Orcas Island is our most liked of the San Juan Islands, and it makes a perfect weekend escape from Seattle. As avid hikers, we were somewhat let down to find that there truly aren`t too many good hiking trails on San Juan Island, which is the most visited island in the archipelago. There are plenty of great things to do on San Juan Island, but hiking is really not one of them. But on Orcas, you`ll have your pick of hiking routes to choose from, whether you`re looking for an easy stroll through the forest to a couple gorgeous waterfalls, or for a grueling hike to a mountain summit (there are two of them!).
In this guide, we aim to provide you with the details needed to understand going hiking on Orcas Island.
Planning a trip to Orcas? Be sure to check out our guide to the best activities to engage in on Orcas Island!
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A Complete Guide to the Best Hikes on Orcas Island
Unlike San Juan Island, which didn’t really have too much great hiking, Orcas Island has multiple worthwhile hikes to attempt, some easy, some more strenuous.
If you have confined time and have to choose two hikes for to attempt, we’d choose Mount Constitution and Cascade Falls.
Turtleback Mountain Preserve
There are a few different approaches to complete this hike, and we have thoughts on three of them. This hike is well-suited both in the morning and afternoon.
The initial way is to do the full loop, beginning from the South Trailhead, climbing up to Ship Peak, and taking the Ravens Ridge trail to the summit prior to descending down the west side. Now, this trail is quite exceptional from the trailhead up to Ship Peak, with multiple amazing perspectives out to the east and west as you ascend. However, the second half of this hike was a little underwhelming. We thought we’d be obtaining coastal island views all the way through, and as soon as you leave Ship Peak, you enter a dense fir forest that you stay in until you leave the trailhead when you’re done. It’s still beautiful, but it wasn’t what we were expecting. We’d recommend you tackle this hike counter-clockwise, starting with the amazing views and descending through the forest. This is a 6.5 mile hike with 1,500 feet of elevation gain.
An alternative route for this hike is to complete a shorter loop ascending to Ship Peak, described as the highlight of the trail, then veering left to return to the South Trailhead. This is a 3 mile hike gaining 900 feet in elevation. This option essentially experiences the best section of the southern loop before descending back.
Another possible way to do this hike, which wasn`t chosen but was considered, is to hike from the northern trailhead to Turtlehead along Crow’s Nest Road and head out to Turtlehead (which has also been called Ocas Knob). This route would take you to fantastic views looking west but skip the southern section of path that was so enjoyed. It`s a 6 mile roundtrip with 1,300 feet of elevation gain.
Mount Constitution
Again, like Turtleback Mountain, there are multiple ways to reach the summit of Mt. Constitution (including by car and bike). I would try to do this hike in the afternoon (or for sunset), because the great views are to the east, which means you’ll be looking directly at the sun if you do it in the morning.
If you’re looking to hike to the summit, you basically have three options. Below, they’re in order from most difficult to least difficult.
One option is to hike from the campground at Cascade Lake, an 8.5 mile hike gaining around 2,100 feet in elevation. In reality, I think this trail and the second trail below are roughly equal difficulty. This route has a slightly longer, more gradual climb, while the first part of the other trail involves a steeper ascent. This trail climbs northeast from the day use area at Cascade Lake over 2.4 miles gaining 1,600 feet in elevation. Not an easy hike by any means. From there, the terrain levels out somewhat – over the next 1.6 miles or so, one only gains another 500 feet. Once atop the ridge, hikers are treated to quite spectacular island views. More trail information here.
Your second choice involves hiking from the parking area located at the southwest end of Mountain Lake. You could complete an out-and-back hike from this trail head, but we suggest doing the loop that features Mt. Constitution, Twin Lakes, and the western shoreline of Mountain Lake. The only issue is that the trail climbs 1000 feet within just over one mile. Ascending such a great altitude in a relatively brief distance requires significant effort whether you`re hiking, driving, or cycling. Further details on this hike can be found here.
Your final, and definitely the easiest option, is to do it from the small parking area at Little Summit, which is about halfway up the drive to the summit, and cuts out the toughest section of the climb up from Mountain Lake. From there, it’s a relatively short 2.3 miles up to the summit with approximately 450 feet of elevation gain (4.5 miles round trip). The parking area is small with only 6-8 spots for vehicles, but we were one of two cars there at 3pm on a Saturday.
Cascade Falls (+ Bonus Waterfall!)
This brief and relatively effortless hike in Moran State Park offers two gorgeous waterfalls for the cost of one sightseeing experience. A 0.2 mile walk downhill from the parking area (with a steep decline to the base of the falls) leads to Cascade Falls, where crystalline water plunges dramatically off of a rocky precipice into Cascade Creek below. At the base of the roaring waterfall sits an appealing collection of logs reminiscent of a childhood game involving plastic straw insertion, marble placement, and sequential straw removal.
Anyway, the waterfall is beautiful.
But wait, there’s more! You actually pass a second, smaller waterfall – Rustic Falls – as you depart the parking area.
More trail information is available here.
Mountain Lake Loop
This offers a pleasant and straightforward level loop that circumambulates Mountain Lake, the less frequented of the two lakes in Moran State Park. We did it at 7:30am, and it took us an hour and a half at a very leisurely pace. We saw under 10 people along the way. Good for a morning or evening stroll, and it’s definitely family-friendly.
If you’re feeling somewhat adventurous, you can add approximately 2 miles round trip hike to reach Twin Lakes, accessible from the southern end of the lake where the path is clearly marked. However, before undertaking that, you should understand that once past the shore of Mountain Lake, the trail begins ascending quite steeply. That’s where the “easy” part of the hike concludes.
More trail information here.
Obstruction Pass State Park
Strangely, despite the expansive beaches surrounding the island, there are surprisingly few locations offering public access to walk along the coastline on Orcas. Most of the shoreline is under private ownership, unfortunately limiting beach access.
One of the better places to access the beach is Obstruction Pass State Park, which is near the town of Olga due south of Mt. Constitution. At the end of a gravel road, there’s a small parking lot that leads to a two mile loop trail.
We tried to do this hike at sunset, but unfortunately we arrived a little later than expected, and essentially did this hike as a trail run. Which is acceptable, because the sunset was a bit of a bust thanks to the clouds that rolled in over the afternoon.
The vast majority of this hike is forested, only emerging onto the coast at the end. We don’t truly believe that the left side of the loop (when at the trailhead) is worthwhile. Instead, we’d suggest an out-and-back along the right side of the loop, which has various beach access points along the way that allow getting down to the water.
At the far end of the trail, there is a small campground just above the beach that operates on a first come, first served basis. It would be a cool spot to spend the night, but you`ll need to arrive early to secure a place.
More trail information here.
Getting to Orcas Island
Orcas Island is one of the major four islands in the San Juan Islands (there are literally hundreds of them) just offshore the western coast of Washington State in the Haro Strait. As it’s an island, you’ll need to take a boat to arrive there. Well, you could take a private seaplane flight with Kenmore Air, but it’s expensive, and the ferry ride is fairly scenic in its own right.
The most efficient way to arrive at Orcas Island from places around Western Washington such as Seattle is by ferry from Anacortes. Washington State Ferries runs a system of ferry services between Anacortes and other San Juan Islands, in addition to ferries connecting the different islands.
This linkshows the ferry schedule from Anacortes to the San Juan Islands. At the time of composition (summer 2021, while camping on Orcas Island), there were seven daily sailings in each direction during the summer months. Some ferries stop at Shaw or Lopez Island before Orcas, increasing the travel time slightly. The quickest voyage between Anacortes and Orcas takes 65 minutes, some last as long as 85 minutes.
Reservations are essentially needed during the summer– especially on weekends when the standby lines for ferries are very busy – and we’d advise reservations on weekends year-round for peace of mind. You’re essentially paying a little extra money to guarantee your spot on a particular ferry, rather than potentially having to wait hours to get on a ferry in the standby line, which could ruin your trip quickly if you have a short amount of time. You can make a reservation for the ferry here.
The ferry reservation is not the same as paying the round trip fare to travel out to Orcas Island by boat. Tolls will need to be paid separately upon arrival.
Keep in mind that after departing the islands, your ferry transportation is free as long as you’re traveling eastward, back towards the mainland. This signifies that a ferry from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island to Orcas Island does not cost money, but the ferry in the opposite direction does require payment. If including San Juan Island is part of your itinerary, we’d suggest heading there at the beginning (and reading our guide to the best attractions on San Juan Island, obviously). If you’re not planning to go there, then be aware that the substantial price you pay for the ferry covers your fare back to the mainland.
However, reservations will be REQUIRED in both directions to secure a spot on a ferry to and from the island (again, that’s TWO ferry reservations – one to arrive, one to depart – yet just ONE roundtrip fare – paid upon leaving the mainland).
When to Visit
Orcas Island is at its finest during the summer, between June and August, when the days are long, dry, and comfortably warm. It’s also the busiest time of year in regards to tourism, so travelers shouldn’t expect to have hiking trails to themselves during a summer visit. Temperatures will be relatively warm, but being situated on an island means a pleasant ocean breeze makes conditions significantly cooler than on the mainland. Think a reduction of 10-15 degrees, approximately.
Autumn and spring also present lovely occasions to tour Orcas Island, benefitting from smaller crowds typical outside summer peak season. Weather may be damp or cool, though clear skies are possible – thus advisable to carry rainwear just in case. Anticipated temperatures range from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
During the winter season, outdoors activities on the islands of Orcas are very possible, but setting up a camp would not be advised. For the most part, the land is accessible even when snow may cover Mt. Constitution at times since elevation is generally near sea level across most areas. However, cool and damp conditions are highly likely so preparing for rain is a must. Winter temperatures usually range between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit with precipitation being most common from November through February.
Planning a trip to the state of Washington? Be sure to check out our other Washington State travel guides based on our personal exploration of the Pacific Northwest region.
- The Most Interesting Airbnbs in Washington State
- A Complete Itinerary for Exploring Washington State by Road
- 3 Day Plan for a Weekend in Seattle
- Where Travelers Can Locate Lodging in Seattle
- The Finest Nearby Destinations for Short Escapes from Seattle
- The Best Options for Day Excursions from Seattle
