Lakedale Resort

Eighty-two acres on three private lakes in San Juan Island's interior — twenty-eight units across lodge rooms, cabins, and glamping tents, run as a family-owned resort that's the quieter inland alternative to the Friday Harbor waterfront properties. Lakedale is the rare San Juan Islands lodging that isn't oriented to the sea — instead, it's three private lakes on a forested property, which makes it the family-and-fishing option the islands are otherwise short on.

The pitch is the acreage. Three lakes, paddle access on the property, fishing on the property, walking trails, and a much quieter rhythm than the harbor-front and ferry-port properties closer to town.

The setting

Lakedale sits in the interior of San Juan Island, ten minutes' drive from Friday Harbor (the main town and ferry terminal). The property's eighty-two acres include three small private lakes, surrounding forest, and meadows. The Washington State Ferry from Anacortes is the standard access — about an hour and a half each way.

Friday Harbor (with restaurants, the whale museum, and the ferry terminal) is ten minutes south. Roche Harbor is twenty minutes northwest. Lime Kiln Point State Park (the orca-watching cliff park) is twenty minutes west. American Camp and English Camp (the San Juan Island National Historical Park) are within twenty minutes.

The building

The main lodge is the heart of the property — a 1990s-built structure in Pacific Northwest vernacular (clapboard, timber, large windows), with the lobby, dining room, and a few of the lodge rooms. Detached cabin clusters and the glamping-tent area (a separate field with platform tents) are scattered across the lakes.

Materials are pine, painted clapboard, and timber. The aesthetic is rustic-Americana with monastic-nature undertones — quiet, well-maintained, no design pretensions.

The rooms

Twenty-eight units across the lodge, cabins, and glamping tents. The lodge rooms are conventional hotel rooms; the cabins are detached one- and two-bedroom units with kitchens and decks; the glamping tents are canvas-and-platform structures with shared bath facilities. Bathrooms are well-considered. Beds are good. Cabin units are best for families.

Rates from $295 in shoulder. Glamping tents start lower; cabins climb.

Food & drink

There's a small on-site restaurant and bar in the main lodge, with a casual menu. Open to non-guests. Friday Harbor's restaurants are ten minutes south for the wider scene.

On the property

The three lakes are the program. Paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes are available for guest use. Fishing on the lakes (catch-and-release, with rentals available) is a major draw. Hiking trails, fire pits, and outdoor seating are scattered across the acreage.

• Three private lakes for paddle and fishing
• Glamping tents, cabins, lodge rooms
• On-site restaurant and bar
• Family-owned
• Open year-round (some categories seasonal)

Who it's for

• Families on a San Juan Islands week
• Travelers who want the islands without the ferry-front bustle
• Anyone whose ideal is a paddleboard at sunset on a quiet lake
• Glamping-curious travelers willing to share a bath for a more affordable rate

Who it's not for

• Travelers wanting a waterfront property on the sea (Lakedale is inland)
• Anyone needing full-service resort amenities
• Travelers without a car (you'll want one for getting around the island)

Nearby

Friday Harbor's restaurants, shops, and ferry terminal are ten minutes south. Roche Harbor's village and historic Hotel de Haro are twenty minutes northwest. Lime Kiln Point State Park is twenty minutes west for whale-watching from shore. American Camp (the southern unit of the San Juan Island National Historical Park) is fifteen minutes south. English Camp (the northern unit) is twenty minutes northwest. Whale Watch Park's orca viewings (during summer) are off Lime Kiln Point.