Have you been to the San Juan Islands in Washington State? One of our favorite places to visit when exploring Puget Sound on our boat is Roche Harbor Resort. Let me show you why we love this charming spot so much.
We take a summer boat trip around Puget Sound every year. Not only do we love being on the water and exploring new towns but going back to some of our favorite places is just as fun.
One of our very favorite destinations is Roche Harbor Resort.
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Roche Harbor Resort
On the northwest side of San Juan Island is Roche Harbor, a historic seaside resort located in Washington State and a short drive from Friday Harbor. Roche Harbor faces Haro Strait and the Canada–United States border.
The resort offers accommodations, restaurants, gardens, stores, parks, and a marina.
The Marina
We always come to Roche Harbor by boat and stay at the marina.
How It All Started
According to the Roche Harbor website, John S. McMillin, a Tacoma lawyer, owned and operated the limestone quarry and lime kiln at Roche Harbor. By 1886, the Tacoma and Roche Harbor Lime Company had been incorporated and became a large-scale business.
Hotel de Haro
McMillin built the 20-room Hotel de Haro in 1886. By 1890, the company town had grown up around the hotel. It consisted of a completely modern lime factory, barrel works, warehouse, docks, ships and piers, offices, company store, church, school, barns, and homes.
Hotel de Haro is the state’s oldest continually operating hotel, hosting visitors since 1886. Famous visitors include John Wayne and Theodore Roosevelt.
There are other options for an overnight stay including historic cottages, condos, and village homes.
The Gardens and Flowers Througout Roche Harbor Resort
The formal gardens were created by Mrs. McMillin who was inspired by Mrs. Butchart of Victoria. Have you heard of Butchart Gardens? If not, you REALLY need to take a look.
Slogans were painted on the arbor between the gardens to wish farewell to those who left the grounds to return home by boat from the harbor.
The containers are bright and beautiful throughout the resort.
Dining Options at Roche Harbor Resort
There are three restaurants on the property that offer waterfront dining, from fine dining to casual café food.
McMillin’s Dining Room offers fine dining and is open for dinner.
Madrona Bar and Grill is where we go to sit out on the deck for lunch or dinner and watch the marina activity and water view.
The Lime Kiln Cafe offers you a more casual dining experience. We love having breakfast here and the donuts are quite famous and fabulous!
Roche Harbor Resort Shopping
Roche Harbor Market
The Resort has a grocery store which is so convenient. We tend to anchor most of the time when we’re boating in the San Juans so we always need to restock our food supply.
Dominque’s House
This store has the cutest home goods and coastal decor.
And More…
Other places for shopping include Roche Harbor Clothing Company, a gift shop at the hotel, and village artist booths.
Kayaking and Hiking
This is such a fun place to kayak. There are plenty of rentals, including paddleboards.
Our pups love kayaking with us.
The scenery around the resort is gorgeous.
Outdoor Sculpture Park
This 19-acre outdoor sculpture park is always fun to visit while we’re in Roche Harbor.
This is where you’ll find more than 120 unique sculptures by Northwest artists. San Juan Islands Museum of Art is the steward of this amazing park.
Roche Harbor Resort Off-Leash Dog Park
It’s hard for us to find a place where the boys can run and tire themselves out while we are out on the boat for weeks at a time.
I love that Roche Harbor has an off-leash dog park for Jax and Ollie to run around and play with each other.
Afterglow Vista /Mausoleum
Afterglow Vista is the final resting place of John S. McMillin and his family. The mausoleum can be found by following a trail leading through the local cemetery.
McMillin had a mausoleum constructed that consisted of an open-air rotunda with a limestone table and thick stone chairs in the center.
I would definitely suggest you read more about the mausoleum and the symbolism behind every detail that you see here.
I would definitely recommend this incredible Northwest spot. Roche Harbor Resort is one of those places that is always on top of our list to come back again and again. We never get tired of it.
And don’t forget the donuts!
I’d love to hear from you. Make sure you leave a comment below.
Until next time,
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Our dream was to take the sailboat to the San Juan Islands for a month, but we didn’t make it. I enjoyed so much seeing where you went, I finally got to travel there!!! Thank you for sharing it in both instagram and your blog!
I’m so sorry that you were never able to sail there. But I know you will have some amazing adventures in the near future. I can’t wait until we are able to travel to Canada again.
Thank you for the beautiful pictures! It has been several years since I was there and your pictures brought back many wonderful memories! I loved San Juan Island and Roche Harbor! Thanks!
I’m glad you were able to relive those memories again. We always have the best time. The San Juan Islands are such a magical place.
We had the privilege of living on San Juan Island for 9 years, and keeping our boat at Roche Harbor. Your photos and accompanying descriptions are the best I’ve seen! I will definitely post this on Pinterest! Have you visited the Lime Kiln Point lighthouse? We lived in the lighthouse keepers house when my husband was a Ranger in the islands.
Oh, how amazing that you lived in the lighthouse keeper’s house. I haven’t been there, I’m not sure why. I’m sure you have so many memories of those times. It’s such a special place. I’m glad you liked the post. I can’t wait to share more of our boating trips. Thanks so much for leaving a comment,
Kim
This was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. I really want to visit your area again some day. I’m sharing a link to this post on my Sunday Dirt Road Adventures. Thanks for sharing your beautiful trip with us.
I’m so glad you liked it, Rachel. You are just so sweet. Thank you,