As a hiking destination, the San Juan Islands of Washington and their sister islands to the north offer scores of parks and preserves, hundreds of miles of trails catering to hikers of all levels, and year-round accessibility. Day Hiking: The San Juans and Gulf Islands is divided into roughly four sections: Anacortes, for many the gateway to the region; the San Juan Islands themselves, including some key islands not served by Washington State Ferries; Victoria, Canada, providing easy access to the Gulf Islands, as well as other unique destinations; and the magical southern Gulf Islands.

Author Craig Romano explores state parks, county parks, and provincial parks as well as some municipal and regional parks. He also features the recent expansion of San Juan Island National Historic Park on San Juan Island and the recently created Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, spanning several of the southern Gulf Islands, both of which are not yet familiar to many hikers. While the star attractions are the ferry-accessed islands, Romano also features several of the larger islands that don’t have ferry service (e.g., Stuart Island)——making this guide of interest to paddlers and boaters who are looking for hikes too!

Key features of this guide:
136 hikes (approximately 50% American, 50% Canadian locations)
Ferry travel tips
Car-camping recommendations
Border-crossing details
All distances and elevations in both English and metric units
Overview maps for both the San Juans and Gulf Islands