Where to Stay and Eat

Best bang-for-your-buck hotel
The Inn at Ship Bay on Orcas Island. This is the best value in the islands in summer: water-view rooms for just $195 a night. They are comfortable rather than swanky, but when you’re able to enjoy the view from your balcony—and then walk a few steps to the hotel restaurant, which is one of the island’s best—you won’t worry about the motel-style bathrooms.

Restaurants the locals love
In Friday Harbor: Backdoor Kitchen is tucked away from the town’s main area, but you won’t regret making the effort to find it. Order the lamb chops topped with a peppery goat-cheese sauce.

In Eastsound on Orcas: Hogstone’s Wood Oven makes fantastic wood-fired pizzas. During the high season, chef Jay Blackinton also offers multi-course, locally sourced tasting menus in the same space under the name Aelder (the pizzas continue to be served at the outside picnic tables).

In Sequim: Alderwood Bistro is the best restaurant on the Olympic Peninsula. It’s known for wood-fired pizzas, but they do local fish very well too. Save room for the carrot cake, an almost-healthy organic version made with carrots and flour from the nearby Nash’s farm.

Meal worth the splurge
Willows Inn on Lummi Island. Chef Blaine Wetzel trained at Noma in Copenhagen. His lightly smoked, locally caught salmon is particularly. It isn’t easy to get here—Lummi isn’t part of the San Juan Islands ferry system, and dinner and inn reservations can be hard to secure—but it’s well worth planning ahead to include this on your itinerary.

What to Do and See

Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, Washington. Photo: Shutterstock

Don’t miss
Port Angeles, on the Olympic Peninsula. It still shows its blue-collar logging and fishing roots, but it’s grown into a town worth spending some time in. The waterfront is refurbished and the Feiro Marine Life Center is worth visiting for its interactive aquariums. Next Door Gastropub serves pub cuisine made with fresh local ingredients, pours local craft beers, and hosts local bands.

Don’t bother
Friday Harbor. This town in San Juan Island is nice enough and has excellent restaurants, but you don’t go to the San Juans to stay in a town—you want to be out in the countryside.

Hidden gem
Dungeness Wildlife Refuge. Between Sequim and Port Angeles, this seven-mile-long sandspit is a well-kept secret, teeming with birds and marine mammals including seals. There’s a lighthouse at the end that you can visit or, better yet, staff: Volunteers can play lightstation keeper for a full week.

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