San Juan Wilderness
The tips of submerged mountains collectively thrust above the sea where two straits–Georgia and Juan de Fuca–meet up with Puget Sound, forming the San Juan Islands. Of the 700 or so islands, islets, rocks, and reefs that make up the San Juan Islands, fewer than 200 have garnered official names. The large islands of San Juan, Lopez, Orcas, and Shaw make up more than 80 percent of the landmass. Of the rest of the land, much of it wave-drenched, 83 pieces are included in the San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, a sanctuary for gulls, cormorants, guillemots, puffins, brants, oystercatchers, auklets, bald eagles, and harbor seals.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |
| State | Washington |
| Size | 353 acres |
| Designated | 1976, by Congress |
| Center point | 48.75° N, 122.84° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 6) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 9.9 miW. T. Preston (snagboat) ↗National Historic Landmark
- 2.1 miCenter School ↗Lopez Island, WA
- 2.6 miAlderbrook Farmhouse ↗Doe Bay, WA
- 2.6 miPort Stanley School ↗Lopez Island, WA
- 3.7 miDoe Bay General Store and Post Office ↗Doe Bay, Orcas Island, WA
- 4.4 miEmmanuel Episcopal Church ↗Eastsound, WA
- 4.8 miPatos Island Light Station ↗East Sound, WA
- 4.9 miSan Juan County Courthouse ↗Friday Harbor, WA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for San Juan Wilderness and Washington
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Hiking Colorado's Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness AreasDonna Ikenberry, 2014Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is San Juan Wilderness?
353 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages San Juan Wilderness?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is San Juan Wilderness in?
Washington.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was San Juan Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1976.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to San Juan Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 48.746° N, 122.838° W. San Juan Island National Historical Park is 3 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Which national parks are near San Juan Wilderness?
San Juan Island National Historical Park (3 mi) and Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve (19 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near San Juan Wilderness?
The National Register has 60 listings within 15 miles, including W. T. Preston (snagboat) and Center School.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.