Pacific Northwest - Washington

Orcas Island

A Karen Brown Recommendation

Next stop, our personal favorite: Orcas Island. The largest (57 square miles), hilliest, and most forested of the islands, Orcas boasts the kind of terrain that may put you in mind of Ireland or Norway in many spots. The combination of greenery and water here is stunning! Once excellent shell-fishing grounds for the Lummi Indians in summer months, Orcas is home now to a population of about 4,500. We’ve assembled some ideas for things to do while you’re on Orcas. The commercial center is Eastsound to the north, a charming place for browsing through small shops, sampling good restaurants, and learning more about the island. It’s a very small village, so it’s easy to walk around. You may happen upon something that piques your interest, including information on biplane trips, kayaking, and whale watching. Every Saturday from May through September, enjoy the Orcas Farmers Market off North Beach Road, a great way to meet the locals and to sample their produce and crafts. Rent a bike at Dolphin Bay Bicycles, adjacent the ferry landing. They’ve got a full-service bicycle shop and can give you tips for touring. (360-376-4157.) Moran State Park is the fourth-largest park in all of Washington State. Totaling over 5,000 acres, it offers about 30 miles of trails, five lakes, beautiful forests of old-growth Douglas fir and cedar, and the highest point in the San Juan Islands: the 2,407-foot Mount Constitution. Take a drive up to the top of the mountain for marvelous views in all directions of the San Juans, Vancouver Island, and the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. Try the half-mile Cascade Falls Trail or the 4-mile Mountain Lake Loop Trail. As you drive along Orcas Road on the west side of the island, keep a watch overhead as you go. Local sculptor Anthony Howe has hung his copper and stainless-steel art sculptures in the trees near the turnoff to his Howe Art Gallery & Kinetic Sculpture Garden and it makes for a magical touch (¼ mile west of Eastsound on the Horseshoe Highway; hours vary; www.howeart.net). A visit to Rosario Resort (1 Rosario Way; 800-562-8820; www.rosario.rockresorts.com) on the east side of the island proves an intriguing diversion. Shipbuilding magnate Robert Moran moved to Orcas Island when, at 46 years of age, his doctor told him he had little time left to live. Moran built a mansion he named Rosario (completed in 1909), and was so rejuvenated by the whole experience that he lived another 30 years. Admire the elegant and elaborate Moran Mansion, the focal point of today’s resort. The foundation for the mansion is cut 16 feet into solid rock, walls are made of concrete and lined inside with mahogany, windows are just shy of an inch thick, and the roof is covered with 6 tons of copper sheeting. You’d think Moran was building one of his ocean liners! Local musician Christopher Peacock performs weekly in a wonderful and informal concert in the vaulted Music Room on an enormous 1,972-pipe Aeolian organ. It’s a fun show, in which Peacock interjects bits about the house and its original owner. The room is beautiful with its Tiffany chandelier and stained-glass windows. The private living quarters of the Moran family have been transformed into a museum, with Moran’s own photographs of nature and family life lining the walls. Check out the Spa by the Bay. You don’t have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy their services. Restaurants are available from an informal café to fine dining.

Located along this Karen Brown Itinerary:

The Island Life

Traveler Reviews:
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Nearby Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts:
Listed Alphabetically, Not By Distance.

• Abigail’s Hotel
• Andersen House Bed and Breakfast
• Fairholme Manor
• Haterleigh Heritage Inn
• Humboldt House Bed & Breakfast
• Prior House
• Villa Marco Polo Inn
• Channel Lodge
• Edenwild . . . A Country Inn
• Highland Inn
• Inn at Ship Bay
• Inn To The Woods
• Otters Pond Bed & Breakfast
• Turtleback Farm Inn
• Wildwood Manor