San Juan Islands

[Jen72]

I've been thinking of riding on San Juan Island or one of the others. Are they very difficult rides with a lot of climbing? Do they have good shoulders with space? I'm a scardy cat when it comes to riding on the roads. I don't place to much trust in drivers. Which is the easiest island to ride?

Jen

[colby]

I think others around here have actually rode the San Juans, but from the few times I have been there I can tell you that there are bike turnouts where you can pull over and let cars pass, some islands ARE more hilly than others, and all of them are frequently ridden by cyclists and locals should be aware of that. No bike lanes that I remember, but decent shoulders from what I recall.

And.... it's beautiful. :)

[lauraelmore1033]

I've done an organized ride on Lopez Island which was throughly enjoyable. It was 37 miles or so (you can find a map here: http://www.seattlebiketours.org/members/maps/washington.html ). I think they advertised the island as relatively flat as compared to the others, but I recall thinkin' it was pretty durn hilly. There's also a map for a loop of San Juan Island on the link. They list it as rolling to hilly. someone once told me that the islands are actally mountains partly under the water, so no wonder it's hilly! You also have to be very careful about reading the ferry time tables correctly. Shaw Island, for instance, has no hotels or restaurants, so if you miss the last ferry or get on the wrong one, you are stuck sleeping on the dock.

[penny_pdx]

Hello, I could not help but respond. My family (husband on touring bike, 6 yr. old son on piccolo trail-a-bike, and me) just spent a week in June on the San Juan Islands. We parked our truck in Anacortes and spent our week on the island. 7 days and 200 miles later we arrived back in Anacortes happy as clams. We spent two days on Lopez, a morning on Shaw, two days on San Juan, and two days on Orcas. I have to say that it was more hilly (rollers) than I expected but the entire experience was fantastic. Beware that most of the road surface is chip seal so the ride on my size 23 tires (on a steel frame and a carbon fork) was quite bumpy. The great advantage traveling with bikes on the WA state ferry system is that you get to board with the folks on foot and don't have to show up super early to get in the auto queue! We loved it!

[bikerchic]

I remember seeing lots of cyclist on Orcas Island while there vacationing. I was so envious and yes they can just walk aboard the ferry no fuss no muss, again envious!

I would recomend a cross bike or a MTB for the roads and trails, they are pretty rough, full suspension wouldn't hurt either! LOL

My dream vacation is to bike in the San Juan Islands, someday, sigh. I love it there!

[tangentgirl]

I'm doing this next week. Woohoo! Can't wait. Anyone have any suggestions of other things to while island-hopping? Must-sees?

[tangentgirl]

Can't wait to do it again sometime. Went to San Juan, Orcas & Lopez. Rolling hills, beautiful scenery, AWESOME FOOD. I swear all the veggies were out of the back yard. And the fish.

Note about Orcas Island, MapMyRide.com has to be underestimating the climb. No way it's only 300 ft over 20 miles. It gets really tough, especially around Moran State Park. Also, there is an Orcas Island Shuttle that has bike racks - next time I go, I'll take the shuttle to the other side of the island, drop the gear where I'm staying, then attack the hills. The shuttle has set pickup/drop points, but they'll also veer off course if you call them.

Everywhere we stayed was nice. Doe Bay Resort & Retreat on Orcas gave us a $10 per person discount for being on bikes and therefore carbon neutral. (Guess the shuttle next time might negate that.) They also had the best dinner, and a hot tub and sauna (clothing optional ;) )

Best roads were on San Juan, although all of them were very well maintained. SJ's had consistently large shoulders.

There were bike shops in the main towns too - Friday Harbor (SJ), East Sound (Orcas) and Lopez Village (Lopez).

Finally, this looks fun: http://www.wildlifecycles.com/wildlife100.html. We were leaving the 15th, but maybe next year!

[lauraelmore1033]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I'm filing the info away for future reference...:cool: