From/to San Juan Islands help....
Jan 26th, 2019 | 08:47 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From/to San Juan Islands help....
Hello fellow Travelers,
This summer we are doing a PNW adventure from Portland to Seattle to San Juan Islands and then to Vancouver. Originally, we thought we'd drive from Seattle to AnaCortes, ferry to/from San Juan Island and then drive to Vancouver. However, unless I'm doing something wrong, the rental car with the drop off in Vancouver is ridiculously expensive!
Therefore, it has me reconsidering the rental car altogether. As an alternative, we thought we'd ferry from Seattle to Friday Harbor via Clipper Vacation Ferry (we are staying in San Juan itself) and afterwards ferry our way to Vancouver via Washington State Ferries. Friday Harbor to Sidney and then.....that's the extent of my research, can't figure out how to get to Vancouver via Ferry. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I would love to drive and cross the border but the rental price was just outrageous.
Thank you in advance!
This summer we are doing a PNW adventure from Portland to Seattle to San Juan Islands and then to Vancouver. Originally, we thought we'd drive from Seattle to AnaCortes, ferry to/from San Juan Island and then drive to Vancouver. However, unless I'm doing something wrong, the rental car with the drop off in Vancouver is ridiculously expensive!
Therefore, it has me reconsidering the rental car altogether. As an alternative, we thought we'd ferry from Seattle to Friday Harbor via Clipper Vacation Ferry (we are staying in San Juan itself) and afterwards ferry our way to Vancouver via Washington State Ferries. Friday Harbor to Sidney and then.....that's the extent of my research, can't figure out how to get to Vancouver via Ferry. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I would love to drive and cross the border but the rental price was just outrageous.
Thank you in advance!
Jan 26th, 2019 | 09:35 AM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 19,861
Likes: 79
From Victoria there are numerous bus/ferry combinations to Vancouver. However I think that when you add up the clipper and ferry charges you're going to find that the total is competitive or more than the car cost.
Here are some suggestions:
Drop the Portland car in Seattle and take the train to Vancouver. It leaves twice a day, early morning and early evening, and takes around four (fairly scenic) hours. Get a new car in Vancouver that you'll eventually return there. Then you have a couple of options.
1. Skip the San Juans and substitute the BC Gulf Islands instead. These are just as beautiful (more variety IMO) than the San Juans and will probably be cheaper. Google Salt Spring Island for example. https://www.saltspringtourism.com/
1a. Swap the BC Sunshine Coast for either the San Juans or Gulf Islands. This area, reached by ferry from Horseshoe Bay (just north of Vancouver) is a scenic, laid back and quite "under the radar" area which offers a very similar vibe and sense as the Gulf Islands or the San Juans. There are lots of places to explore up and down the coast. https://sunshinecoastcanada.com/
2. Take the BC ferry from Tsawwassen over to Swartz Bay, visit Victoria, then take the Washington ferry from Sidney to Friday Harbor, then return the car to Vancouver via Anacortes and I-5.
The train (Amtrak Cascades - https://www.amtrakcascades.com/ ) also runs between Portland and Seattle, so if you weren't planning to take some roundabout route between the cities, you could save even more money by dropping the Oregon car in Portland, then riding the train to Seattle, get a car locally if you want to tour around western Washington, then drop it and take the train to Vancouver. I know that sounds terribly fussy, but the savings on the car rentals could easily cover the train tickets.
Here are some suggestions:
Drop the Portland car in Seattle and take the train to Vancouver. It leaves twice a day, early morning and early evening, and takes around four (fairly scenic) hours. Get a new car in Vancouver that you'll eventually return there. Then you have a couple of options.
1. Skip the San Juans and substitute the BC Gulf Islands instead. These are just as beautiful (more variety IMO) than the San Juans and will probably be cheaper. Google Salt Spring Island for example. https://www.saltspringtourism.com/
1a. Swap the BC Sunshine Coast for either the San Juans or Gulf Islands. This area, reached by ferry from Horseshoe Bay (just north of Vancouver) is a scenic, laid back and quite "under the radar" area which offers a very similar vibe and sense as the Gulf Islands or the San Juans. There are lots of places to explore up and down the coast. https://sunshinecoastcanada.com/
2. Take the BC ferry from Tsawwassen over to Swartz Bay, visit Victoria, then take the Washington ferry from Sidney to Friday Harbor, then return the car to Vancouver via Anacortes and I-5.
The train (Amtrak Cascades - https://www.amtrakcascades.com/ ) also runs between Portland and Seattle, so if you weren't planning to take some roundabout route between the cities, you could save even more money by dropping the Oregon car in Portland, then riding the train to Seattle, get a car locally if you want to tour around western Washington, then drop it and take the train to Vancouver. I know that sounds terribly fussy, but the savings on the car rentals could easily cover the train tickets.
