Kayaking is a quintessential experience for the outdoor-loving Washingtonian, and it also happens to be a perfect social distancing activity. And if you’ve ever been kayaking around the San Juan Islands, you know what an incredible and breathtaking adventure it truly is. This summer, we highly recommend kayaking out to Jones Island, a more secluded spot with abundant wildlife and plenty of places to hike or camp.
Jones Island is located off the shores of Orcas Island.
DenverFoothills / TripAdvisor The entire island is a 188-acre primitive camping park with hiking trails and rugged shoreline.
If you’re looking for a peaceful, more secluded experience, paddle away from the more popular San Juan Islands towns and head to Jones Island instead.
Lee LeFever / Flickr It’s close enough to the main islands that you can do it in a day, but it’s far enough of a paddle to give you a great workout.
The island has three access points, but we recommend heading to the south part of the island.
MudflapDC / Flickr The southern cove has buoys, anchorage, and an easy beach to land on.
Once you’ve landed and pulled your kayak ashore, you can explore the island on one of the nature trails.
Mark Tatham / alltrails.com There are four miles of trails on the island in total. While it doesn’t have many amenities, it’s a beautiful place to disconnect and enjoy nature.
You’ll be sharing the island with quite a bit of wildlife, including herds of blacktail deer, many of which have little fear of humans.
pressonjh / TripAdvisor Some of the deer may even be willing to eat out of your hand, but don’t give into the temptation – it’s illegal.
If you want to extend your stay, pack your camping gear and take over one of the 24 primitive campsites.
Big Dubya / Flickr The campsites are first-come, first-served, and many of them have gorgeous views like this.
Jones Island Marine State Park is an underrated destination, and it’s easy to reach by kayak.
pressonjh / TripAdvisor Since this is turning out to be the summer of the staycation, it’s a great time to embark on a new adventure such as this.
Would you go on a self-guided kayak tour of the beautiful San Juan Islands? If you’d rather leave the planning to someone else, check out this company.
DenverFoothills / TripAdvisor
The entire island is a 188-acre primitive camping park with hiking trails and rugged shoreline.
Lee LeFever / Flickr
It’s close enough to the main islands that you can do it in a day, but it’s far enough of a paddle to give you a great workout.
MudflapDC / Flickr
The southern cove has buoys, anchorage, and an easy beach to land on.
Mark Tatham / alltrails.com
There are four miles of trails on the island in total. While it doesn’t have many amenities, it’s a beautiful place to disconnect and enjoy nature.
pressonjh / TripAdvisor
Some of the deer may even be willing to eat out of your hand, but don’t give into the temptation – it’s illegal.
Big Dubya / Flickr
The campsites are first-come, first-served, and many of them have gorgeous views like this.
pressonjh / TripAdvisor
Since this is turning out to be the summer of the staycation, it’s a great time to embark on a new adventure such as this.
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Address: Jones Island, Eastsound, WA 98245, USA
