Editing San Juan Islands

{{Short description|Archipelago in the Salish Sea in Washington, US}}
{{For|the small archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle|San Juan Islands (Alaska)}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}<!--YYYY-MM-DD good for access and archive dates-->
[[File:San Juan Islands map.png|thumb|upright=1.5|right|San Juan Islands (in white) and surrounding region]]
[[File:San Juans Location.png|thumb|Location of the San Juan Islands]]

The '''San Juan Islands''' is an archipelago in the [[Pacific Northwest]] of the United States between the U.S. [[state of Washington]] and [[Vancouver Island]], British Columbia, Canada. The San Juan Islands are part of Washington state, and form the core of [[San Juan County, Washington|San Juan County]].

In the archipelago, four islands are accessible to vehicular and foot traffic via the [[Washington State Ferries]] system.

[[File:Iceberg Point Lopez Island Washington USA.jpeg|thumbnail|right|Lopez Island, one of the San Juan Islands, Washington]]

==History==
[[File:Straits Steamship Company house flag.svg|thumb|[[Straits Steamship Company]] [[House-flag|house flag]], shipping firm that operated steamships on [[Puget Sound]] and the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]]]]
The Gulf of Georgia Culture Area encompasses the San Juan and [[Gulf Islands]], which share many archaeological similarities.<ref name="Stein2000">{{cite book |last=Stein |first=Julie K. |title=Exploring Coast Salish prehistory: the archaeology of San Juan Island |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ADGV7j-hZSwC&pg=PA4 |access-date=2011-07-30 |year=2000 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=978-0-295-97957-1 |pages=4–5}}</ref> These islands were home to various [[Coast Salish languages|Coast Salish]] peoples, including the [[Nooksack (tribe)|Nooksack]] and [[Northern Straits Salish|Northern Straits]] groups (consisting of the [[Lummi people|Lummi]], [[Klallam]], [[Saanich dialect|Saanich]], [[Samish people|Samish]], and [[Songhees]] dialects). European exploration in the area introduced [[smallpox]] in the 1770s.

The Spanish explorer [[Francisco de Eliza]] named the San Juan Islands ''Isla y Archipiélago de San Juan'' in 1791<ref>{{historylink|article=7704|title=Lime Kiln and Cattle Point Lighthouses (San Juan Island)}}</ref> while sailing under the authority of [[Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo]], the Viceroy of Mexico.<ref>{{cite book |last= Phillips |first= James W. |title= Washington State Place Names |url= https://archive.org/details/washingtonstatep00phil |url-access= registration |year= 1971 |publisher= University of Washington Press |isbn= 0-295-95158-3}}</ref> Eliza named several places for the Viceroy, including [[Orcas Island]] (short for "Horcasitas") and [[Guemes Island]]. San Juan Island's first European discoverer was [[Gonzalo López de Haro]], one of Eliza's officers, for whom [[Haro Strait]] is named. The Spanish had previously encountered the islands during [[Manuel Quimper]]'s exploring voyage on the ''[[Princess Royal (1778 sloop)|Princesa Real]]'' in 1790, but they were not recognized as islands until Eliza's expedition. [[José María Narváez]], one of Eliza's pilots, also helped explore the San Juans in 1791 and became the first European to explore the [[Strait of Georgia]].

The [[Vancouver Expedition]], led by [[George Vancouver]], explored the area in 1792 while a Spanish expedition led by [[Dionisio Alcalá Galiano]] and [[Cayetano Valdés y Flores]] was also exploring. The British and Spanish ships met and cooperated in exploring the north. Vancouver encountered other Spanish ships and traded information, so he was aware of the names given by the Spanish expedition and kept them, although he renamed some features, such as the [[Strait of Georgia]].

The [[United States Exploring Expedition]], led by [[Charles Wilkes]], explored the region in 1841. Wilkes named many coastal features after American heroes of the [[War of 1812]] or members of his crew, possibly unaware of the already existing Spanish names and charts.

[[Henry Kellett]] led a project in 1847 to reorganize the official charts of the region for the British Admiralty. The project only applied to British territory, which at the time included the San Juan Islands but not [[Puget Sound]]. Kellett removed most of the names given by Wilkes and kept British and Spanish names, sometimes moving Spanish names to replace those given by Wilkes. As a result, Wilkes' names are common in Puget Sound and Spanish names are rare, while the opposite is true for the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Wilkes had named the San Juan Islands the ''Navy Archipelago'' and individual islands after U.S. naval officers, such as ''Rodgers Island'' for San Juan Island, "[[Isaac Chauncey|Chauncey]]" for Lopez Island, and ''Hull Island'' for Orcas Island. Some of Wilkes' names, such as Shaw, Decatur, Jones, Blakely, and Sinclair, named after American naval officers, survived Kellett's editing.<ref>{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=James W. |title=Washington State Place Names |url=https://archive.org/details/washingtonstatep00phil |url-access=registration |year=1971 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=0-295-95158-3}}</ref>

===Border dispute===
[[File:American Camp, San Juan Island, July 4, 1867.jpg|thumb|July 4, 1867, celebrated on San Juan Island. U.S. Army soldiers and Royal Marines mingle in the American Camp.]] 
{{Full article|Pig War (1859)}}

In 1843, the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] established [[Fort Victoria (British Columbia)|Fort Victoria]] on [[Vancouver Island]]. The 1846 [[Oregon Treaty]] established the [[49th parallel north|49th parallel]] as the border between Canada and the US, with Vancouver Island remaining British. The treaty did not specify which channel the border should follow between the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, leading to a boundary dispute. In 1852, the [[Territory of Oregon]] created [[Island County, Washington|Island County]], including the San Juan Islands. In 1853, Island County became part of the [[Washington Territory]],<ref name="ScholefieldHoway1914">{{cite book |last1=Scholefield |first1=Ethelbert Olaf Stuart |last2=Howay |first2=Frederic William |author-link2=Frederic William Howay |title=British Columbia from the earliest times to the present. Vol. 2 |url=http://www.nosracines.ca/e/page.aspx?id=3724301 |access-date=2011-06-22 |year=1914 |publisher=The S.J. Clarke publishing company |oclc=697901687 |page=301 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527180455/http://www.nosracines.ca/e/page.aspx?id=3724301 |archive-date=May 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> which created [[Whatcom County, Washington|Whatcom County]] out of parts of Island County in 1854. The San Juan Islands were finally split off into present-day San Juan County in 1873.

In 1855, Washington Territory levied a property tax on properties of the Hudson's Bay Company on San Juan Island, which the HBC refused to pay. This led to a dispute with the [[Colony of Vancouver Island]] over the ownership of the San Juan Islands, with the US claiming Haro Strait as the border and Britain claiming Rosario Strait.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/northwestboundar00unit/page/3 <!-- quote="Haro archipelago". -->  ''The northwest boundary: discussion of the water boundary question : geographical memoir of the islands in dispute and history of the military occupation of San Juan Island, accompanied by map and cross-sections of channels ...'', pp. 3–5, United States Dept. of State, Northwest Boundary Commission, 1868]</ref> The resulting [[Pig War (1859)|Pig War]] and San Juan Dispute were a diplomatic stalemate until the boundary issue was placed in the hands of Emperor [[Wilhelm I of Germany]] for arbitration in 1871. The border through Haro Strait was established in 1872.

===Post-border dispute===
The surrounding bodies of water, including Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca, were recognized collectively as the [[Salish Sea]], by the United States in 2009 and by Canada in 2010.<ref>{{Cite GNIS|2573411|Salish Sea}}</ref>

On the 7th of June 2024, a T-34 plane flown by former astronaut and air force pilot, [[Bill Anders]], crashed on the San Juan Islands. Anders did not survive the crash. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/06/07/plane-crash-san-juan-islands/ | title='Earthrise' photographer William Anders dies in San Juan islands plane crash | date=June 7, 2024 }}</ref>

==Ecology==
The islands were heavily logged in the nineteenth century, but now have an extensive second-growth [[Pseudotsuga menziesii|coast Douglas fir]] (''Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii''), [[Pacific madrone]] (''Arbutus menziesii''), [[red alder]] (''Alnus rubra'') and [[bigleaf maple]] (''Acer macrophyllum'') forest. There are small strands of old-growth Douglas fir and [[western redcedar]] (''Thuja plicata''), mostly within long standing privately held property. In the highlands one also finds [[grand fir]] (''Abies grandis''), [[western hemlock]] (''Tsuga heterophylla'') and other subalpine trees.

The San Juan Islands host the greatest concentration of [[bald eagle]]s (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') in the contiguous United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/nature/bald-eagles.htm |title=Bald Eagles |author=Rebecca Smith |date=March 30, 2015 |website=San Juan Island National Historical Park Washington |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> [[Great blue heron]]s (''Ardea herodias''), [[black oystercatcher]]s (''Haematopus bachman''), and numerous shorebirds are found along the shore and in winter, the islands are home to [[trumpeter swan]]s (''Cygnus buccinator''), [[Canada geese]] (''Branta canadensis'') and other waterfowl. [[Peregrine falcon]]s (''Falco peregrinus''), [[northern harrier]]s (''Circus cyaneus''), [[barred owl]]s (''Strix varia'') and other birds of prey are found. In addition diving birds such as [[rhinoceros auklet]]s (''Cerorhinca monocerata''), [[pigeon guillemot]]s (''Cepphus columba'') and endangered [[marbled murrelet]]s (''Brachyramphus marmoratus'') frequent the surrounding seas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gardner |first=Mark B. |title=Images of the San Juan Islands |publisher=Rainshadow Arts |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-9753068-1-9 }}</ref> [[Western bluebird]]s (''Sialia mexicana''), which were eliminated from the islands 50 years ago because of competition for nesting sites by non-native [[European starling]]s (''Sturnus vulgaris''), were recently restored to San Juan Island thanks to the efforts of volunteers and conservation organizations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mapes |first=Lynda V. |title=Volunteers returning bluebirds to old nesting grounds |newspaper=Seattle Times |date=March 14, 2007 |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003616998_bluebird14m.html?syndication=rss |access-date=2011-07-03 }}</ref>

The islands are famous for their resident pods of [[orca]]s (''Orcinus orca''). There are three resident pods that eat salmon, but also some transient orcas that come to take [[harbor seal]]s (''Phoca vitulina''). Other marine mammals include [[North American river otter|river otter]]s (''Lontra canadensis''), [[Steller sea lion]]s (''Eumetopias jubatus''), [[common minke whale]]s (''Balaenoptera acutorostrata''), [[Dall's porpoise]]s (''Phocoenoides dalli'') and other [[cetacean]]s.

[[Columbia black-tailed deer]] (''Odocoileus hemionus columbianus'') are the largest mammals on the San Juan Islands, which are unusual in their historic absence of large carnivores, except for [[Gray wolf|wolves]] (''Canis lupus'') which were [[Local extinction|extirpated]] in the 1860s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biodiversity and the Salish Sea |url=http://www.kwiaht.org/Biodiversity/Biodiversity.html |access-date=2011-07-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223052402/http://www.kwiaht.org/Biodiversity/Biodiversity.html |archive-date=2010-02-23}}</ref> Dr. Caleb B. R. Kennerly, surgeon and naturalist, collected a wolf specimen on Lopez Island, which is now in the [[National Museum of Natural History]], probably during the [[Canada–United States border|Northwest Boundary Survey]] from 1857 to 1861.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canis lupus, Specimen #A3438 |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History |url=http://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/mammals/ |access-date=2011-07-10 }}</ref> Also, there is a specimen of [[elk]] in the [[Slater Museum of Natural History]] at the [[University of Puget Sound]] that was collected on Orcas Island, and old-timers report finding elk antlers on both Lopez and Orcas Islands.

Before 1850, most of the freshwater on the islands was held in [[North American beaver|beaver]] (''Castor canadensis'') ponds, although the aquatic mammal was extirpated by [[Hudson's Bay Company]] fur stations at [[Fort Langley]] and San Juan Island. Remnants of beaver dams number in the hundreds across the archipelago. Gnawed stumps and beaver sign are now seen on Orcas and other islands, and recolonization by this [[keystone species]] is likely to lead to increased abundance and diversity of birds, amphibians, reptiles and plants.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Russel |last1=Barsh |first2=Madrona |last2=Murphy |title=Wetland engineers |newspaper=Islands Weekly |year=2008 |url=http://www.kwiaht.org/Education/TerrestrialBiodiversity/Beavers/assets/Wetland%20engineers.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.kwiaht.org/Education/TerrestrialBiodiversity/Beavers/assets/Wetland%20engineers.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=2011-07-03 }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In spring 2011 a pair of beaver appeared at Killebrew Lake on Orcas Island, but were killed to avoid flooding a phone company switch box buried under Dolphin Bay Road. These beaver likely swam from the mainland and could have recolonized the islands.

[[Sea otter|Northern sea otter]] (''Enhydra lutis kenyoni'') remains are documented on [[Sucia Island]] in the San Juan Islands archipelago. In 1790, Spanish explorer [[Manuel Quimper]] traded copper sheets for sea otter pelts at [[Discovery Bay, Washington|Discovery Bay]], for live sea otters captured north of the bay in the "interior" of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.<ref name=Kenyon>{{cite journal |last=Kenyon |first=Karl W. |title=The Sea Otter in the Eastern Pacific Ocean |journal=North American Fauna |year=1969 |volume=68 |pages=1–352 |doi=10.3996/nafa.68.0001|doi-access=free |bibcode=1969usgs.rept...13K }}</ref> Although historical records of sea otter in the San Juan Islands are sparse, there is a sea otter specimen collected in 1897 in the "Strait of Fuca" in the [[National Museum of Natural History]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Enhydra lutis Specimen #188633 |publisher=Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History |url=http://manis.mvz.berkeley.edu/pres/PresentationServlet?action=tableResults&loc=http://bnhm.berkeley.edu/manis/DwC/darwin2MaNISInfodo-100317.xml&table=true |access-date=2011-07-09 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> When the sea otter finally received federal protection in 1911, Washington's sea otter had been hunted to extinction, and although a small remnant population still existed in British Columbia, it soon died out. Fifty-nine sea otters were re-introduced to the Washington coast from [[Amchitka Island]], Alaska, in the summers of 1969 and 1970, and these have expanded by 8% per year, mainly along the outer west and northwest coast of the [[Olympic Peninsula]].<ref name=WashingtonRecoveryPlan>{{cite report |title=Washington State Recovery Plan for the Sea Otter |author1=Scott Richardson |author2=Harriet Allen |publisher=Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife |date=2000 |location=Olympia, Washington |url=http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00314/d_seaotter.pdf |access-date=2011-07-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323045918/http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00314/d_seaotter.pdf |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Professional marine mammal biologists verified a single sea otter observed near Cattle Point, San Juan Island, in October 1996.<ref name=Kenyon/> Although the historical numbers of sea otter in the San Juan Islands is not known, the habitat for them may have once been ideal.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Back to the Future: Reconstructing the Strait of Georgia Ecosystem |author1=Daniel Pauly |author2=Tony J. Pitcher |author3=David Preikshot |journal=Fisheries Centre Research Reports |year=1998 |url=http://www2.fisheries.com/archive/publications/reports/6-5.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www2.fisheries.com/archive/publications/reports/6-5.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |access-date=2011-07-03 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In the 1890s non-native [[European rabbit]]s, an [[exotic species|exotic]] [[invasive species]], began to infest the islands as the result of the release of domestic rabbits on [[Smith Island (Washington)|Smith Island]]. Rabbits from the San Juan Islands were used later for several introductions of European rabbits into other, usually Midwestern, states. The rabbits are pursued by Eurasian [[red fox]] (''Vulpes vulpes''), another non-native species introduced intermittently through the twentieth century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nonnative Species |publisher=Kwiaht Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea |url=http://www.nps.gov/sajh/naturescience/nonnativespecies.htm |access-date=2011-07-03 }}</ref>

On the islands is the [[San Juan Islands National Monument]] with 75 sections.<ref name="Obama 2013">[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/03/25/presidential-proclamation-san-juan-islands-national-monument Presidential Proclamation – San Juan Islands National Monument]</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:SanJuanIslandAtNight.JPG|thumb|Battleship Island at night looking south towards Henry Island and the Haro Straight]]
The [[United States Geological Survey]] (USGS) defines the San Juan Islands as the archipelago north of the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]], west of [[Rosario Strait]], east of [[Haro Strait]], and south of [[Boundary Pass]].<ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|1510684|San Juan Islands|2011-01-31}}</ref> To the north lie the open waters of the [[Strait of Georgia]]. All these waters are within the [[Salish Sea]]. The USGS definition of the San Juan archipelago coincides with [[San Juan County, Washington|San Juan County]]. Islands not in San Juan County are not part of the San Juan Islands, according to the USGS. [[NOAA]] notes that, while geopolitically divided, the San Juan Islands and Canadian [[Gulf Islands]] geologically form part of a larger Gulf Archipelago.<ref name="NOS Archipelago">{{cite web |author1=NOAA |title=What is an archipelago? |url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/archipelago.html |website=National Ocean Service |access-date=10 May 2023}}</ref>

At mean high tide, the San Juan Islands comprise over 400 islands and rocks, 128 of which are named, and over {{convert|478|mi|km}} of shoreline.<ref name="Scherer2004">{{cite book |last=Scherer |first=Migael |title=A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands: Olympia to Port Angeles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDGbLROMn-AC&pg=PT201 |access-date=2011-06-23 |year=2004 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |isbn=978-0-07-142039-6 |page=201}}</ref>

The majority of the San Juan Islands are quite hilly, with some flat areas and valleys in between, often quite fertile. The tallest peak is [[Mount Constitution]], on Orcas Island, at an elevation of {{convert|2407|ft}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://moranstatepark.com/mount-constitution/|title=Mt. Constitution – Moran State Park}}</ref> The coastlines are a mix of sandy and rocky beaches, shallow inlets and deep harbors, placid coves and reef-studded bays. Gnarled, ochre-colored madrona trees<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://moranstatepark.com/obstruction-pass/|title = Obstruction Pass Park – Moran State Park}}</ref> (''[[Arbutus]]'') grace much of the shorelines, while evergreen fir and pine forests cover large inland areas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/nature/environmentalfactors.htm|title = Environmental Factors - San Juan Island National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/sanjuans/habitat.php |title=San Juan Islands Habitat Oregon/Washington BLM |access-date=April 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408201340/https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/sanjuans/habitat.php |archive-date=April 8, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The San Juan Islands get substantially less rainfall than [[Seattle]], about {{convert|65|mi|km}} to the south, due to their location in the [[rain shadow]] of the [[Olympic Mountains]] to the southwest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.olympicrainshadow.com/olympicrainshadowmap.html|title = Olympic Rain Shadow Map and Location}}</ref> Summertime high temperatures are around {{convert|70|F|C}}, while average wintertime lows are in the high 30s and low 40s Fahrenheit (around 5 degrees Celsius). Snow is infrequent in winter, except for the higher elevations, but the islands are subject to high winds at times; those from the northeast sometimes bring brief periods of freezing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://weatherspark.com/y/145243/Average-Weather-at-Orcas-Island-Airport-Washington-United-States-Year-Round|title = Average Weather at Orcas Island Airport, Washington, United States, Year Round - Weather Spark}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/nature/weather.htm|title = Weather - San Juan Island National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)}}</ref>

{{wide image|SanJuanIslands1.jpg|900px|alt=Panoramic view of the Olympic National Park as seen from the Hurricane Ridge visitor center|Panoramic view of the San Juan Islands from the ferry}}

==Present==
In the present, the San Juan Islands are an important tourist destination, with [[sea kayak]]ing and [[orca]] whale-watching (by boat or air tours) being two of the primary attractions. San Juan Island's [[Lime Kiln Point State Park]] is a prime whale-watching site, with knowledgeable interpreters often on site.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitsanjuans.com/ |title=Home |website=visitsanjuans.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sanjuanisland.org/ |title=Home |access-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-date=November 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128225328/http://www.sanjuanisland.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/what-to-do-washington-san-juan-islands|title = What to See in Washington's San Juan Islands| work=Travel + Leisure }}</ref><ref>[https://parks.state.wa.us/540/Lime-Kiln-Point Lime Kiln Point State Park]</ref>

Politically, the San Juan Islands comprise by definition, [[San Juan County, Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:0::NO::P3_FID:1510684|title=GNIS Detail - San Juan Islands|access-date=April 8, 2019|archive-date=April 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427195646/https://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:3:0::NO::P3_FID:1510684|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sanjuanco.com/ |title=Home |website=sanjuanco.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanjuanco.com/354/Maps|title = Maps &#124; San Juan County, WA}}</ref>

Media based in and/or concerning the islands includes the ''[[Journal of the San Juan Islands]]'' and the ''[[Islands' Sounder]]''.

Generally speaking, the resident population of San Juan County is well educated. In the period 2016 to 2020, 51.7 percent of the resident population aged 25 and up have earned a bachelor’s degree or attained a higher level of formal education. Statewide, 36.7 percent of the adult population have a bachelor’s degree or higher.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESDWAGOV - San Juan County profile |url=https://esd.wa.gov/labormarketinfo/county-profiles/san-juan |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=esd.wa.gov}}</ref>

==Transportation==
There are no bridges to the San Juan Islands; therefore, all travel from the mainland is either by water or by air.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.earthboxinn.com/blog/10-most-frequently-asked-questions-about-san-juan-island|title = 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions about San Juan Island}}</ref>

===Water===
[[File:San Juan Islands aerial.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the San Juan Islands from the southeast showing Lopez Island in the foreground]]

Four ferry systems serve some of the San Juan Islands.
*[[Washington State Ferries]] serves [[Lopez Island]], [[Shaw Island]], [[Orcas Island]], and [[San Juan Island]] from terminals in [[Anacortes, Washington]], and [[Sidney, British Columbia]].<ref name="wsdot">[http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_desk/route-maps/index.cfm?region_id=1&&rm_route_abbrev=ana-sid San Juan Islands Route Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011003502/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/info_desk/route-maps/index.cfm?region_id=1&&rm_route_abbrev=ana-sid|date=October 11, 2012}}, Washington State Ferries</ref>
*[[Puget Sound Express]] provides passenger-only service from [[Port Townsend, Washington|Port Townsend]], on the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula, to [[Friday Harbor, Washington|Friday Harbor]] on San Juan Island.
*''M/V San Juan Clipper'' of [[Clipper Navigation]], Inc. provides high-speed water-jet–powered catamaran ferry service between [[San Juan Island]] and [[Seattle, Washington]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.clippervacations.com/san-juan-island-packages/|title=San Juan Islands Vacation}}</ref>

Passenger-only ferries serve more islands. Passenger-only ferry service is usually seasonal and offered by private business.
*San Juan Cruises offers charter service to [[Eliza Island]], [[Sinclair Island (Washington)|Sinclair Island]], [[Blakely Island]], [[Orcas Island]], [[Lopez Island]] and daily seasonal service to [[San Juan Island]] from the [[Bellingham Cruise Terminal]] in [[Bellingham, Washington]].
*North Shore Charters provides high-speed water taxi service to all of the main San Juan Islands.

===Air===
There are a number of public and private airports and seaplane bases throughout the San Juan Islands.

Airports:
* Lopez Island: [[Lopez Island Airport]] (S31)
* Orcas Island: [[Orcas Island Airport]] (KORS)
* San Juan Island: [[Friday Harbor Airport]] (KHFR), Roche Harbor (W39)

Seaplane bases:
* Orcas Island: Rosairo (W49)
* San Juan Island: Friday Harbor (W33)

Scheduled and on demand service to the San Juan Islands is provided by:
* [[Kenmore Air]] (to and from Roche Harbor, Orcas Island, Seattle/Boeing Field, Seattle/Lake Union)
* [[San Juan Airlines]] (to and from Anacortes, Bellingham, Eastsound (Orcas Island), Lopez Island, Blakely, Decatur). They merged with Northwest Sky Ferry,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.visitsanjuans.com/members/san-juan-airlines |title=San Juan Airlines |website=San Juan Islands}}</ref> an inter-island carrier serving Bellingham, Anacortes, Friday and Roche Harbors (San Juan Island), Eastsound (Orcas Island) and Lopez, Waldron, Shaw, Stuart, Blakely, Center, Crane, Decatur and Eliza Islands, as well as Seattle.
*Friday Harbor Seaplanes (to and from Renton Municipal Airport/Lake Washington, Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor)

===Shipping===
The San Juan Islands are surrounded by major shipping channels. Haro Strait, along with Boundary Pass, is the westernmost and most heavily used channel connecting the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia. It is the main route connecting the [[Port of Vancouver]] and other ports around the Strait of Georgia with the Pacific Ocean.  Haro Strait joins Boundary Pass at Turn Point on Stuart Island, where a major navigation beacon, [[Turn Point Light]], is located. Strong, dangerous [[rip tide]]s occur near Turn Point, as well as near the northern end of Boundary Pass, between [[Patos Island Light]] on [[Patos Island]] and East Point on [[Saturna Island]].<ref name="nauticalcharts.noaa.gov">[http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/xml2html.php?xml=coastpilot/files/cp7/12.xml Strait of Juan De Fuca and Georgia, Washington; Chapter 12 - Coast Pilot 7 - Edition 43, 2011] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127170058/https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/xml2html.php?xml=coastpilot%2Ffiles%2Fcp7%2F12.xml |date=November 27, 2020 }}, [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]</ref>

Rosario Strait is also a major shipping channel. More than 500 [[oil tanker]]s pass through the strait each year, to and from the [[Cherry Point Refinery]] and refineries near Anacortes.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scherer |first=Migael |title=A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands: Olympia to Port Angeles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RDGbLROMn-AC&pg=PT202 |access-date=2011-06-23 |year=2004 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Professional |isbn=978-0-07-142039-6 |page=202}}</ref> The strait is in constant use by vessels bound for Cherry Point, [[Bellingham, Washington|Bellingham]], Anacortes, and the San Juan Islands. Vessels bound for British Columbia or Alaska also frequently use it in preference to the passages farther west, when greater advantage can be taken of the tidal currents.<ref name="nauticalcharts.noaa.gov"/>

==List of islands==
This list includes only those islands that are part of San Juan County as defined by the USGS, bounded by the [[Strait of Juan de Fuca]], [[Haro Strait]], [[Rosario Strait]], [[Boundary Pass]], and the [[Strait of Georgia]].<ref name=gnis/> 2016 populations estimates for inhabited islands are in parentheses, though some have major seasonal changes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/11845/San-Juan-County-Population-Forecast|title=San Juan County Population Forecast|date=April 11, 2017|website=San Juan County|access-date=February 12, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806231351/https://www.sanjuanco.com/DocumentCenter/View/11845/San-Juan-County-Population-Forecast|url-status=dead}}</ref> Islands protected as [[List of Washington state parks|state parks]] are marked with an asterisk. Additional small rocks are listed at [[San Juan Islands National Monument]].
{{div col |colwidth=18em}}
*Aleck Rocks
*Alegria Island (aka Little Double Island)
*Armitage Island
*Bare Island
*[[Barnes Island]]
*Barren Island
*[[Battleship Island (Washington)|Battleship Island]]
*Bell Island
*Big Rock
*Bird Rock
*Bird Rocks
*Black Rock
*[[Blakely Island]] (42)
*Blind Island (Lopez)
*[[Blind Island Marine State Park|Blind Island]] *
*Boulder Island
*[[Brown Island (Washington)|Brown Island]] (21)
*Buck Island
*Cactus Islands
*[[Canoe Island (Washington)|Canoe Island]]
*[[Castle Island (Washington)|Castle Island]]
*Cayou Island (aka Rum Island)
*Cemetery Island
*[[Center Island (Washington)|Center Island]] (20)
*Charles Island
*[[Clark Island (Washington)|Clark Island]] *
*Cliff Island
*Cluster Islands
*[[Colville Island]]
*Coon Island
*Crab Island
*[[Crane Island (Washington)|Crane Island]] (10)
*[[Deadman Island]]
*[[Decatur Island]] (89)
*[[Dinner Island]]
*[[Doe Island]] *
*Double Island
*Ewing Island
*Fawn Island
*[[Flattop Island]]
*[[Flower Island (San Juan Islands)|Flower Island]]
*[[Fortress Island]]
*[[Freeman Island]]
*[[Frost Island]]
*Geese Islets
*Giffin Rocks
*[[Goose Island (San Juan Islands)|Goose Island]]
*Gossip Island
*Gull Rock
*[[Guss Island]]
*Hall Island
*Harnden Island
*[[Henry Island (Washington)|Henry Island]] (27)
*[[Iceberg Island]]
*Iowa Rock
*[[James Island (San Juan Islands)|James Island]] *
*[[Johns Island (Washington)|Johns Island]] (5)
*[[Jones Island State Park|Jones Island]] *
*Justice Island
*Little Patos Island
*Little Sister Island
*Little Sucia Island
*Lone Tree Island
*Long Island
*[[Lopez Island]] (2,466)
*Low Island
*[[Matia Island]] *
*[[McConnell Island]]
*Mummy Rocks
*Nob Island
*North Finger Island
*North Peapod Island
*[[O'Neal Island]]
*Oak Island
*[[Obstruction Island (Washington)|Obstruction Island]] (14)
*[[Orcas Island]] (5,395)
*[[Patos Island]] *
*Peapod Rocks
*[[Pearl Island (Washington)|Pearl Island]] (11)
*[[Sheep Island (Washington)|Picnic Island (aka Sheep Island)]]
*Pointer Island
*Pole Island
*[[Posey Island State Park|Posey Island]] *
*Puffin Island
*Ram Island
*Reads Bay Island
*Reef Island
*Reef Point Island
*Richardson Rock
*Rim Island
*Ripple Island
*[[Saddlebag Island State Park|Saddlebag Island]] *
*[[San Juan Island]] (7,810)
*[[Satellite Island (Washington)|Satellite Island]]
*Secar Rock
*Sentinel Island
*Shag Rock
*[[Shaw Island]] (241)
*[[Skipjack Island (Washington)|Skipjack Island]]
*Skull Island (Lopez)
*[[Skull Island (Washington)|Skull Island]]
*Small Island
*South Finger Island
*South Peapod Island
*[[Spieden Island]]
*[[Stuart Island (Washington)|Stuart Island]] (11) *
*[[Sucia Island]] (4) *
*Swirl Island
*The Sisters
*Tift Rocks
*Trump Island
*[[Turn Island]] *
*Twin Rocks
*[[Vendovi Island]]
*[[Victim Island]]
*[[Waldron Island]] (109)
*[[Wasp Islands]]
*Whale Rocks
*White Rocks
*Willow Island
*[[Yellow Island]]
{{Div col end}}

==See also==
*[[List of islands of Washington (state)]]
* '''''<small>{{portal-inline|Islands}}</small>'''''
* '''''<small>{{portal-inline|Pacific Northwest}}</small>'''''

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|San Juan Islands}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=San Juan Islands |volume=24 |short=x}}
* {{Wikivoyage-inline|San Juan Islands}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100223052402/http://www.kwiaht.org/Biodiversity/Biodiversity.html Kwiaht Center for the Historical Ecology of the Salish Sea]
* [http://www.seadocsociety.org SeaDoc Society, University of California Davis scientific organization doing marine ecosystem research and education in the Salish Sea]
*[http://depts.washington.edu/fhl/ Friday Harbor Laboratories] of the [[University of Washington]]
* [http://www.sjpt.org/ The San Juan Preservation Trust is a private, non-profit and membership-based land trust dedicated to helping people and communities conserve land in the San Juan Islands.]

{{Washington}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|48.532066|-123.029251|format=dms|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-WA_scale:500000}}

[[Category:San Juan Islands| ]]
[[Category:Regions of Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Landforms of San Juan County, Washington]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the United States]]