Our popular day trip starts with us picking you up in Friday Harbor. We'll then take a beautiful drive up and across San Juan Island to the west side where we'll launch from idyllic San Juan County Park. We'll take our time paddling along the coastline, past Lime Kiln Point State Park, one of the top land-based whale watching sites in the world. We stop for a fresh on-the-spot-prepared picnic lunch under the trees at Dead Mans Cove, where you have an opportunity take a short hike or just relax before making our way back up north.
This is a wonderful afternoon, paddling international waters, experiencing the beautiful and unique marine and bird life around this vast national park system. We take or time looking out for different species of whales along with otters, seals, porpoises, dolphins, bald eagles, salmon and so much more; all while taking in the views of the Canadian Gulf Islands and the Olympic and Cascade Mountain Ranges.
We’ll meet you at 10:45 AM at the ferry landing in Friday Harbor. Enjoy a scenic drive to our launch site at San Juan County Park on the west side of San Juan Island and learn about the natural history of the archipelago from your guide along the way. After a thorough dry land orientation covering paddling technique, safety and boat handling, we’ll get out on the water!
We’ll kayak heading south along the coastline of San Juan Island in the Haro Strait, which lies in the migratory path of Chinook salmon, the main food source of our endangered Southern Resident orcas. While looking for whales, we’ll paddle past the picturesque lighthouse and historic lime kilns of Lime Kiln State Park.
We'll stop for a lunch break and a chance to explore the driftwood beach in view of the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island. your guide will prepare a build your own veggie sandwich buffet so you can refuel before heading back out on the water! If it is low tide, search the nearby tide pools for sea stars, sea cucumbers, and chitons.
After refueling on shore, we’ll explore the rocky shores and eventually arriving back at San Juan County Park. After a sublime day of sea kayaking along the west side of San Juan Island, enjoying scenic vistas, seeing wildlife large and small, and talking about the islands history, we’ll get you back to Friday Harbor between 4:45 and 5:15 PM, in time to catch the evening ferry back to Anacortes or grab a bite in town.
The OO crew couldn't have been more professional and prepared from the moment they picked us up at Friday Harbor through the launch and landing. It was beyond expectations and worth every penny.
BrianIf you’re looking for a fun and unforgettable kayak trip in the San Juan Islands, I highly recommend Outdoor Odyssey. Our 3-day trip was superb.
ShellyI am not usually someone to pay for a guided tour, but this was absolutely worth it and a huge highlight during our time in the San Juan Islands. Our guide was awesome. We were a group kids, teens and adults (two families). We learned a lot about the island, and had a ball along the coast for our 7 mile day trip.
Seth KThe food was excellent. Organic as much as possible, fresh as much as possible, well prepared, and plenty of it.
TimThis trip was one I will never forget. Outdoor Odysseys does such a great job on these kayak trips. Our guides were wonderful. The food was beyond belief...for anywhere, not just a kayaking trip.
DJWThis company has been around for a long time. They know how to treat people.
CocoaTom Murphy graduated from Lawrence University with a biology degree in 2003. After graduation Tom spent a year and a half overseas. He traveled through India, worked for an NGO in Nepal, and taught elementary students science in the…
Read MorePeter, a lifelong New York City region resident, now lives full time on San Juan Island, helping to run Outdoor Odysseys. Peter has a long and storied career in government, tourism, and in corporate America. Peter has a graduate…
Read MoreBorn on the coastal islands of Georgia and raised in the marshes and swamps of the south, Laura has always maintained a deep connection to the ocean. Her earliest memories are paddling canoes through the Okefenokee Swamp with her…
Read MoreHayden’s roots are in Colorado and Central Oregon. She ventured out to the Pacific Northwest when she started school at University of Oregon, where she studied human physiology and business. These days, she finds joy in connecting others to…
Read MoreEli Todaro grew up in Southeast Louisiana. Eli is a NOLS Wilderness First Responder alumni with specialties in swift water and high angle rescue. He has always had a great passion for the outdoors. Growing up hunting and fishing…
Read MoreSam grew up outside Seattle, WA, with the Cascade Mountains and the Puget Sound as his backyard. After getting a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington, Sam vagabonded through Europe, Australia, and the US before finding…
Read MoreGrowing up in Seattle, Maddie Hollister gained a love for outdoor recreation and education attending a summer camp on Puget Sound, where she eventually became a lifeguard and outdoor educator. She studied marine biology and science communication at Quest…
Read MoreBoston bred, Georgia grown, and Seattle seduced; Patrick remains as footloose as his “military brat” childhood would deem but continues to rebound back to the San Juan Islands. In Georgia he attended both high school and college where he…
Read MoreDuncan will be returning for a second season to the San Juan Islands as an Outdoor Odysseys guide and adventure filmmaker. Born in San Mateo, California, Duncan grew up SCUBA diving, backpacking and sailing. After college he spent a…
Read MoreBorn in Snohomish, WA, Christina grew up mushroom picking, squid jigging, crabbing, traveling, backpacking, fishing, clamming, skiing, frog catching, climbing, and everything else outdoorsy. Christina made her way down to Orange, CA to attend Chapman University as a Business…
Read MoreBorn near the ocean cliffs of northern California, Zoey was raised just as much by redwoods and harbour seals as she was by her parents. She is currently going into her 4th year at Quest University, focusing her studies…
Read MoreElliott grew up in sunny Seattle and spent countless days exploring the Cascades, Puget Sound, and the forests and deserts throughout Washington. He studied environmental science and policy down in California, and uses his emphasis in ecology daily while…
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