Things To Do
Moran State Park
Moran State Park has gorgeous hiking trails and lakes to swim at. Mount Constitution, Mountain Lake, and Cascade Lake are some of the most recommended and easily accessible natural attractions on the island. Some parts of the park require Discover Passes to park a car, but ticketing is pretty rare. However if you want a day pass for peace of mind, they can be purchased for $10 at the ranger station near the entrance of Moran, just past the stone archway on Olga Road. Cascade Lake also has a small marina where you can rent paddle boats and kayaks, as well as buy ice cream cones!
Eastsound Village
Eastsound is the cozy town located at the center of the island. There are many shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants, as well as the Orcas Island Historical Museum. On Friday nights there is often live music happening in the village green, and a farmers + artists market on Saturday mornings.
Turtleback Mountain
This is a super gorgeous hike that has both north and south trailheads. From the top you can see most of Orcas, the other San Juan Islands, the Space Needle, the Empire State Building, the Pyramids, the Grand Canyon, Waldo, and God. There is also a very cute museum of an old schoolhouse at the bottom of the north trailhead.
North Beach
Take North Beach Rd. out of Eastsound for some stunning sunsets and great rock-skipping! Beautiful spot for a picnic.
Kayak rentals
On Crescent Beach Drive there are kayak rentals, as well as at Cascade Lake in Moran State Park. The island is a great place to explore by water as there are tons of coves and tucked-away beaches.
The Exchange
Best place to shop! The Exchange is essentially a big community-run thrift store that is "pay what you want". It is also the local dump so you can also drop off all your garbage here if you're looking for a unique thrill.
Mini Golf
The Orcas Island Golf Course has an incredible mini golf course and also offers drinks and food. The signs to get there along Orcas Rd are pretty obvious.
orcas island pottery
Outdoor pottery shop hidden at the end of a forest road with a treehouse, swing set, and wandering chickens.
open mics / karaoke
Doe Bay Resort hosts an open mic on Thursday nights, and The Lower Tavern has karaoke on Friday nights.
visit other islands
Walking onto the ferry to explore the other islands is free! Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is a popular spot, and Shaw and Lopez Islands are great for biking around if you have the time.
Good food!
Favorite breakfast spots: -Olga Rising -New Leaf Cafe -The Island Skillet -Doe Bay Cafe -Lascaux Cafe Coffee + Pastries: -Olga Rising -Dragonfly -Brown Bear Baking -Darvill's Books and Coffee -The Orcas Hotel Cafe Drinks and bites: -The Lower Tavern -The White Horse Pub -Ladybug Pizza -Island Hoppin' Brewery -Matia Lounge -The Barnacle Lunch: -Johanna's Taco Truck (in the Ray’s Pharmacy lot) -Lone Pine Larder -Lascaux Cafe Dinner: -Mijitas -Madrona Grill -New Leaf -Doe Bay -Buck Bay Shellfish Farm -Matthews Smokehouse Lots of establishments on the island have weird hours, so we recommend either checking their websites or calling ahead to make reservations if planning to dine out at one of the nicer restaurants!
