Orcas Island
Sept 17 - 21, 2026
Paddling days will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday
General registration will open May 7th at 9;30 pm
Trip Organizers who have been approved to lead trips for the Event will be able to register earlier
Come paddle with us in the lovely and always popular San Juan Islands on Orcas Island, Washington! This year we are camping at a new location: the Four Winds Westward Ho youth camp. Located in Deer Harbor, the property includes one hundred acres of woods, fields, and waterfront. We will be the only group using the property when we are there, and will be renting a house with a kitchen and inside gathering space. There’s a large area for our tents near toilets and showers and a parking area that includes space for small RV’s. The camp is beautiful, quiet, and spacious. Daytime temperatures range in the high 60s, and it gets into the 50s at night.
Costs for the event is being determined.
Paddles to and around nearby islands are plentiful. The popular destination of Jones Island takes you through passes and around small islands to a pretty island park with a resident deer herd, sandy beaches, and trails through madrona groves and meadows. Or paddle to the more isolated and protected Yellow Island, owned by The Nature Conservancy, and is home to amazing wildflowers and frolicking seals, where you can hike with a 360-degree view of the San Juans. Take a trip to the many bays and islets of the horseshoe shaped Sucia Island and gaze at the interesting geology and strange rock formations. Paddles from Orcas give you a chance to see jellyfish, seals, and perhaps its namesake whale. Visit Mt. Constitution, rising above Orcas half a mile high, with its fantastic vistas of other San Juan Islands and Mt. Baker in the Cascades. Orcas has excellent pubs, wineries, restaurants, and shops, as well as the oldest pottery studio in the northwest.
Although we will be there in September, out of high season, we do recommend that you book your ferry reservation as soon as you are accepted onto the event. While it is possible to travel without reservations, sometimes there is a long line, which may mean a wait for the next ferry.
Your Volunteer Staff:
Event Manager: Gay Lewis
Trips Admiral: Tom Waldron
Assistant Event Manager: Nancy Schmidt
