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Ferry, Orcas & Rain Forests: San Juan Islands & Olympic Peninsula

Ferry, Orcas & Rain Forests: San Juan Islands & Olympic Peninsula: free sample chapter

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Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. Ferry timetables, fares, road openings, trail conditions and park hours shift by season and by year. We opened the official pages we could on 2026-10-10 and stamped what they said. Where a page would not open, we wrote what is typically true and named the page to check. Look at each linked page within a week of your trip, and again the day before you drive somewhere remote.

Cover block

Promise: Two island nights, a seaport night, and three nights on the Olympic Peninsula, with orcas, a summit, a rain forest and a Pacific beach, all by one rental car and a few ferries.
Trip length: 7 days, 6 nights, Seattle in and out.
Best months: June through September for roads and schedules; September and early October for lighter crowds.
Budget band: moderate. Ferries and the car are the big lines; park fees are small.
Best for: Travelers who like short hikes, water views and small towns more than nightlife; first-timers to the Pacific Northwest; photographers.

At a glance

Fly into SEA; rent a car at the airport or downtown.
Day 1: Seattle to Anacortes (drive), ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
Day 2: Lime Kiln Point, American Camp, English Camp.
Day 3: Ferry to Orcas Island, Moran State Park and Mount Constitution, Eastsound.
Day 4: Ferry back to Anacortes, drive to Port Townsend.
Day 5: Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls.
Day 6: Sol Duc, then the Hoh Rain Forest.
Day 7: Rialto and Ruby Beach, drive to Bainbridge, ferry to Seattle, fly out (or stay another night).
Money: no fee at San Juan Island NHP; $30 Olympic vehicle fee; Discover Pass for state parks.
Cash tip: Olympic's entrances do not take cash (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Know now: Mount Constitution tower closed Oct 7 to Nov 9, 2026 (checked Oct 10, 2026).