Lime Kiln is a busy, seaside state park. Many families and friends running about. All for good reason with a cool old lime kiln and a lighthouse from 1898 to visit. 

Intertidal pools and steep seashore cliffs made this trail a ton of fun. We wandered south as far as Deadman Bay for flowers, shells, and driftwood rambling. 

We spent the day on San Juan Island hiking various trails.

We started with the Mount Finlayson loop that connects with the Jakle's lagoon trail, which we extended to Cattle point by following the bluff trail. This was an early trail so we got lucky with wildlife: we crossed a few deer multiple times while on our way to Mount Finlayson, then we saw a bald eagle very close to us from the bluff trail. Finally, we watched several seals playing in the sea weeds (or having breakfast, unclear) beyond the Cattle point lighthouse.

Our second target was the Lime kiln point state park loop that ascends to the quarry before returning back along the coast to explore a few lime kilns, including one that is still in good shape and finishes at the lighthouse. It's pretty short but the initial accent was steeper than expected, so that was interesting.

We did a snack pause at the Wescott Bay Shellfish company shack before a short ascent to Young Hill from the English camp to get some great views of British Columbia. The main trail up is gradual and well maintained. I've read of and saw a much faster and steeper trail but we decided to keep to the main trail for the way down to avoid the sun that was hitting strong at that point. The main trail is in the forest, which seemed like a more pleasant option.

Finally, we explored the sculpture garden at Roche harbor. That was quite an interesting experience although we sped up in some uncovered sections because of the sun. There is quite a lot to see and the exploratory format was a nice touch.

There are short trails that lead to both the lighthouse and the kiln.  Trails are in good condition.

The kiln was recently renovated so any scaffolding and equipment has been removed.  

Nice views and not too far from Friday Harbor.

The ferry boat ride is a bit expensive, so prepare for that.  The views along the ferry route are also nice.

I spent the weekend on San Juan Island. It's been a really long time since I utilized the Washington State Ferry System. I recall going to Port Townsend as a young child and just driving onto the ferry. When I booked this trip to stay one night on San Juan, I learned that it's best to get a reservation for a spot on the ferry. 

Saturday morning, I showed up to Anacortes ferry lot at 12:30pm for my 2:00pm reservation and I was told that due to service disruption, I'd be boarding the 12:45pm ferry. With a quick stop at Orcas Island, I was at Friday Harbor in a little over an hour. 

The weather was grim but showed signs of life with sun bursts and partly cloudy most of the day. I got something to eat at Downriggers restaurant and then decided to make the 16 minute drive to the light house to maybe see some Orca whales. 

When I arrived at the park, there were plenty of vehicles in the parking lot as well lots of people walking about and a wedding going on near the lighthouse. There were also a lot of people parked in the pullouts along the way to the park. 

I only stayed for 15-20 minutes. The rocks were pretty crowded with would-be whale watchers scanning the open ocean with binoculars. Alas, no orcas. The skies opened up for a full-sun kind of day and it was neat exploring this side of the island. 

We always enjoy this state park. The trail is a little rocky but the views are amazing. We saw 2 porpoises and the sign said humpback passed through a couple days ago. Don’t forget your Discover Pass.