San Juan Islands When the Orcas Surface

The San Juan Islands are a ninety-minute ferry ride from Anacortes (90 minutes north of Seattle), and they are the Pacific Northwest distilled to its essence: evergreen forests, rocky shorelines, and water so still on calm days that the islands reflect in it like a mirror. Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is the main town — a few blocks of galleries, restaurants, and the Whale Museum, which exists because the resident orca pods that hunt these waters are the islands' most famous residents.

The Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island's west side is the best shore-based whale watching site in the world — a lighthouse on a rocky point where the orcas pass close enough to hear them breathe. The season runs May through September, and patience is required, but when a pod of five-ton animals surfaces fifty yards from the rocks, the wait retroactively justifies itself.

Practical notes: Book the Washington State Ferry weeks in advance for summer weekends. Bring a car for San Juan Island or rent bikes in Friday Harbor. The kayak tours from the islands put you at water level with seals, eagles, and sometimes orcas.