A short drive from Snohomish County, and an even shorter ferry ride from Anacortes, sits Guemes Island. Never heard of Guemes Island? Neither had I until last weekend. Travel east on Highway 20 towards Anacortes, drive through old town down towards the ferry docs, and you’ll see a small car and passenger ferry, Guemes Island Ferry, shuttling people over to the island.
To start the adventure, I had to trailer the boat over on the ferry (something comforting about bring your own life boat on a ferry) which was a cheap $26 for truck and trailer. With the first stage complete, it was onto our final destination, a private piece of property on the north end island just south of Guemes Island Resort. A fellow UW Alumni invited me to hangout with his work colleagues – a bunch of financial advisers – and after getting camp set up and waiting for the others to arrive it was time to enjoy crabbing, barbequing, throwing the football, and a ole fashioned campfire.
Guemes Island is not a big island but it offers people a quiet escape from the noise of the cities in a few short minutes. Instantly, you become accustom to island time – reminded me of Hawaii – and you get set in the pace of relaxation. The island doesn’t have many services besides Anderson’s General Store and Guemes Island Resort. So if the ferry breaks down, which happened to us, you’ll be staying on the island but thankfully it was running the following day. A good reason to have a longer mini vacation.
There are many activities to do on Guemes Island including bike rental, staying at the resort, taking a boat and going crabbing/fishing, boat around the many inlets and bays, and/or visit other San Juan Islands and their harbors. I look forward to going back as the crabbing was some of the best I’ve seen – sorry not sharing the secret crabbing spot.
Pictures of Guemes Island, Jack Island, and Mt. Baker
Map of Guemes Island and Guemes Ferry Route
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