Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
The San Juan Islands, Whidbey
Island & the Emerald Coast
W
ater, water everywhere, and quite
a few islands, too. That about sums up
the landscape of the north Puget
Sound and San Juan Islands region.
Here, within a vast inland sea, lie hun-
dreds of islands both large and small,
and the lure of these emerald isles is
powerful. There may not be any
turquoise waters, white-sand beaches,
or palm trees swaying in the breeze,
but an island is a getaway no matter
where it is—and these islands are no
exception. The fact that many of the
region's islands bear Spanish names
seems to further add to the romance of
a trip to the San Juans.
When English explorer Capt.
George Vancouver first sailed down
the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 1792, he
discovered a vast inland sea he named
Puget Sound. To the north of this
sound, within a convolution of twist-
ing channels, narrow straits, and elon-
gated bays, lay an archipelago of
islands, and rising to the east in a mag-
nificent backdrop stood a range of
snowcapped peaks. Several of the
archipelago's islands—San Juan,
Lopez, Fidalgo, Guemes, Sucia, and
Matia—had already been named by
earlier Spanish explorers, but Vancou-
ver's 2 months of exploring and chart-
ing the waters of the region left
Northwest maps with many new
names—Deception Pass, Whidbey
Island, Bellingham Bay, Mount Baker.
From the mid-19th century to the
mid-20th century, this region was pri-
marily a fishing, farming, and logging
region, but as early as the first decade
of the 20th century, Washingtonians
from the mainland had begun to dis-
cover the charms of island life. Today,
the northern Puget Sound and San
Juan Islands are Washington's favorite
summer playgrounds and weekend
getaways. Shimmering waters, moun-
tain vistas, and tranquil islands are the
ingredients of the tonic that revives
the weary souls of vacationers from
the densely populated and industrial-
ized southern Puget Sound. Though
it's only 30 miles from Seattle to
Whidbey Island and 85 miles to the
San Juans, the distance is multiplied
by the serenity that descends as you
cross the sound by ferry and leave the
mainland behind.
However, this corner of the state
isn't all about island life. On the main-
land, the historic fishing village of La
Conner has become the most charm-
ing little town in the state. Surround-
ing La Conner are the Skagit Valley
bulb fields, which burst into bloom
each spring with acres and acres of
tulips and daffodils.
Farther north, the town of Belling-
ham serves as a base for exploring the
Emerald Coast, one of the least visited
stretches of coastline in the state (the
San Juans seem to siphon off all the
traffic). However, though there are
few crowds here, the vistas (and the
oysters) are as good as any you'll find
in the islands. It is also on this coast
that you'll find the state's premier
waterfront golf resort.
