Lopez Island - by Bike or by Car
Are you ready to take a break and get on island time? Lopez Island, affectionately known as Slowpez Island, is your perfect getaway for a dialed down, relaxing adventure in the San Juan Islands. Sit back while I take you on a tour of one of my favorite places in the world.
Ferry to Lopez Island. Photo credit: Compdude787
A little Lopez Island history:
The Coast Salish (Lummi, Samish, Saanich, and Songhees) Tribes lived on the islands of the San Juans. Between 6,000 to 8,000 years ago the islands became accessible for hunting and gathering. These tribes spent their winters sheltered in cedar-planked longhouses. The warmer seasons were reserved for fishing, hunting, and gathering plants. Spanish explorer Captain Francisco de Eliza named the island Lopez after his pilot Gonzalo López de Haro. The first landings on Lopez Island were in 1792 by the Spanish and British Captain George Vancouver’s crew on the HMS Chatham. European settlement on the island did not start until boundary disputes between Britain and America were resolved in 1872. The Homestead Act of 1862 attracted many settlers to Lopez hoping to start a new life on land they could own. Because of the fertile soil, relatively mild climate, and flat topography, Lopez became the largest producer of agricultural products in the San Juans during the late 1800s. The fishing industry was very profitable around Lopez Island as well. Richardson, a community on the south side of the island, was the first port for steamers coming from Seattle to land and fill their vessels with fish.
Please remember to recreate responsibly!
You can approach this trip either by bike or by car.
Both options lead to an equally fulfilling journey. The route I describe can be done in a very long biking day or a moderately long driving day. In a car, you can also take the more direct roads, like Center Rd., to bring you across the island faster. You can venture out to these locations and enjoy fully one or two each day or try to fit them all in one. There is no “right” way to explore Lopez. My motto is: if you feel rushed, you’re not doing it right.
Remember we’re on Slowpez time, and there’s no reason to be in a hurry. Slow down, take your time, stick up a pointer finger to wave at the passing cars and bikers on the road. The Lopez “one finger wave” is the locals’ way of saying hello and acknowledging their friends and neighbors.
THE ROUTE:
Lopez is the first stop on the ferry route through the San Juan Islands. Catch the ferry at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal just outside the town of Anacortes. You’ll definitely want to hang out on the upper deck while the ferry chugs past Guemes, Cypress, Blakely, and Decatur Islands and several smaller islands and rocks, including James Island, Lawson Rock, Armitage Island, Willow Island, Frost Island, and Flower Island. Looking out from the ferry, layers of grassy and treed humps of land seem as if they are all connected, but as you change positions, suddenly hidden channels of water appear like hidden passageways.
Driving your car on the ferry: If you are driving, be sure to make reservations for your ferry during the busy season (May through September). You will want to be an hour or more early for your ferry. Not to worry though, once you have parked your car in the loading lane, you can head down to the beach just to the right of the landing to stretch your legs, walk your dog, or just take in some Salish Sea air.
Riding your bike on the ferry: If you are biking, you have the luxury of not being worried about securing a spot on the ferry ahead of time, but make sure not to be late. Give yourself at least a half hour before the ferry is scheduled to leave to get down to the ticket booth and purchase tickets. Waiting for the ferry is all part of getting on island time. There are overnight parking lots at the ferry terminal where you can leave your car for a fee that starts at $13 per day and gets less expensive per day as the number of days goes up. For more information about the cost and how to pay for the parking remotely, go here and scroll down to “tourist information”. Bikes get off the ferry first.
The ferry landing at Lopez takes you up a fairly steep hill at the get-go that continues to slowly incline for about a half mile before dropping you back down to Odlin County Park located to the right at the bottom of the hill.
From the turn-off to Odlin Park, continue down Ferry Rd. and take the natural curve to the right where it becomes Fisherman Bay Rd. Continue on Fisherman Bay Rd. until you come upon Weeks Rd. to the right. Immediately to your left is the Blossom Grocery (a natural foods store) and a little further down is the Lopez Village Market for all your typical grocery store needs. Just before you intersect with Lopez Rd., you will see a small wooden building to the left that is the Lopez Island Historical Museum (open 12-4pm Wednesday-Sunday). This is a great opportunity to step in and go back in time on Lopez Island where you will learn about the earliest inhabitants of the island and how the land transformed with the influx of homesteaders and farmers.
Continue left onto Lopez Rd. and stop by Isabel’s Espresso for a leisurely hangout on their tree-enclosed deck. With a view of Fisherman’s Bay and Lopez Village, it’s a great place to lazily sip your coffee or locally sourced chai tea. This is my favorite place to stop by early in the morning to sit and read or just watch the town wake up.
Photo Credit: Digital Colony
If you arrive in town around lunch, there are several great options, including Vita’s Wildly Delicious, Setsunai Noodle Bar, Vortex Juice Bar and Café, and for something sweet, don’t miss Holly B’s Bakery. Holly B’s Bakery is renowned for their cinnamon buns and all manner of other delicious baked goods. Each item is freshly baked early each morning with pure love, butter, and sugar. If you want to attempt any of Holly’s culinary creations at home, she has a cookbook! Yes, I do have my own copy, and regularly try my best to recreate the scrumptious recipes, but nothing beats the real deal.
For dinner, Ursa Minor is currently providing take-out options of delicious burgers and sandwiches. They have vegetarian as well as meat and seafood options. This culinary excursion is worth the evening out to enjoy fresh and creative dishes with locally sourced cuisine. While in town, don’t forget to take time to meander through the farmers market too! The Lopez Island Farmers Market is held in the green space across the street from Vita’s Wildly Delicious restaurant.
Heading to Shark’s Reef
Once you’ve taken in your fill of Lopez Village, head southeast on Lopez Rd. until it intersects with Fisherman Bay Rd. Continue right on Fisherman Bay Rd. That takes you along the waterfront of Fisherman Bay where you can see moored vessels and sometimes commercial fishermen unloading their sockeye salmon after a day of reef netting. Commercial fishing is much less active on Lopez now, but you can still occasionally see a few reef net boats spotting for schools of sockeye salmon just outside Fisherman Bay on a summer day.
Continue on Fisherman Bay Rd. until you come upon Davis Bay Rd. Go right up a small hill and enjoy the view of rolling grassy fields falling away from the small white St. Francis Church at the top. Follow Davis Bay Rd. and turn right onto Burt Rd., then left onto Shark’s Reef Rd. Lock up your bikes or park your car and take a short trail out to the stunning Shark’s Reef. Here you can walk along a rocky shoreline with plenty of good spots to stop and sit. Listen quietly for seal pups yelping for their mothers and sea lion barks. You will often spot harbor seals hauled out on a rock, sunning themselves. This area is dense with underwater kelp forests that are a perfect nursery and hunting ground for harbor seals. The channel between Deadman Island and Shark’s Reef can have a strong current during certain tide changes. Every once in a while, a boat will decide to take the wild ride through!
Sharks Reef: Photo Credit Alysta
On to Iceberg Point
When you’re ready to continue on, take a right back onto Burt Rd. and take the soft right back onto Davis Bay Rd. Eventually you’ll come to a tee where you take a right at Richardson Rd. When you arrive at a four-way intersection, continue on Vista Rd. Follow Vista Rd. until you come to Mud Bay Rd. Mud Bay Rd. is busier with island traffic, so stay close to the right side of the road and be mindful of passing cars. Just after Mackaye Harbor Rd. on the right is the Southend Market and Restaurant.
If you need a refuel or snacks to take with you, this is a great pitstop before continuing on your journey. When you’re ready, head down Mackaye Harbor Rd. and follow its twist and turns all the way to Agate Beach County Park. This is my favorite beach to have a picnic.
The action of the waves at this beach have smoothed the chunks of basalt and other minerals like a rock tumbler. On a sunny day, the warmth of the rounded stones are a welcoming surface for a midday lounge or nap.
If you’re ready to stretch your legs on a longer walk, lock up your bikes and walk down to the end of Mackaye Harbor Rd. You’re at the entrance of Iceberg Point. This is a San Juan National Monument.
The gracious landowners at the head of this park have allowed the public to venture into the park via their private drive provided you follow the very strict rules including no bikes or dogs off leash. Be very mindful and respectful by keeping your pets close and your voices down. This is a private neighborhood and one person or group of people violating the rules of this park could ruin access for everyone.
Follow the map at the entrance of the private drive to find your way out to Iceberg Point. Once in the national monument, there are a few different paths you can follow to see this unique point of land. You will notice that the trees become very scarce out on the point and it can be very windy. The point is exposed to the Strait of Juan de Fuca so sees more foul weather exposure during the winter than most of the island.
Iceberg Point. Photo Credit Davidrh
Watmough Bay
When you’re ready to venture on, ride halfway back up Mackaye Harbor Rd. and take a right onto Aleck Bay Rd. Turn right onto Watmough Bay Rd. and, as you head down a steep hill, watch for signs to your left for Watmough Bay and Chadwick Hill. You can park and walk in or bring your bikes to the beach with you. A short straight path from the parking lot leads you to a breathtaking cove with massive rock cliffs and boulders on the left side of the cove. This is a popular spot for boaters to camp as well. This cove was the site of an archeological dig that uncovered an intact hearth from a Coast Salish tribe.
If you have time, you can hike up Chadwick Hill for a bird’s eye view of the Salish Sea. About halfway down the beach to the left, there is a trail that heads back into the tall grasses. Follow this trail back a way and take a right on the obvious path that takes you up the bluff. Don’t be fooled by any very steep paths that start earlier on the trail. These are dangerous and erode the hillside. At the top, you can meander through dry mossy hummocks to wherever you’d like to turn around.
Once back at the parking lot, head back up Watmough Bay Rd. and take a right onto Aleck Bay Rd. Eventually take a left onto Mud Bay Rd. and again be careful of car traffic on this road. When you eventually collide with Lopez Sound Rd., take a right. Follow Lopez Sound Rd. as it weaves its way north. Keep your eye out for a righthand turn onto Port Stanley Rd. Then take a right onto Bakerview Rd. and stay straight onto Spencer Spit State Park Rd. Here you will descend onto a point formed by the action of tides colliding and building up a sandy tip of land. If you decide to camp here, see the beginning of this article for the link to reserve your camping spot.
On your way out of the park follow Spencer Spit State Park Rd. up the hill and continue onto Bakerview Rd. Take a right onto Port Stanley Rd. and stay on this road until you hit Ferry Rd. Here either stay straight and head down to Odlin County Park if you are camping there or stay right to head back to the ferry terminal.
Make it a long weekend
If you decide to split this tour of Lopez into a weekend or an extended weekend by car or bike, there are plenty of great options for lodging, including the Edenwild Boutique Hotel and the Lopez Lodge, both located in Lopez Village.
If you would like to car or bike camp, Odlin County Park and Spencer Spit State Park offer walk or bike up and car camp options.
Some of the campsites at Odlin County Park are first come, first serve for people arriving by kayak, foot, or bike.
Spencer Spit State Park, located on the northeast side of the island boasts 138 acres of land to camp and enjoy marine activities. The spit is a long point of sandy beach that encloses a saltchuck lagoon. To learn more about what the park offers for camping, visit https://parks.state.wa.us/687/Spencer-Spit and scroll down to the reservations section to book your site online or by phone.
Other lodging options include Lopez Farm Cottages and Midnight’s Farm Stay