Orcas

Each of the four San Juan Islands that mark the watery border of the Pacific Northwest has its own character, but Orcas – the largest at more than 55 square miles, is the most spectacular scenically – and has the widest range of ways to play.

Car ferry lines can be several hours long in summer, so if you're the active/outdoors type, the best bet is to arrive not in an SUV but on a bike. B&Bs are the mainstay here, but there are a couple of noted resorts, even a nicely maintained 9-hole golf course. Still, this is an island nature-made for hikers, kayakers, and campers. There's really no town, just a few scattered hamlets. Among them, Eastsound, on the north end of the horseshoe-shaped island, is a good place to rent a bike if you didn't bring one, enjoy a taste of Pacific Northwest cuisine, and look for a small, handcrafted work from the many artists and craftsmen who have put down roots here.

Whether you bike, hike, or drive to the 2,409-foot summit of Mount Constitution in Moran State Park, you'll always remember the view. From the stone observation tower here (the highest point in the San Juans), a mosaic of islands stretches north to Vancouver, south to the Olympic Peninsula and east to the Cascades. It just may be the most stunning panorama in the Pacific Northwest.