San Juan Island bike & hike

Washington’s San Juan Islands are among the hottest items in the world of recreational travel. Outdoors enthusiasts love the islands in dozens of ways, including bird watching, whale watching, sea kayaking, salmon fishing, sailing, powerboating and bicycling where there’s yet to be a traffic signal light installed. President Obama, by executive order, gave national monument status to about 1,000 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management areas in the islands in March 2013. Outdoors editor Rich Landers shares these photos of the hiking and bicycling opportunities a visitor can enjoy during a weekend trip via Washington State Ferries to San Juan Island. See Landers' story about the experience here.

Section:Gallery

Fri., April 5, 2013

Bicyclists are first-class citizens the Washington State Ferry system, including these cyclists debarking at Friday Harbor on San Jan Island. They get on and off the ferries ahead of the motor vehicles. Cyclists going to the San Juan Islands from Anacortes pay the passenger fare plus a $2 surcharge during the non-peak times (October 1-April 30) and a $4 surcharge during the peak season (May 1-September 30). After paying the initial round-trip fare, inter-island travel is free.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Bicyclists cruise toward Lime Kiln Point, a 36-acre Washington State Park on the west side of San Juan Island.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Meredith Heick of Spokane parks her bike after pedaling from Friday Harbor to Lime Kiln Point, a 36-acre Washington State Park on the west side of San Juan Island.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
A sea-kayaker paddles by the lighthouse at Lime Kiln Point, a 36-acre Washington State Park on the west side of San Juan Island. The day-use park is a popular destination for island visitors and bicyclists. It's known as a standout land-based facility for viewing whales.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
A sea kayaker pulls in for a break near Lime Kiln Point, a 36-acre Washington State Park on the west side of San Juan Island. The day-use park is a popular destination for island visitors and bicyclists. It's known as a standout land-based facility for viewing whales.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Young hikers take a break on top of Young Hill in the English Camp unit of San Juan Island National Historical Park. Photo looks toward Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Visitors can hike, bike or drive to Cattle Point and lighthouse, a part of the newly designated San Juan Islands National Monument adjacent to San Juan Island National Historical Park.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Hikers overlook the Cattle Point lighthouse from the Mount Finlayson trail at American Camp in San Juan Island National Historic Park. The trail winds along forest and one of the few surviving native grasslands in the Strait of Juan de Fuca region.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Mount Baker shines in the distance as hikers walk the Mount Finlayson trail at American Camp in San Juan Island National Historic Park. The trail winds along forest and a surviving native grassland along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Visitors can hike, bike or drive to Cattle Point and lighthouse, a feature of the newly designated San Juan Islands National Monument adjacent to San Juan Island National Historical Park.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Visitors sit on a cliff and watch a sea in the water below Cattle Point and lighthouse, a part of the newly designated San Juan Islands National Monument adjacent to San Juan Island National Historical Park.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
As sea lion swims below Cattle Point lighthouse on San Juan Island.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
A hiker enjoys the beach near Third Lagoon, one of several walking destinations at San Juan Island National Historic Park.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Cars board a Washington State ferry, leaving Friday Harbor for the return to Anacortes and the mainland.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
The boat harbor at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is next to the Washington State ferry port.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Passengers soak in the scenery from the deck of the Washington State ferry Yakima as they leave Friday Harbor for the return to Anacortes and the mainland.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
Mount Baker beams in the distance as seen from the deck of a Washington State ferry returning to Anacortes and the mainland from San Juan Island.

Rich Landers The Spokesman-Review
BLM areas in the San Juan Islands were declared national Monuments in March 2013 by President Barack Obama.