Three Days In The San Juan Islands: Day 3 At Lime Kiln Point State Park, Roche Harbor and The Pig War

You will find Day 1 of our San Juan Island trip here: Three Days In The San Juan Islands: Day 1 And Iceberg Point.

San Juan County Park

Our goal for Saturday morning was to ride our bikes the less than 3 miles to Lime Kiln Point State Park and hike for first part of the day. Another local came to check out if we had dropped any yummy morsels but he left empty pawed. The fox was a russet red, turns out they were most likely introduced when the islands had a rabbit problem in the 1950s. This one definitely did not have a fear of humans.

As a warm up, we hiked a short trail near our campsite that took us out on a headland overlooking Haro Strait between San Juan and Vancouver Island.

Why is it that a barge slowly making its way across the water can be so fascinating?

If you don’t already have it in your head, here’s the camp song that always pops into my head when I see a barge out on the open water:

Continuing on the .1 mile trail, we came to a shelter overlooking the water.

We learned that this spot is where they built and filmed the large home in the movie Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest and Aiden Quinn.

Now it has been restored to an open field with picnic tables and hiker/biker campsites on the outside edge.

We then returned back to camp after our loop and prepared to ride.

Lime Kiln State Park (by bike)

I don’t have any pictures of the trip from campground to Lime Kiln Point State Park, mostly because the ride almost killed me. Not only had I forgotten (once again) how hilly islands can be, but the hill out of the campground is BRUTAL. Especially because my lungs were not quite primed yet.

We parked our bikes on racks in the parking lot and made our way down past the visitor’s center to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was, unfortunately, closed for the season due to repairs.

There was a trail that followed the shoreline south so off we went.

In a short distance there was a rocky outcropping so we stopped for a snack. I had made some pumpkin bread, most likely a recipe from Paleo Running Momma.

As we meandered along, there were a couple of spots with kiosks and picnic tables. This spot is known for its prime whale watching but we were not successful.

Signage for Dead Man Bay soon gave us a destination.

I love when flowers persist into fall. It is too bad these California poppies are invasive.

From the Dead Man Bay Preserve website:

The 20-acre property provides access to nearly 1000 feet of gravel beach and rocky coastline, while also protecting the outlet of a seasonal stream and associated wetlands. The preserve is a popular destination for beach lovers, kayakers, and whale watchers.

We had it all to ourselves on a Saturday, probably a result of being there before 10am.

We walked the beach and observed sea life in the tidepools and natural artwork on driftwood.

As we were getting ready to leave, two other hikers came down onto the beach. They walked along slowly and seemed to be waiting for us to leave.

There is a privy on the bluff overlooking the beach and we stopped at it before returning to hike more of the trail. As we left there and continued up the hill, we looked back to see the hikers had disrobed and were out in the water. I guess we were not the only ones enjoying the solitude of Dead Man Bay.

The trail crossed West Side Road (twice) and entered the 174 acre forest of Lime Kiln Preserve.

The leaves made a crisp crunch as we climbed deeper into the woods.

The trail looped back down after about half a mile and intersected with more trails in the state park and we were once again along the coastline.

The first kiln was in poor condition and it was only possible to pass it by from above.

And technically, this kiln sat outside of the park boundary.

The next kiln was in better condition and had some serious stairs to access it.

Limestone on the island is a result of ancient coral beds and was an economic resource in the 19th century. Boats would pull up to the shore and load up after the lime had been processed in the kilns. The usefulness of these kilns ended with the Great Depression, you can read more on the state park’s website.

It was possible to walk down close to the water’s edge and see limestone still evident in the rugged shoreline. Discarded bricks and remnants of the boat dock were also visible.

Despite the history of a bustling industry, it was hard to imagine what it must have been like when the hillside was covered with workers, roads and homes.

We stopped in the visitor’s center and read a little more about the kilns’ past. This is also were we read about the timing for whale watching and how we were just a few weeks late of the season.

English Camp

After Lime Kiln Point State Park, we rode back to the campground and hopped in the car to visit Roche Harbor. On the way, we stopped at English Camp which is part of the San Juan Island National Historical Park.

Of course, history on San Juan Island didn’t start with the Pig War but it is featured prominently. Basically, the Brits and Americans had a scuffle after someone shot someone else’s pig and then they jointly occupied the San Juan Islands (with no regard for the Indigenous People who already lived there) for 12 years until a German kaiser decided in favor of the United States.

A short path took us down to a field that once held the camp where British soldiers were stationed during the 12 years of occupation.

The barracks for the enlisted men’s quarters and other military necessities are still there and we could walk among them, imagining life during this time.

A block house still guards the garrison, I was disappointed we could not go in and peek out the gun holes.

There was an attempt to recognize the history of the Coast Salish People but there was not signage to give details of the totem pole’s origin. I was able to find out more online afterwards:

A totem pole illustrating traditional reef net fishing, two Salmon storyboards and two cedar-strip canoes were dedicated by members of the Lummi Nation and the Saanich Nation at the August 25, 2016 ceremony. After the totem pole and storyboards were unveiled, Master Carver Temosen Charles Elliott, a member of the T’sartlip First Nation on Vancouver Island, explained the meaning of the different figures on his Reef Net Captain Pole.

There was a marker on the flag pole, however.

The grounds also held a formal garden, very British of them. It sat below a hill where the officer’s quarters once stood, affording a bit more protection than the foot soldiers.

No structures were left but there was a marker to remind one of what once was. From here it is possible to hike over to Bell Point but we took a spur trail back up to where we had parked and headed over to Roche Harbor for lunch.

Roche Harbor

It turned out that we were visiting Roche Harbor on the north end of the island on the last day of their season. Meaning, a lot of the businesses were closing down for the winter months.

From the Visit San Juans website:

Roche Harbor Resort is a picturesque, full-service resort with historic and contemporary accommodations, gardens, restaurants, stores, as well as a large marina and spa. The Hotel de Haro is the state’s oldest continually operating hotel, and its 20 rooms have hosted for visitors since 1886, with a fascinating display in the lobby of resort history, including its former life as a lime works, and famous visitors such as John Wayne and Theodore Roosevelt.

It was kind of nice, though, to be there without the hustle and bustle of the summer crowds.

Kayak guides were hauling their craft up from the docks for storage and a village of tiny market booths were shuttered.

We opted for lunch at Madrona Bar & Grill, chatting with the servers about where they were off to for the cooler months. I splurged on a gluten free bun instead of having them put the burger on the toppings like I usually do.

We also glamped it by taking advantage of the coin-operated showers that were available at the harbor.

Lime Kiln Point State Park (by car)

Finishing out Saturday, we stopped again at Lime Kiln Point State Park before heading back to the campground for the night. After the long day, it was perfect to end it by watching the sun set on the horizon.

And indulge in a wee bit of knitting, too.

The Shortest Day Shawl, you knit in the round and then steek at the end!

Resources for this day:

Tomorrow (yes, Day 4) will see a few more scenic stops along with more hilly bike riding, a bronze pig statue and a selection of canned sardines. Join me for the wrap up!