Roche Harbor the ultimate Northwest marina destination
Roche Harbor is one of the most popular destinations in the San Juan Islands and is an essential stop for boaters cruising the Salish Sea. Nestled in a cove on the northwest corner of San Juan Island this former company town turned resort has a lot to offer. While you can anchor out, the marina has a whopping 425 slips and can handle vessels up to 200’. Of course they have 30-, 50- and 100-amp power, water, garbage, and recycling conveniently located on the docks, complimentary WiFi, a fuel dock with diesel and ethanol free gasoline, and pump out. They even have mobile service via the pump out boat Fecal Freak whose motto is “We take crap from anyone” (free service, gratuities encouraged). The marina staff led by harbormaster Kevin, his daughter Katie, and marina manager Troy are outstanding. After hailing the marina on VHF Channel 78A for slip assignment friendly marina staff will come out to your slip to catch your lines, help you get tied up, and connected to shore power if needed.
Shoreside Accommodations
Once you are settled in on the dock you can simply relax or there are a lot of options. For those who don’t want to stay aboard, the historic Hotel De Haro at the head of the docks has been operating since 1886 and houses the front desk for all the shoreside accommodations including cabins and condos. The hotel is worth seeing with its vintage fireplace, leather chairs, and crafted wood paneling. The rooms in the old hotel are nice, but rustic with uneven floors and most have bathrooms down the hall, or you can choose from several more modern and luxurious options. Cabins on the hill are great for kids and/or small groups as they are private, have a large lawn around them to play on, and each has its own firepit, BBQ, and picnic table. Some of these were the original homes of the company workers at the Lime operation. One time when we were staying in a cabin an older woman came up to the door and asked if she could look around. She told us she had been born in the cabin we were staying in and proceeded to fascinate us with her explanation of the cabin’s configuration and what it was like living there as a child.
Dining
There are three restaurants, McMillin’s offers fine dining all year round. The Lime Kiln Café is open for breakfast and lunch. I recommend breakfast, try the eggs benedict with wonderfully smoky ham, and don’t forget their famous homemade donuts! The Madrona Bar and Grill serves lunch and dinner and sometimes has live music. There is also an espresso stand that has pastries, coffee and ice cream. If you choose to cook on board the Company Store is a well-stocked grocery store where you can also buy wine and beer, ice, shrimp nets for the kids, and much more. Hard liquor can be purchased at Quarryman Hall and there are a host of shopping options including boutique shops and artisan stands for those inclined. An open-air seafood market is located on the main dock during summer days. A newly opened oyster restaurant is in adjacent Westcott Bay, but it is a long walk so we haven’t been there yet.
Onshore
Other shoreside amenities include a swimming pool, bocce, frisbee golf, tennis, and pickle ball courts, and of course a day spa. There is a small marine chandlery and a boat launch ramp. Easy hiking trails include one that leads up through the lime quarries to a hill where you can see across to Canada from a platform nestled amongst some massive Madrona trees. Another trail heads through the woods, filled with frolicking deer, to a pillared mausoleum. A stone table and chairs at the center is a memorial to the McMillin family who founded Roche Harbor. There is also an outdoor sculpture garden that is very interesting to walk through and view the art that is up the main hill toward the road.
Don’t miss the “colors” ceremony!
Every night at sundown the marina staff performs a colors ceremony where they take down the flags with appropriate anthems playing, marching, and folding of the flags. At the end when the American flag is lowered, they offer a canon salute that is loud and fun and typically followed by a myriad of boat horns from throughout the marina. On select days the color guard occasionally jumps in the water off the colors platform which is quite a jump. On labor-day weekend last year the entire marina staff jumped in including harbormaster Kevin!
Transportation
There is a small general aviation airport at the top of the hill by the sculpture garden and Kenmore Air provides sea plane service at the docks which makes Roche Harbor a great place to trade out crew or to send passengers back to the mainland when needed. There is some limited taxi, bus, and shuttle service from Roche primarily to Friday Harbor, where the ferry runs from, but service varies so check availability once on island. There used to be customs service at Roche Harbor but now it is primarily handled via a CPB Roam kiosk on the dock. The island’s main customs is in Friday Harbor on the other side of the island and incoming vessels are sometimes instructed to report there.
Roche Harbor has something for everyone, and you can’t really go wrong with a stop here. Even though they have a lot of slips, and some are typically available on a first-come-first-serve basis they get very busy in the summer so call or book a reservation online. Fourth of July borders on madness at Roche Harbor with a packed marina and fireworks and you may have to get on a waiting list a year or more in advance. Other weekends there are boat manufacturer rendezvous which can take up large swaths if not the entire guest docks so be aware. Roche also hosts a lot of weddings and events on shore so book shoreside accommodations well in advance if you have set days you require. Come to Roche Harbor and you won’t be disappointed. When you do, you might see me and my family there, along with half the other boaters in the Northwest! (Don’t tell anyone but I am sitting on my flybridge at the dock at Roche Harbor right now finishing up this story.)
Our friends at US Harbors recently conducted a contest where boaters from all over the country voted on their favorite harbor. San Juan Island’s Roche Harbor won the US Harbors category “Best Harbor in the US for the Pacific Region”.
Check out the US Harbors website for additional detailed information on many harbors throughout the US including tides, weather, and more.
Click here to see all the US Harbors Best Harbors 2025 Contest Winners.
