The San Juan Islands Places

Orcas Island

Roads on flower blossom-shape Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juans, sweep through wide valleys and rise to gorgeous hilltop views. Spanish explorers set foot here in 1791, and the island is named for their ship—not for the black-and-white whales that frolic in the surrounding waters. The island was also the home of Native American tribes, whose history is reflected in such places as Pole Pass, where the Lummi people used kelp and cedar-bark nets to catch ducks, and Massacre Bay, where in 1858 a tribe from southeast Alaska attacked a Lummi fishing village.

Today farmers, anglers, artists, retirees, and summer-home owners make up the population of about 4,000. Houses are spaced far apart, and towns typically have just one major road running through them. Resorts dotting the island's edges are evidence of the thriving local tourism industry. Orcas is a favorite place for weekend getaways from the Seattle area any time of the year, as well as one of the state's top settings for summer weddings.