In December 2016, strong winter winds thwarted my attempt at a circumnavigation of Lopez Island. I don’t like leaving a trip unfinished, so I returned years later for a second try, this time during summer. In the gentle conditions of July, the circumnavigation was as easy as pie.
Route map. Washington Park has finally entered the twenty-first century and installed a credit card-reading meter in the overnight parking lot, obviating the need to bring cash.
Having left Seattle after work, I did not arrive at Washington Park until nine o’clock in the evening. Rather than endure the hell that is car-camping, I immediately launched the kayak and paddled across Rosario Strait in the fading light to camp on James Island. The next morning, I began a counterclockwise circumnavigation of Lopez Island, stopping at the various points of interest: Spencer Spit, the ferry terminal, Odlin County Park, Iceberg Point, and Watmough Bay.
Kayaking across Rosario Strait at sunset. In such calm conditions, I did not even bring a drysuit.
Kayaking up Rosario Strait from James Island. Cool, foggy mornings gave way to clear, hot afternoons.
Kayaking off Spencer Spit. The spit is a magnet for shorebirds during migration, but none were present here in the first week of July.
Cabin at Spencer Spit. Washington State Parks built this replica of one of the early settler cabins.
Kayaking under Lopez Island ferry terminal. Unfortunately, Washington State Ferries does not allow kayakers to launch from this otherwise excellent location.
July is right in the middle of Washington’s annual seabird drought, when the birds abandon the inland waters for their nesting sites on the coast and in the arctic. Only three of what I called the “Big Four” alcids were present: rhinoceros auklet, pigeon guillemot, and marbled murrelet. Common murres were absent, as were all species of sea duck except the harlequin and most species of gull.
In compensation, I did quite well with the land birds. The San Juans are the most reliable place in western Washington for the house wren, a species that usually requires a trip across the Cascade Mountains. It’s a drab bird, but for me as a Seattle-based birder, it is a real treat. I found a small flock on James Island on Saturday morning.
House wren, James Island. This species seems to be increasing its numbers in the San Juans, but it remains rare in most of the rest of western Washington.
Bewick’s wren, Griffin Bay. This species is the familiar backyard wren in most of western Washington.
Spotted towhee, Odlin County Park. This individual was perched high in an alder, unusual for a bird that generally prefers low shrubs.
Hairy woodpecker, Odlin County Park. Odlin offers one of the best forest walks in the San Juans, with interpretive signage to explain some of the lesser-known species such as the Douglas maple.
White-crowned sparrow, Griffin Bay. This was the most abundant sparrow species of the trip.
California quail, Griffin Bay. Quail are most easily found shortly after dawn, but they are so wary they are difficult to approach.
Brown-headed cowbirds, Griffin Bay. I’ve always admired the handsome plumage of the cowbird.
The only campground on the west side of Lopez Island is Odlin County Park. All the drive-in campsites were occupied in anticipation of the Fourth of July, but the paddle-in marine trail campsite was vacant. Odlin is one of the prettiest campgrounds in the state for car-campers, but kayak-camping has spoiled me for drive-in campgrounds. I now insist on campgrounds that are not only scenic but also free of crowds, which Odlin is the summertime is not. As soon as the current turned to ebb, I headed south for Griffin Bay, a site accessible only to boaters, not drivers. Here, I had the whole place to myself.
Griffin Bay was so pleasant I spent the early morning birding and nearly missed the tail end of the morning ebb to transit Cattle Pass. I hurried through just as the flood was beginning. An hour later and the building flood would have slammed the pass shut for southbound paddling until the next slack.
As long as I was in the neighborhood anyway, I decided to visit Salmon Bank about three miles (5 km) offshore of Cattle Pass. Salmon Bank is the best spot in Washington for minke whales. Humpbacks and orcas can also sometimes be found here. I toured the bank for forty-five minutes, chasing flocks of seabirds in hopes that the same baitballs attracting the birds might also attract a whale, but no whales appeared.
Alex at Griffin Bay. The wireless coverage in the San Juans is good enough that I was able to work remotely from anywhere on Lopez Island and San Juan Island.
Cooking dinner at Griffin Bay. I don’t like to build fires, but I ran out of stove fuel so I had no choice.
Oceanspray at Griffin Bay. This is one of the classic understory shrubs west of the Rockies.
Northward view of San Juan Channel. This channel is usually protected from the wind, but it experiences strong tidal currents.
Salmon Bank buoy. The carillon of bells in the lower portion of the buoy can be heard from a distance of several miles on a quiet morning.
Once the flood picked up steam, it was an easy ride from Salmon Bank back to the mainland. The current carried me eastward along the bottom of Lopez Island, past Iceberg Point and Watmough Bay, both of which had been on my list to visit for many years. Out in Rosario Strait, the current carried me north and east, straight back to the launch point with a minimum of effort.
Bonaparte’s gull, Griffin Bay. This species is our only regularly occurring black-headed gull, although we do occasionally get stray Franklin’s gulls.
Heermann’s gull, Salmon Bank. Salmon Bank is one of the most reliable places in the state for this handsome species.
Red fox, Cattle Point. The southeastern end of San Juan Island is famous for its foxes.
Red foxes, San Juan Island. Soon, there will be a fresh litter of fox kits.
Steller sea lion, Iceberg Point. This species, the harbor seal, mule deer, raccoon, and red fox were the only mammal species I saw.
Cattle Point lighthouse, seen from Salmon Bank. The grassy slopes of San Juan Island are almost as distinct a landmark as its lighthouse.
Iceberg Point monument. Hiking the San Juans is nice, but kayaking it is even nicer.
Not for the first time, I was grateful to be a kayaker in the San Juans. In my quiet little boat, I can reach campgrounds that land-based visitors would never know about and see wildlife they would never notice. Every time I think I have seen everything in the San Juans I would ever want to, I think of yet one more reason to return.
—Alex Sidles