Three Days In The San Juan Islands: Day 1 And Iceberg Point

Just like last year, the wildfire smoke has set upon the east side (and some of the west side) for my birthday weekend.  Instead of our annual Cascade Loop adventure that year, we opted to head west to the San Juan Islands for some hiking and biking.

This year for my birthday, we are opting to push our visit east of the Cascades out a few weeks in hopes the smoke dissipates and I am staying home with a head cold.  Yay, me.

So, as I look back at the great trip we had to Lopez and San Juan islands I thought I would share our 3 days of fun, including checking another trail from the Classic 100 Hikes of Washington off my list.

 

Anacortes

As are most trips to the San Juan Islands, we left from the small port town of Anacortes on the ferry.  We had made reservations for the 11:55am ferry and it left right on time for Lopez.

 

 

There was knitting, of course, as we sailed west past Guemes and Cypress islands and then in between Blakely and San Elmo to reach the tip of Lopez Island about 50 minutes later.

 

 

Lopez Island

The road takes off straight up from the ferry dock on Lopez, good information for future trips arriving on the bike and pretty standard for island geography.

 

 

Iceberg Point Trail

The first thing on our itinerary was to head to Iceberg Point and Agate Beach Park on the very southern tip of the Lopez Island.  Most of the other things we wanted to do were on the north end so it made sense to go there first as we only had one night on the island.

 

 

Agate Beach is right at the main parking area and privy with a view of out at San Juan Island.  We didn’t spend time checking out the beach to see if it live up to its name but it is a tranquil picnic stop. (I read later that any possible agates are now buried under several feet of sand due to coastline dredging).

 

 

For Iceberg Point, we had to park our car at Agate Beach and walk Flint Road up to where the trail starts next to private property.  There were plenty of bikes racks at the parking lot and up the road.

 

 

In case you are in doubt of being in the right place, there are signs.

 

 

We walked around a gate to continue on a gravel road to the trailhead, all told about half mile from our car.  Iceberg Point itself is a 3 mile round trip hike, perfect for kids and dogs on leash.

 

 

 

It was another .4 miles to our first junction and here the trail went left or right to reach the coastline.  We went right first to get to the furthest western point with the idea of then taking the trail all the way to the east.

 

 

Walking along the coastline, the trees were draped in moss and there were small pocket beaches.

 

 

 

Of course, Gary wanted to drop down to this one and look for rocks.

 

 

I opted to stay topside and take pictures of his scaling back up the social trail.

 

 

We reached the rocky outcrop where a warning light works diligently for ships.  There was only one other person, they were perched on the rocks and appeared to be sketching the scene laid out before them.

 

 

 

 

The horizon held summits on both Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula.

 

 

After a snack and a few minutes of admiration, we continued on the trail eastward.

 

 

 

About halfway along, there was a weathered reference marker indicating a turning point for those navigating the San Juan Islands.

 

 

 

 

I also took a picture with my newly knitted sweater, the Woodhaven Pullover by Tif Neilan.

 

 

We carried on past the marker to the end of the trail where it meets private property.

 

 

 

We only had to retrace our steps to the marker, a trail connected there with one we had come in on and we were soon back to the car 2 hours after our start.

 

 

 

 

Haven Kitchen & Bar

After Iceberg Point, we did spend a few hours visiting some long time friends of Gary’s that live on Lopez Island.  Then it was off to dinner in downtown Lopez, and I use “downtown” with a chuckle (more pictures to come tomorrow).

Restaurant options are limited on Lopez so we opted for Haven Kitchen & Bar which did have a menu with gluten free items labeled.  We were lucky to be able to make reservations last minute online, and they take their reservations seriously (must have a lot of no shows).  Our table had a view of the water and the lighting was low and intimate.  Everything was delicious!

 

 

 

 

Odlin County Park & Campground

By the time we left the restaurant, it was after 8pm and the sun had set.  With a reservation at Odlin County Park & Campground on the north end of the island, it wasn’t long before we were tucked into bed in the back of the Sequoia.  My favorite part was watching the ferries floating by on their evening runs as we drifted off to sleep.

 

 

 

Join me tomorrow brings two more hikes and a bike ride on Lopez Island, along with cider tasting on San Juan.  We will also learn more about the Lummi and Salish Peoples who lived on the San Juan Islands before they were colonized.

Here are a few resources for Day 1’s adventure on Lopez Island for your next visit:

• Washington Ferries
• Agate Beach Park
• Iceberg Point
• Haven Kitchen & Bar
• Odlin County Park & Campground

 

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