The San Juans are family islands. People from all over the country and the world have found that the islands are perfect for vacations year after year. Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and family reunions are special because of the great variety of activities suitable for all ages.

Walk for free on our beautiful beaches, hike in our Washington state and national parks, plan a bird-watching expedition with binoculars and guidebooks in hand. For the more athletic, there are world-renowned bicycle tours, three skateparks, both guided and do-it-yourself kayak tours, outer-islands camping in rustic parks, and all sorts of charter boats to show you the wonders of our wildlife.

Interesting Facts about the San Juan Islands

• There are no traffic lights anywhere in the islands.
• San Juan County has more miles of shoreline (375) than any other county in the United States. (Note: Hawaii is made up of 5 counties.)
• There are no rivers in the islands, but there are several waterfalls (Orcas Island).
• There are on average 247 days of sunshine a year and half the rain of Seattle or Portland.
• The flight time from Seattle is under 30 minutes.
• Shaw Island School is the longest continuously operating school in Washington State.
• Roche Harbor's business license is one of the first issued in Washington State. It was established as a business prior to statehood.
• President Theodore Roosevelt slept at Roche Harbor's Hotel de Haro twice - 1906 and 1907.
• John Wayne's custom over-size bathtub is in the Hotel de Haro. He was once a frequent visitor.
• The Pig War (1859 - 1872) on San Juan Island was the last time that Great Britain and the U.S. opposed each other on U.S. soil.
• General George Pickett, of the famed Pickett's Charge at the Civil War's Battle of Gettysburg, was commander of American forces during the Pig War.
• Construction of the redoubt at the top of a hill in the American camp to let the cannon oversee the water approaches to the island was supervised by engineer Henry Martyn Robert. Later in his military career, Robert discovered a fascination with parliamentary procedure, and went on to author Robert's Rules of Order.