Traveling by ferry
WSDOT ferry schedule
The Washington State Ferry is the most practical and least expensive way for most cyclists to reach Orcas. The ferry system runs car/passenger/bicycle boats to the islands from a mainland terminal in Anacortes, about 80 miles from Seattle. To get to the Anacortes terminal from Seattle, take Interstate 5 north to the Kincaid Street exit at Mount Vernon. Follow the local highway through town and then about seven miles northwest until you reach an intersection where you turn left on Highway 20. Alternatively, you can follow Interstate 5 past Mount Vernon and exit directly onto Highway 20 at Burlington. This is the route the highway signs will steer you toward, but the shortcut through Mount Vernon saves a couple of miles, and it is a more scenic route. Highway 20 (called Spur 20 on the signs) takes you straight into Anacortes, where you can follow the signs to the ferry.
If you fly into Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport, you can ride the Airporter Shuttle, a daily bus service, to Anacortes, where you can walk on an Orcas-bound ferry. Call the Shuttle at (800) 235-5247 for schedule and fare information.
Below is an inline map of the ferry routes. Click here for the current San Juan Islands ferry schedule, provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation. If you plan to take the ferry, examine this schedule and the accompanying notes carefully.
The ferries get extremely busy during the summertime, and overloads are common -- meaning that late arrivals have to wait in line for the next boat. If you plan to drive a vehicle onto a ferry bound for Orcas, be sure to arrive at the Anacortes terminal at least two hours before sailing time. On Fridays in June, July and August, try to arrive three hours ahead of sailing if you plan to board with a vehicle. The same advice applies to return trips on Sundays. Passengers traveling on foot or with a bicycle are far less likely to be bumped but should still arrive in plenty of time.
The peak-season fare (mid-May to mid-October) for a car and driver is $25.00, with a charge of $6.80 for each additional passenger in the car as well as each walk-on passenger. Children under age 5 can ride free, and children between the ages of 5 and 18 ride for $4.80, Seniors and disabled passengers are subject to a $3.40 fare. Cyclists pay the walk-on fare plus a $2.75 bicycle surcharge. The return trip to Anacortes is free for both cars and passengers. Call (800) 84-FERRY to get the latest fare and schedule information.
Tip for cyclists: If you're in good shape and ride a fair amount, you can enjoy the San Juans a lot more if you leave your car at the Anacortes terminal and bike onto the ferry. Often, the lower parking lot will be jammed with cars, but the upper lots, about half a mile away from the terminal, are seldom full. From these lots, it's a lazy downhill run to the boat.
Jazz festival alert
Each year, on the last weekend of July, the town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island hosts a jazz festival. This event draws thousands of music lovers from all over the country, and the Anacortes ferry dock and parking lots turn into a huge outdoor madhouse. If there is ever a good time to abandon your car and walk or ride onto the ferry, it is the weekend of the jazz festival. The 1997 festival began on the evening of Thursday, July 24, and ran through Sunday, July 27.
Taking the Victoria Clipper passenger ferry service
Here is a fun and scenic way to get to Orcas! Victoria Clipper runs comfortable, speedy passenger boats between Seattle, the San Juan Islands and Victoria, B.C., every day from May 16 to September 29, with weekend service during the off-season.
Victoria Clipper provides service to Orcas on the San Juan Explorer, but there will be no service to Orcas between May 16 and June 27. After June 27, Orcas-bound passengers will leave Pier 69 in Seattle at 7:30 a.m. and arrive at Rosario Resort (see Bike routes on Orcas) at 1:30 p.m. Passengers returning on the Explorer depart Rosario at 2:00 p.m. and arrive in Seattle at 8:30 p.m.
Along with a beautiful ride through Puget Sound and Deception Pass, passengers can enjoy casual food and beverage service, including a limited bar selection. It's a nice way to travel.
The San Juan Explorer has room for only four bicycles, so if you're traveling with your bike, you should make reservations at least a week in advance.
The peak-season, round-trip fare from Seattle to Orcas is $67, with a $10 additional charge for each bike. A special rate of $55, not including the bike surcharge, is available for non-weekend travel if you make your reservations at least two weeks in advance. One-way, the fare is $43 with a $5 surcharge for your bike.
To contact Victoria Clipper, call (800) 888-2535.
We'll be glad to have rental bikes waiting for you at Rosario if you come on the San Juan Explorer. Email us or call us at (360) 376-4708.
Traveling by air
Air travel is an attractive option for vacationers who are pressed for time and aren't bringing their own bikes. The Eastsound airport is located about a mile north of town, and, while it's hardly a major hub, it works fine for the small, Cessna-type aircraft that convey people to and from the San Juans.
West Isle Air will fly you to Orcas from Seattle's Boeing Field (a few minutes by taxi from Sea-Tac, the main commercial airport) for $66.00 per passenger ($125.00 round trip). You can also fly from the Anacortes airport (follow the signs and turn left a mile short of the Anacortes ferry terminal) for $32.00 per passenger ($60 round trip). Charter arrangements are available, and larger parties may save money by using them.
Passenger baggage is limited to one standard-sized suitcase and one carry-on bag weighing up to 40 pounds total, with a $7.00 charge for each additional bag if space is available, but West Isle will try to be as flexible as possible with baggage and special requirements. Call them ahead of time at (800) 874-4434 and explain your situation.
If you plan to travel by air, Wildlife Cycles can help. We can reserve rental bikes for your party, or we can arrange to receive your bike via UPS and assemble it prior to your arrival. In fact, if we know when you're coming in, we can have your bike waiting for you at the Eastsound airport. When you're ready to leave, we'll disassemble your bike and ship it back to your home. Our fee for this service (both assembly and disassembly) is $25 in addition to the UPS shipping charges. Email us or call us at (360) 376-4708.
Transportation on the island
One of our favorite businesses on the island is the Orcas Island Shuttle (360-376-RIDE or orcasislandshuttle.com). Other than pedaling, it's the next best to get around the island, and each bus is equipped to carry 10 bikes.
The homespun taxi services on Orcas tend to go in and out of business, but the current operator, Orcas Island Taxi, has been in business for over four years now. They can be reached for pickups or reservations at (360) 376-TAXI. On the occasions when we have used the service, we found it prompt, reliable and reasonably priced.
WSDOT ferry schedule
The Washington State Ferry is the most practical and least expensive way for most cyclists to reach Orcas. The ferry system runs car/passenger/bicycle boats to the islands from a mainland terminal in Anacortes, about 80 miles from Seattle. To get to the Anacortes terminal from Seattle, take Interstate 5 north to the Kincaid Street exit at Mount Vernon. Follow the local highway through town and then about seven miles northwest until you reach an intersection where you turn left on Highway 20. Alternatively, you can follow Interstate 5 past Mount Vernon and exit directly onto Highway 20 at Burlington. This is the route the highway signs will steer you toward, but the shortcut through Mount Vernon saves a couple of miles, and it is a more scenic route. Highway 20 (called Spur 20 on the signs) takes you straight into Anacortes, where you can follow the signs to the ferry.
If you fly into Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport, you can ride the Airporter Shuttle, a daily bus service, to Anacortes, where you can walk on an Orcas-bound ferry. Call the Shuttle at (800) 235-5247 for schedule and fare information.
Below is an inline map of the ferry routes. Click here for the current San Juan Islands ferry schedule, provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation. If you plan to take the ferry, examine this schedule and the accompanying notes carefully.
The ferries get extremely busy during the summertime, and overloads are common -- meaning that late arrivals have to wait in line for the next boat. If you plan to drive a vehicle onto a ferry bound for Orcas, be sure to arrive at the Anacortes terminal at least two hours before sailing time. On Fridays in June, July and August, try to arrive three hours ahead of sailing if you plan to board with a vehicle. The same advice applies to return trips on Sundays. Passengers traveling on foot or with a bicycle are far less likely to be bumped but should still arrive in plenty of time.
The peak-season fare (mid-May to mid-October) for a car and driver is $25.00, with a charge of $6.80 for each additional passenger in the car as well as each walk-on passenger. Children under age 5 can ride free, and children between the ages of 5 and 18 ride for $4.80, Seniors and disabled passengers are subject to a $3.40 fare. Cyclists pay the walk-on fare plus a $2.75 bicycle surcharge. The return trip to Anacortes is free for both cars and passengers. Call (800) 84-FERRY to get the latest fare and schedule information.
Tip for cyclists: If you're in good shape and ride a fair amount, you can enjoy the San Juans a lot more if you leave your car at the Anacortes terminal and bike onto the ferry. Often, the lower parking lot will be jammed with cars, but the upper lots, about half a mile away from the terminal, are seldom full. From these lots, it's a lazy downhill run to the boat.
Jazz festival alert
Each year, on the last weekend of July, the town of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island hosts a jazz festival. This event draws thousands of music lovers from all over the country, and the Anacortes ferry dock and parking lots turn into a huge outdoor madhouse. If there is ever a good time to abandon your car and walk or ride onto the ferry, it is the weekend of the jazz festival. The 1997 festival began on the evening of Thursday, July 24, and ran through Sunday, July 27.
Taking the Victoria Clipper passenger ferry service
Here is a fun and scenic way to get to Orcas! Victoria Clipper runs comfortable, speedy passenger boats between Seattle, the San Juan Islands and Victoria, B.C., every day from May 16 to September 29, with weekend service during the off-season.
Victoria Clipper provides service to Orcas on the San Juan Explorer, but there will be no service to Orcas between May 16 and June 27. After June 27, Orcas-bound passengers will leave Pier 69 in Seattle at 7:30 a.m. and arrive at Rosario Resort (see Bike routes on Orcas) at 1:30 p.m. Passengers returning on the Explorer depart Rosario at 2:00 p.m. and arrive in Seattle at 8:30 p.m.
Along with a beautiful ride through Puget Sound and Deception Pass, passengers can enjoy casual food and beverage service, including a limited bar selection. It's a nice way to travel.
The San Juan Explorer has room for only four bicycles, so if you're traveling with your bike, you should make reservations at least a week in advance.
The peak-season, round-trip fare from Seattle to Orcas is $67, with a $10 additional charge for each bike. A special rate of $55, not including the bike surcharge, is available for non-weekend travel if you make your reservations at least two weeks in advance. One-way, the fare is $43 with a $5 surcharge for your bike.
To contact Victoria Clipper, call (800) 888-2535.
We'll be glad to have rental bikes waiting for you at Rosario if you come on the San Juan Explorer. Email us or call us at (360) 376-4708.
Traveling by air
Air travel is an attractive option for vacationers who are pressed for time and aren't bringing their own bikes. The Eastsound airport is located about a mile north of town, and, while it's hardly a major hub, it works fine for the small, Cessna-type aircraft that convey people to and from the San Juans.
West Isle Air will fly you to Orcas from Seattle's Boeing Field (a few minutes by taxi from Sea-Tac, the main commercial airport) for $66.00 per passenger ($125.00 round trip). You can also fly from the Anacortes airport (follow the signs and turn left a mile short of the Anacortes ferry terminal) for $32.00 per passenger ($60 round trip). Charter arrangements are available, and larger parties may save money by using them.
Passenger baggage is limited to one standard-sized suitcase and one carry-on bag weighing up to 40 pounds total, with a $7.00 charge for each additional bag if space is available, but West Isle will try to be as flexible as possible with baggage and special requirements. Call them ahead of time at (800) 874-4434 and explain your situation.
If you plan to travel by air, Wildlife Cycles can help. We can reserve rental bikes for your party, or we can arrange to receive your bike via UPS and assemble it prior to your arrival. In fact, if we know when you're coming in, we can have your bike waiting for you at the Eastsound airport. When you're ready to leave, we'll disassemble your bike and ship it back to your home. Our fee for this service (both assembly and disassembly) is $25 in addition to the UPS shipping charges. Email us or call us at (360) 376-4708.
Transportation on the island
One of our favorite businesses on the island is the Orcas Island Shuttle (360-376-RIDE or orcasislandshuttle.com). Other than pedaling, it's the next best to get around the island, and each bus is equipped to carry 10 bikes.
The homespun taxi services on Orcas tend to go in and out of business, but the current operator, Orcas Island Taxi, has been in business for over four years now. They can be reached for pickups or reservations at (360) 376-TAXI. On the occasions when we have used the service, we found it prompt, reliable and reasonably priced.
