Orcas Island

Largest of the Island Gems

Orcas has it’s own unique culture and terrain.

Hilly and agriculturally oriented, Orcas is a joy to explore by car or cycle.

Places in Orcas Island

Find More  

Information

Find More  

About

At 57.3 square miles (148.4 km²) and 5,387 people, Orcas Island is just barely larger, yet less crowded, than neighboring San Juan Island. Orcas is shaped like a horse shoe, isolated by fjord-like Eastsound, with Massacre Bay on the south side, and tiny Skull Island (this island used to belong to actor Gene Hackman) right off the coast. At the northern …

Read more

Orcas Island

Planning a Trip

For the shortest trip, you can fly Kenmore Air into Orcas Eastsound Airport of by seaplane from Seattle, Deer Harbor, Westsound or Rosario Resort. WS Ferry also runs from Anacortes, San Juan, Lopez Islands and Shaw Islands year round. If you’re lucky enough to have your own boat, there are several marinas and mooring bouys peppered through the waters around Orcas Island. During the …

Read more

Orcas Island

Getting Around

First off, contact us for any questions and comments you may have after reading this. The San Juan Islands are accessible three ways, by ferry boat, plane, private boat and charters. Let’s start with Driving Directions! From Seattle or Seattle Tacoma International Airport: From SeaTAC to Anacortes Ferry Terminal is 80 miles – allow 2 hours driving time, 3 during peak …

Read more

Orcas Island

History & Culture

he largest of the San Juan Islands, Orcas gets it’s name from  Horcasitas, or Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of Mexico who sent an exploration expedition to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. In 1847, Henry Kellett officially assigned the name Orcas to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the charts. At almost 60 square miles …

Read more

Orcas Island

Top Attractions

Moran State Park & Mt. Constitution View from Mt. Constirution by Jonathan Miske Moran State Park is a 5,252-acre camping park with five freshwater lakes and over 30 miles of hiking trails. Atop the 2,409-foot Mt. Constitution, the highest point on the San Juan Islands, there stands a stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. The tower offers …

Read more

Orcas Island

Directory

Find More  

Articles

Find More  
traveling with dogs

Traveling with Dogs
  May 11, 2015

WELLBEING AND SAFETY Wellbeing Checks. Bring your pooch to the vet’s for an examination before going on a broadened trip. Verify every one of his inoculations are cutting-edge; shot records with you. Wellbeing confirmations are required for carrier travel. To keep your canine sound as you travel, bring along a supply of his general nourishment and some neighborhood, or packaged, …

Continue reading  
Friday Harbor by Mike Bertrand

Friday Harbor Film Festival this Fall
  April 20, 2015

FHFF carries forward the momentum of the past two years’ successes. In addition to award-winning documentary films and special events, Q & A periods with the filmmakers will enrich and engage participants. Five venues within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal present the opportunity to discover the historic waterfront town’s galleries, museums and shops without a car. The 2015 …

Continue reading