The San Juan Islands Kayaking Travel Guide
Everything you need to know about traveling to the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest!
You’re about to partake in an incredible adventure! The San Juan Islands have the ability to transport you to a fairytale landscape with stunning ocean scenery, wildlife, and slow island vibes. Your exploration of the great outdoors will be enhanced with mindfulness practices to lead you on an exploration of the great indoors, aka “the self”.
To get the most out of your journey it’s best to be prepared! We’ve laid out everything you need to know about traveling to the San Juan Islands with us. We can’t wait!
The Weather
How should I dress?
Visiting the San Juan Islands late August to early September couldn’t be a more perfect time to enjoy all that the islands have to offer.
Your adventure falls in the warmer months of the year in the San Juan Islands. Expect daytime highs around 75.6°F and temperatures that rarely drop below 50.2°F at night. This is the perfect weather for kayaking during the day and camping at night.
As always, we recommend packing in layers as the evenings, nights and early mornings might be cool with a potential for windy weather while on the kayak.
With this adventure you’ll want to make sure you are prepared with lots and lots and LOTS of sun protection. You can find a full gear list below.
The gear
What do I need to bring?
Feel free to pack all of your gear in a normal suitcase as you will repack your needed gear in dry bags that will be provided for you once you arrive at Friday Harbor. Your luggage will stay safely locked up while you’re out on the open sea!
You will be provided with 2 dry bags - a 20L dry bag for clothes, etc and a smaller 5L dry bag for smaller personal items that will fit into the kayak seat with you. If you’re used to packing light, then these 2 dry bags will be plenty to pack all that you need for your trip. (If you already have these size dry bags and would like to bring your own you are more than welcome to.)
A question we like to ask ourselves when packing is: “Do I absolutely need this?” If this answer isn’t a resounding yes, leave it behind.
We will provide group camping gear along with sleeping bags, sleeping pads, sleeping bag liners and tents as well as all necessary kayaking gear including kayaks, paddles, kayak skirts, and life vests.
You can find a detailed packing list here. We will also go over gear in much more detail on our two pre-trip calls.
Sustainability is one of our core-pillars, so we love to suggest sourcing gear from friends/family or second hand stores that sell lightly used gear! If you’re buying gear new, we recommend shopping locally or from small companies in whose mission you believe. Check the packing list for some of our favorites!
Preparing For Your adventure
How difficult is this really going to be?
We classify this trip a difficulty level of 3 out of 5. You do not need to have prior kayaking experience (although it can be helpful), however please expect for there to be multi-hour sustained physical exertion. Expect to be on the water up to 3-5 hours a day with lunch breaks mid-day.
For this reason we recommend some strength and cardio conditioning to prepare for this trip.
Additionally, most kayaking is not optional. There’s no way around it - we need to get each kayak, person, and gear from one island/campsite to the next. What makes kayaking trips a bit challenging is the unpredictability of the currents. Just a small shift in the wind can take a calm, clear day and a leisurely kayak to the next level. Our local professional guides are incredibly knowledgeable about the wind and weather patterns as well as navigating the currents and will re-direct as necessary.
We know, you don’t want to be the last one or hold up the group…we hear this before every trip! However, please know that we consider our group to be a team, working together on each adventure. This is an incredible opportunity to ask for help and support when perhaps in your daily life you’re always the one giving it.
Our local guides and Root Tour Leaders will be checking in with the group along the way and will be adjusting pacing as needed. Let’s do this thing together!
The Food
Can kayaking meals be delicious and nutritious? I need fuel!
Our local guides do an incredible job of planning delicious and nutritious meals that are cooked to perfection each night. And we’re talking more than just your standard camping meals! Think healthy, nutritious and filling lunches, warm dinners, and sunset charcuterie boards.
Some snacks will be provided, but if there’s something yummy you absolutely can’t live without, feel free to bring it along - keeping in mind the priority is to pack light.
All dietary restrictions are taken into consideration as well! If you haven’t already, please be sure to mark any dietary needs in the registration form at sign up.
Accommodations
Where am i sleeping?
Accommodations for this trip are all tent camping in the beauty of the great outdoors. You’ll be in 2 person tents that will be provided for you along with sleeping pads, sleeping bags and liners. You’re more than welcome to bring an inflatable camp pillow or use the bag of your sleeping bag to stuff your clothes into and make a makeshift pillow.
Be prepared to help set up camp as you move from island to island! You’ll be sleeping on soft dirt or grassy spaces with temperatures that usually stay above 50’s in the night. Nevertheless be prepared to cozy up for the evening. Your sleeping bag liner will add extra warmth, but do be sure to bring long underwear and long sleeves or a fleece to sleep in.
How To Get There
Getting to Friday Harbor
It takes some maneuvering to get to where this adventure starts! The most important thing to keep in mind is that you’ll need to arrive on Friday Harbor by 10:00am on Friday August 30th. We will arrive back at Friday Harbor approximately 2-3PM on Monday Sept 2nd.
If you’re traveling by plane you’ll want to fly into the Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) airport. There is a good chance that you will need to fly in the night before or stay after an extra day. Friday Harbor and Anacortes are incredible places to stay on either end.
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Option #1: Fly directly from Seattle Airport to Friday Harbor
There is an option to take a fun sea plane directly to the San Juan Islands - either Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor.
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Option #2 (what most travelers do): Make your way from Seattle Airport to Anacortes and take the ferry across to Friday Harbor
There are a couple of legs to this trip. You’ll begin by getting to Anacortes and then making your way across by ferry to Friday Harbor.
Step 1: From Seattle Airport to Anacortes
-Bellair Charters: From SEA airport to the ferry terminal in Anacortes. Approximately $40 one way. 866-235-5247
-Rent a car (this is the most common option)
-Carpool: There is also an option if someone rents a car or is bringing a car (if they are local) that we could arrange a carpool
Step 2: From Anacortes to Friday Harbor
Here is the link to purchase ferry tickets from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. It is OK that they are general admission, they do not need to have a specific timestamp since you'll just be walking on to the ferry. There is a parking lot at the ferry terminal where you can pay a small fee to leave your car overnight through the duration of your trip.
You DO NOT need to purchase a return ticket, your ticket there also acts as your return ticket.
Expect to be on the 6:15AM ferry Friday morning (unless you are staying on Friday Harbor or getting there via seaplane). If you happen to miss that one for whatever reason, the next one is at 9:05AM and we will wait for you.
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For the return, your guides will try to get you back for the 3:40PM ferry, but there is also one a 6:30PM ferry back to Anacortes.
Mindfulness
What if I’ve never meditated?
Have no fear! No prior meditation or mindfulness experience needed.
Nature is the ultimate teacher. Just getting out into the great outdoors has been proven to be incredibly beneficial for your mental and physical health.
Your Root Tour Leaders will provide you with simple and practical ways to keep your connection with nature, yourself, and your fellow travelers at the forefront of your experience.
But don’t worry, this won’t be a serious or quiet trip. At Root we see mindfulness as a way to participate in the ALIVENESS of life.
There will be moments you’ll be encouraged to observe silence, listen to nature, reflect on your internal experience or even possibly journal and share. And there will be many moments of raucous laughter, joyous storytelling, and playing in the dirt. Our trips have a little bit of everything!
To help you get the most out of your experience you will receive a pre-trip guide that has mindfulness and meditation practices, potential journaling prompts, and thoughtful ways to connect with nature throughout your adventure.
Final Tips
Anything else I need to know?
We’d love to impart some final words of wisdom for you here. These are tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years exploring, trekking, and guiding groups.
Pack light! The lighter the better. We cannot stress this enough! When packing ask yourself this question: “Do I absolutely need this?” If the answer is no, leave it behind.
Bring an extra Nalgene to use as extra heat at night. Boil some water, secure the lid on your Nalgene and pop it in the bottom of your sleeping bag for a toasty warm night.
There are definitely handy-dandy camp pillows, but you can also stuff your sleeping bag sack with clothes, jackets, etc that you brought with you for a makeshift pillow.
A word about luggage. If possible, pack so that you can bring everything in a carry-on. That way if your luggage gets lost (knock on wood) you won’t be trying to piece gear together or purchase lots of expensive items last minute. If you are checking luggage then we recommend wearing your essentials or packing them in your carry-on just in case!