I have been to the Lopez Island Ferry Terminal/Dock a few times, both on my own and with my family…read more Part of why I enjoy this ferry terminal so much is because there is not much to do. It has less to do in the immediate surroundings than the other Washington State Department Of Transportation (WSDOT) ferry terminals in the San Juan Islands. On a recent day adventure on Lopez Island on the 29th of April 2020, I arrived a little under two hours in advance of the ferry to Anacortes. My phone had very little battery left and I didn't bring a book so I had to figure out something else to do. I looked over my paper Washington State map, stared at the trees for a while (I love tall trees), and then saw a small furry critter scamper across some cement blocks (the blocks kind of looked like stone guard rail pieces for reinforcement to keep dirt from falling). I grabbed my camera (not camera phone) and spent the rest of the time watching for this little furry critter and trying to get pictures of it. What was it? It was a chipmunk! It was running back and forth collecting food and other things. So cute, and filled me with joy. Then M/V Kitsap arrived to take us back to Anacortes and I thought I was going to burst with happiness (I love it when I get to ride the ferries built in Seattle). It was the perfect end to the day's Lopez Island adventure. There is a restroom if you need to go while you are waiting. The entrance is turned away from the holding lanes to provide maximum privacy while using. The Lopez Island Ferry Terminal is a good place to sit back and relax and take in your nature surroundings.

I take my rare opportunities for ferry travel very seriously, and that's why I appreciate it when…read morethere's a nice, big, sturdy dock to securely hold the big metal floating behemoth in place while my vehicle (and others) are loaded/unloaded. And I can safely say that the Lopez Island Ferry Dock does the job quite well. While it's been years since I visited Lopez, it was a stop on my recent superferry trip from Friday Harbor to Anacortes, and I found myself enthusiastically hurrying to the front (er, back?) of the ship to watch the vehicles pull out onto the island. Well, the one vehicle that was pulling out onto the island on this particular Sunday evening journey. Still, the ferry did its duty as the car left the boat and traveled over the oft-scary-sounding "kerplunk" ramp that serves as a temporary bridge between the vessel and land. And - aided by recently-upgraded pillars on both the port and starboard - the ferry stayed firmly in place while several cars loaded for their journey back to the mainland. My only complaint about the Lopez dock is that there are no services available. So make sure to bring a snack and some water if you think you'll be hungry. 'Cuz it's a long drive back to town (well, really only a few miles) if you forgot anything.

Amazing whale watching trip! Nate and Nat were awesome and full of knowledge! You can tell they…read morelove what they do! Highly recommend if you're in town to book a trip with them! Will be back for sure!!

I live in the Seattle area, and it was on my bucket list to go whale watching and see some orcas! I…read morehighly recommend deer harbor charters, especially if you live in the area. The first time we went out we didn't see any orcas, so we were able to go back out another time for free for a second chance! The naturalist and boat captain were amazing and knowledgeable on all kinds of facts, and you can ask any question, and the experience of seeing orcas was incredible! They also provide professional photographs taken on your outing after the trip

Lexxie was very easy to work with and provided me with 3 adult vacation package options to choose…read morefrom and we chose Four Seasons Resort in Bora Bora. My husband and I had a very fun & relaxing trip. We only had one bad moment and that was when our connecting flight was canceled but one text to Lexxie and she got us on a different flight within 90mins and we were able to continue the trip. She admitted to being a new travel agent and that we were her first official customers but she obviously knows what she is doing! She is ready and willing to go the extra mile when it comes to her customer's happiness. Do yourself a favor and let her help you plan your next trip.

I can't even write this review on the basis of the ice climbing experience, as I didn't actually…read moreget an ice climbing experience. We scheduled our 1-day Alpine Ice Climbing Course for Sunday, 1/22/12. After a few cryptic emails from the guide, we finally found out the location to meet him the night before we had to leave (at 5am!!!) to arrive at Mount Baker...in the parking lot of an obscure place called Wake and Bake down a sketchy drive (thank God for 4wd) that was pretty well hidden in the woods, only to be accessed by locals who come there on a regular basis, and extremely difficult for anyone else to find due to their lack of signage. There was another gal in the parking lot waiting for him as well, and she was just as in the dark about the entire expedition as we were. We had no idea what he would be driving, what he looked like, etc, due to his lack of communication and inability to answer a phone. Finally, said guide shows up (at 9am!!!) in small Rav 4 (which obviously couldn't fit everyone and their gear...apparently we were following him up the mountain, good thing I didn't bring my tiny Rabbit!) and wanders around the parking lot looking confused. Obviously he was looking for someone, and the only reason we knew it was him is because as flakiness went so far, this guy completely fit the bill. We get out of the car, as does the girl beside us, and he approaches us, now looking completely surprised, as though he didn't know he was going to run into PEOPLE in the parking lot. He looks at the other girl, speaks to her by name, looks at us, and asks who we are and why we are there. Mind you, we talked to him the NIGHT BEFORE about where to meet, and verified our climb date three weeks ago (I still have the confirmation email!)...we explain this to him and he says, channeling his inner Garth without the comedy, "well, I guess that will be ok, we're just going to have extra people on the trip". Extra? And, wait, YOU'RE the only guide with a bunch of people whom have never ice climbed, only two of whom have ever top-roped or lead-belayed and only one who is an experienced lead climber??? We then explain that we had been emailing just the night before. He says he must have been sleep-typing. And I'm about to put my life into the hands of someone who can't even remember what he was doing the night before??? It gets better. Two more people show up, who have had their excursion verified prior to Christmas, and, lo and behold, find out that he's even more surprised that they were there also. That makes 9 people, one extremely incompetent guide, 12 feet of snow and technical ice tools. We ask him if he has an itinerary, he says no. We ask him if we need ice axes (this is ice climbing) and he says no. We ask him if snowshoes are a good idea, since we just found out we were going to hike in a 140" base 1-2 miles to our destination, he says, "that sounds like a good idea, who has snowshoes?" The two of us raise our hands. Meaning that apparently everyone else will have to slog through waist deep snow for miles, holding their packs and crampons above their heads??? We again ask the safety of the excursion due to the "extra" people and make an executive decision to not risk our lives and go snowshoeing on our own instead. I am extremely disappointed as I was really excited to take this trip, but don't regret not taking it due to the confusion, lack of competence, trustworthiness and inability to coordinate...the combination of the above would have made me feel extremely unsafe in any situation...including grocery shopping. I hope we get our money back and really hope that everyone was safe on the mountain today, and I will never, ever recommend Peregrine Expeditions.

I am absolutely apalled at the lack of professionalism from the 'business'. A friend of mine and I…read morepurchased a Living Social for a canyoneering trip in Arizona. We immediately booked our dates, filled out the forms and were told that we were confirmed for our booking on Dec 1. My friend was contacted less than two weeks before stating there wasn't enough people to go on the trip and that we could go that Saturday (with a few days notice). I was never once contacted. My friend left a message with Joseph but did not hear anything. I then attempted to call and after 3 days did speak with him. I was told that 6 people were needed to make the trip for LIving Social purchasers. Nowhere does this information appear on the LIving Social. I was essentially told that while we can make future reservations, they could not guarantee that we would actually go when scheduled as it depends on the number of people. While this is completely understandable, this was in no way mentioned in the communication process. Regardless, when people book a day excursion, their schedules are also altered as well and not knowing if you are to go or not is quite an inconvenience. I received my money back from Living Social who confirmed that this was unfair and not in the fine print. To me this was a very benign situation. I bought something, it wasn't going to work out and I got my money back.. end of story. However, the story continues. Instead of this being done, my friend received a rude voice mail disparaging her and I and our 'bad attitudes'. Very unprofessional. We THEN received an email where I was put down for calling the 'Saturday after Thanksgiving' and that we both have very little 'life experience'. The funny thing is, he mentions our "extreme reaction". ??? Our reaction was to call and expect a) contact back , which we did not receive and b) logical assistance as to how we can actually go on this excursion, which we were told "you may go on your scheudled trip or you may not" . These are not 'extreme requests", these are expected business practices. Lastly, the minimum participants needed is in no way listed , hence the reason I received a refund. The email is condescending and unprofessional. I have attached it: Erin and Reese - I am not sure what happened here but the extreme reaction I've received from you both is unprecedented and un called for. Peregrine Expeditions is proud of our excellent track record of successfully taking hundreds of people every year on technical mountain adventures in extreme climates and conditions. I've personally won awards for excellence in mountain stewardship on Mt McKinley in Alaska and won scholarships from Mt Hardware to complete AMGA guide certification. The canyoneering program in Phoenix is a huge success. People have a blast and you won't find a safer outfitter. Whether I personally run the trip or not all guides are certified professionals required to have more than five years experience working with other companies. The trip on the 1st is cancelled due to under attendance. I hate having to cancel the trips but we need at least 4 or 5 participants for it to run. It should state this on your Living Social voucher. If it doesn't that is unfortunate because it should. When to make the decision to cancel is not easy especially since we have people sign up sometimes a day or 2 before. The good news is that you are both able to get a refund for Living Social. In order to clarify. Getting a refund for your canceled trip is 100% fair and I support that. Calling up on the Saturday after Thanksgiving with a rude condescending tone and leaving messages on questionable safety based on.....? is out of hand. It's also rude and shows very little life experience. Good luck -- Joseph Anderson Peregrine Expeditions phone: (360)393-8098 www.PeregrineExpeditions.com

Captain Ward made for a fantastic day on the water. He was knowledgeable, informative, and a…read morepleasure to sail with. He quickly realized we enjoyed sailing ourselves and struck the perfect balance between offering guidance and letting us take the helm. Along the way, he shared interesting insights about Orcas Island, the surrounding waters, and local history that made the experience even more enjoyable. It was a perfect afternoon of sailing, and we would highly recommend Captain Ward to anyone looking for an authentic and memorable experience.

Unforgettable hands-on sailing for the whole family!…read more Sailing with Captain Ward on Aura was easily the highlight of our trip to Orcas Island. We were a 6-person group ranging in age from 3 to 65+, and Captain Ward made every single one of us feel completely welcome, safe, and entertained. He's remarkably patient and knowledgeable--not only about sailing, but about local history and geography as well. He even used his local knowledge of the area to make sure our kiddo got to see seals, which made their day! What made the trip so special was how hands-on it was: he gave everyone who wanted a turn a chance to take the tiller and help work the sails. It's a wonderful, personal experience on a stunning vintage boat. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Orcas Island!

We used Maia to book our 3 week skiing honeymoon in Europe. In a day where it feels like booking…read moretravel by yourself on the internet is the best option, Maia demonstrated the artistic prowess and personal touches that took our trip from good to epic. She hand picked lodging and restaurants that catered to our needs and price point and her personal relationships with each property shined as they went the extra mile to ensure our every need was met. To top it off we hired her husband Josh to guide our off piste skiing in La Thuile and he got us into some dreamy alpine lines that are the stuff movies are made of. Hands down the best in the business and we will never book a trip to Europe without using her services again. Thanks for making our trip absolutely epic!

Came by to rent a vehicle that could haul the 4 of us around. You definitely need a car to get…read morearound. There are only two taxi companies that have only one or two cars each. There are buses but they don't run in the evening either... So I highly suggest you rent a vehicle or drive over to the island on a Ferry. The best option out of the 4 seaters is the Tracker. It runs on gas, there are a few colors (we got the "pink panther"), some automatic, some stick shift and is only $180/day. Another pro is that you can drive anywhere you want on the island with the tracker because they can handle it. the electric cars can hold 4 people as well but they're so much more expensive, like double the price about. But as mentioned above, the electric car is restricted to the scenic outskirts only because they can't handle some areas in the middle. The tracker has a bluetooth to radio plug that is used to play your music while driving. The top can also come off if it's sunny out and there's surpisingly a lot of space for people in the back. Neither the back or front in people felt smooshed. Overall, the whole trip was giving nostalgic y2k driving and I loved it. It went so well with all of the sightseeing we did around the island with the gorgeous nature, and they have a map that will help you do a huge circle around the island to all the scenic routes for a lot of gorgeous views. I definitely recommend this place if you need to get around the island!

Great was very helpful. We needed something that would protect us from the drizzling cold rain, we…read morehad choice of an electric vehicle or gas Trax...we opted for less expensive Trax. Perfect choice. Very enjoyable and could go on any road. The roads are narrow, so I would be leary of a moped when there is lots of visitors on the road

I cannot recommend their inn to inn biking tour enough! Hannah was a fantastic guide. The…read morepicnics/happy hours were delicious. We saw orcas on our age watching tour. The inn and restaurants were perfect. Totally loved it!

Just returned from a six day cycling/camping trip on the San Juan Islands and it was excellent. The…read moreroutes enabled us to see three of the islands in all of their splendor. It was a great time of year to go as the temperature was moderate, both day and night, and it was bug free. Krista, our guide not only met, but anticipated all of our needs and was fun to be with. I am used to planning my own tours and i am ruined for life.