Island

The Island region covers Washington’s two purely insular counties — Island and San Juan — sitting in the inland waters between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The terrain runs to low, glaciated ridges and rocky shoreline; the saltwater inlets between islands are the defining geography, and ferry schedules shape almost every trip. Island County covers Whidbey and Camano islands. Whidbey is the long one, reached by car bridge at Deception Pass or by ferry from Mukilteo; it holds Coupeville, Langley, Oak Harbor, and the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. Camano is reached by causeway from the Stanwood side. San Juan County covers the four ferry-served San Juan Islands — San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw — plus several smaller residential and reserve islands. Trips here run on the Washington State Ferries timetable. Friday Harbor on San Juan Island handles whale-watching and the orca-research orbit; Eastsound on Orcas handles the Moran State Park hiking; Lopez is the bicycle island; Whidbey’s Deception Pass and Coupeville carry most of the day-trip volume. Late spring through early fall is the practical season.