San Juan Islands Multi-Day Kayaking & Bicycling Inn to Inn Expeditions…

"Katie was our guide for 3 days of biking, kayaking, and hiking and we LOVED her.  She was outstanding.  Thank you so much for helping us plan a great vacation.  My aunt and I still talk about how it was the greatest vacation of our lives."  -Sarah Jallo

Crystal Seas offers the perfect multi-sport combination for the active at heart. It’s a vacation that includes not only sea kayaking, but it includes bicycling the islands as well…all the while staying at our favorite inns and dining at our favorite restaurants. Sea kayak one day among small remote islands in search of sea birds, seals, porpoise, river otters and orcas…then cycle the next day along unpopulated roads past rolling pastures dotted with sheep and along steep, breathtaking cliffs. Each night retreat to luxurious inns and dine at exquisite restaurants.

Few people get to experience each island’s unique style the way that you will. Lopez Island (known for its friendliness and “the wave” that islanders give each other in passing) is the smallest of the major San Juan Islands. Orcas Island, with Moran State Park, the panoramic view on top of Mount Constitution, the lakes and waterfalls, is a must see when visiting. The coastline of San Juan Island’s west side will leave you breathless with the view of the snow capped Olympic Peninsula. You will get to know these islands inside and out cycling and kayaking each one.

Tour Length: 2-6 days in length and virtually everything is inclusive. We provide all kayaking and bicycling equipment, safety equipment, snacks, gourmet meals and drinks (except for alcoholic beverages), all accommodations, a support van to transport your luggage and to give you a lift if you need one, as well as our expert guides to make sure this is the best vacation you have ever had!

Flora and fauna: Bald Eagles, Cormorants, Black Oystercatchers, Pigeon Guillemots, Pacific Harbor Seals, Orcas (Killer Whales), Dall's Porpoises, Great Blue Herons, Ochre Sea Stars, Deer, Fox, Pacific Madrones, Douglas-firs, forests of Bull Kelp and Eel Grass beds.

Accommodations: Our Inn to Inn biking & kayaking tours include staying at Rosario Resort on Orcas, the Friday Harbor House, Friday's Historic Inn or other comparable accommodations on San Juan Island. Each inn will cater to the most discerning guest. Enjoy wonderful breakfasts made with fresh local fruit, sleep in comfortable beds and soak in hot tubs at the end of the day. If your expectations are high then this tour will exceed them!

No experience necessary.

Our Inn to Inn Multi-Sport Expeditions are the Perfect Choice.

• Excellent knowledgeable and friendly nature/kayak/bicycle guides

• No previous experience is required

• We provide all kayaking, biking weather and safety gear

• We provide snacks, drinks and all meals

• We provide you with all accommodations

• Small personal groups

• At least two guides on all expeditions

We provide virtually everything...

Here are some of the items which we provide for our guests:

• all kayaking and bicycling gear, weather and safety gear

• all drinks, snacks and meals

• all inn accommodations

• a detailed pre-trip information packet

• much, much more including our incredible attention to detail.

We provide you with drinks and all meals...

...starting with lunch on the first day and ending with lunch on your last day we provide all meals in between. You will be impressed by the daily gourmet breakfasts at your inn, the heartiness of our well prepared lunches and the restaurants that we have chosen for your nightly dinner. We can accommodate your dietary needs, just ask us.

We provide you with all accommodations

…we have carefully chosen the friendliest, most luxurious accommodations that the San Juan Islands offer. We have built relationships with the inn keepers and feel that you will not only be pleased but you will not want to leave at the end of your stay!

Our excellent knowledgeable and friendly nature/kayak/bicycle guides...

... we strongly believe that an outstanding guide can make the difference between a good trip and a fabulous trip, therefore we place a lot of emphasis on using the best guides available. We pride ourselves on our choice of guides. We choose guides who are people persons, friendly, knowledgeable, have a great attitude, are excellent leaders, great teachers and who love what they do.

No previous experience is required...

...we begin each of our tours with a thorough safety/kayak/bicycle lesson to familiarize you with your equipment so that you are adequately prepared for your adventure. This lesson includes paddling technique, sea kayaking safety, biking techniques, biking safety, becoming familiar with our safety gear and other helpful and necessary preparation for our expedition.

Small personal groups…

…a great trip involves many factors. One of these is the group size. A smaller group is safer on and off the water, allows for more interactions between the guides and guests and gives our guests a chance to know each other. Furthermore, we can also adjust and modify the trip to the individual desires and interests of the group, allowing our guests to participate in various activities ranging from birding to advanced kayaking, to photography, to hiking. For all these reasons and more we keep our regularly scheduled Inn to Inn Multi-Sport Expedition group size to 10 guests and 2 guides.

Sleeping at luxurious inns on different islands each night…

…offers you a chance to experience each unique island style. We will stay at the Inn at Swifts bay on Lopez, Rosario Resort on Orcas, and the Friday Harbor House or Fridays Historical Inn in Friday Harbor .

Sample 4 Day Itinerary

Day One

We will meet you at the ferry terminal on Orcas Island and then begin cycling along the Horseshoe Highway along Orcas Island’s enchanted evergreen lined roads. We will stop for lunch in Eastsound where you can buy gifts and mingle with friendly locals then we journey on to Moran Sate Park. Here you can go for a swim in the lake or hike through an old growth forest to a waterfall. We will end the day at the top of Mount Constitution where you will have a panoramic view of all the San Juan Islands, neighboring Canada, Mount Baker, Mount Rainer, the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges. Tonight we will stay the night at Rosario Resort. We meet for dinner in the Moran Mansion where you can enjoy a beautiful view of Cascade Bay and then retreat to your comfortable room nestled upon a hillside overlooking the bay.

Day Two

After breakfast, we will take the ferry to Friday Harbor for a day of paddling along the Westside of San Juan Island. Here we kayak along the coastline viewing beautiful vistas of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Mountain Range. We will weave in and out of small bays searching for sea stars, paddle through kelp forests rich with sea life and search for orcas, eagles and porpoise. This afternoon we will break for a delicious picnic lunch set upon a pebble stoned beach. Tonight we will retreat to the Friday Harbor House where you can enjoy views of snowcapped Mount Baker and watch boats coming into the harbor. After a wonderful dinner at one of Friday Harbor’s best restaurants, you can soak in a jetted bath in the privacy of your room.

Day Three

Wake up to a beautiful sunrise outside your window and prepare to cycle! We will head out along San Juan Island’s quite country roads to whale watch park where we can enjoy lunch and watch for orcas. Afterwards, we will cycle north visiting the Alpaca Farm, an English garden at British Camp, Roche Harbor and then head south to San Juan Vineyards. Tonight we spend another night at the Friday Harbor House.

Day Four

This morning we will paddle around Henry Island, quietly passing a bird sanctuary and then stop for lunch on Posey Island. Afterwards, we will shuttle you back to the ferry landing on Orcas Island to say our goodbyes.

Please contact us for custom dates and trip lengths

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