Lummi Island: An Escape to Coastal Paradise

Seeking a low-key escape from the city? Enter the solitude of Lummi Island, a quiet oasis on the outskirts of the San Juan’s. Read about our journey and how to plan a trip to Lummi yourself.

I first looked for a close-to-home winter getaway in December. My mind flitted with images of cozy fireplaces to warm our toes beside and of tall trees towering over a cabin tucked in the woods. Perhaps in the Wenatchee or Leavenworth area, I thought. Or perhaps in a mountainous pocket of North Bend or the North Cascades. Eventually, I found the one. It had a rare two-night slot open in the middle of January and I snagged it with triumphant gusto. Moments later, I received the congratulatory “confirmation” and mentally packed my bags.

A week later, I found an apologetic email in my inbox from the property manager. We have no idea how it let you book the cabin, we’re doing renovations on those days, so sorry. But here’s a discount for another time when we’re available six months from now!

The search began anew.

By the end of January, I’d had enough of the dreary winter weather and the idea of being cooped up in a log cabin felt more suffocating than relaxing. Instead, I craved the open water and breezy air. After expanding my search to include Washington’s coastal areas, we set our sights on the San Juan Islands. This gem of an area is snuggled between mainland Washington, Canada and the Pacific Ocean.

Due to our last-minute timeframe, there were only a few properties available and we settled on a beach cottage on Lummi Island. Later, I learned that Lummi Island isn’t a prominent member part of the San Juan Island club. Instead, it’s considered “offshore San Juan County.” I’m not entirely sure the difference and it didn’t matter anyway. Lummi looked like an oasis. Undeterred by imaginary geographical lines and operating on the assumption that the sunset over the water would look identical from one island to the next, we booked it.

About Lummi Island

Where is it?

Lummi Island sits in Bellingham Bay in the northwest corner of Washington State. It’s the closest island to the mainland before the rest of the San Juans.

Getting There

From Seattle, it is a 2.5-hour drive north to Bellingham. Then, a quick 10-minute ferry shuttles visitors to the island. Lummi is best explored by car, bike and foot.

How Long to Stay?

At 9 sq. miles, Lummi doesn’t even pretend to be a big island. It’s tiny and it knows it. With 2-3 days, you can leisurely explore the island in its entirety.

What to do

As a quiet escape, the main activity is relaxing in a natural landscape. There are short hikes, kayaking opportunities, wildlife viewing and two restaurants to dine at.

When to visit

Temperate weather makes it accessible year-round. Summer, however, is primetime and ripe with outdoor activities that are best enjoyed in sunshine.

where to stay

Options are slim and most choose The Willows Inn, which is a beautiful escape in itself (though closed in winter). An Airbnb is also a great choice and what we opted for.

Onward to Paradise

This was our first “vacation” during COVID that didn’t involve sleeping in a tent in the backcountry. For this reason, we wanted to minimize our contact and make all our own meals. We didn’t have much of a choice in the matter anyway. There are only two restaurants on the island and neither are open during winter, so that swiftly settled the meal situation. We planned to take advantage of the seafood scene and snagged local mussels and clams from Taylor Shellfish on the way to the Island. We also made a pitstop at Costco “for just one thing.” Four bottles of wine and a bulk-sized box goldfish later, we were off.

Along the way we also stopped in Edison, a pint-sized town that a whopping 133 residents call home. Edison is so small and nondescript that when driving by some may even say that if you sneezed you’d miss it. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in bread. Yes, bread, that delightful carb we all know and love. Enter the Breadfarm, home to a bounty of scrumptious grains that are worth the tiny detour to grab.

With our food arsenal overflowing with bread, seafood, wine and Goldfish, we were just about ready to roll. The only thing missing? Beer. Fortunately, we had some time to kill before getting to the ferry and Bellingham happens to be a haven of craft brew delights - a perfect situation to find ourselves in, and so we made our way to Wander Brewing.

Wandering The Island

Accounting for its size and solitude, Lummi is best experienced slowly and without a schedule. We knew that our greatest feats of excitement would be found on leisure walks and in moments of stillness, which is exactly what the goal was. We merely wanted a few days away from people (check), outside of the bustling city (check), and in a beautiful setting (check!).

Our Airbnb was an ideal home base as it had private beach access and a cute fireplace and hot tub (which was oddly plopped in the driveway but it had a view of the pond, so not all sense of relaxation was lost if you faced that direction). We enjoyed making steaming cups of coffee in the morning and sipping it on beach walks where we skipped rocks and watched the waves softly sweep the rocky shore. How’s that for poetic?

Later, we drove around the island in search of vistas and areas to explore. Unfortunately, much of the island is “private property” and very much inaccessible. While we were unsuccessful in that regard, we did happily stumble upon an array of animals which, in my book, makes any day a great success. First we met a family of curious deer, then we found a farm filled with sheep.

The baby sheep were curious and loved saying hello, and I, of course, loved saying hello back. The adults, on the other hand, were indifferent to our existence and continued to eat grass with unamused expressions that sheep have mastered through much evolutionary practice. After an endless slew of phrases like, “LOOK AT THESE SHEEP” and “THEY’RE SO CUTE!” I was finally pulled away and we continued our Tour de Lummi.

Other animal encounters ensued as the day progressed, including spotting an adult bald eagle teaching a juvenile how to fish, watching crabs scuttle along the beach, and finding colorful and unnameable sea creatures living among the rocks. At sunset, we were even greeted by a family of sea lions who brazenly swam near the rocks and examined us as keenly as we did them.

I knew the San Juan Islands boasted amazing wildlife viewing opportunities but I hadn’t expected as much from Lummi. ‘Twas a happy surprise. For travelers seeking wild encounters with classic Pacific Northwest flora and fauna, the San Juan Islands (including Lummi!) are the place to be.

All this bounty is courtesy of the Pacific Ocean, which brings nutrients into the Salish Sea and its surrounding waters. The tides then cycle these nutrients to create a healthy and biodiverse ecosystem that we get to ooh and ahh at in awestruck admiration. Whales and other marine mammals are commonly sighted, as are a great variety of birds and an abundance of sea life. And let us not forget the sheep!

HIghlights of Lummi

While some highlights are seasonally dependent, this is a quick list of Lummi’s Greatest Hits should you find yourself exploring the island one day. It’ll be short because, well, Lummi Island is pretty low-key.

Experience a meal at The Willows Inn
Visit the Tasting Room at Legoe Bay Winery
Hike the Baker Preserve Trail (3.2 miles roundtrip, 100 elevation gain)
Enjoy Sunset Beach if you’re not privy to your own private beach
Find the sheep and gawk at them

If you want an intimate place and can’t stay at the Willows because a.) it’s winter, b.) there’s no availability, or c.) it’s too expensive, then I recommend the charming Airbnb we stayed in which had everything we needed to relax for a few days, including a driveway hot tub.

Conclusion

After a short stint in coastal paradise, it was time to bid adieu and make our way home to Seattle. Guiltily being the beer-fiends we are, we made a quick stop in Bellingham for a craft brew (or two) - this time at Chuckanut Brewing - before making the journey home. All in all, Lummi Island served as a wonderful winter escape and I look forward to returning in the summertime to kayak, whale watch, and sit on the beach without 18 layers on.