You made it! Here on the top of Young Hill, you are 650 feet above the Salish Sea. Note the long, vertical scratches on the bedrock at your feet. These were made by Ice Age glaciers dragging boulders over the top of the island thousands of years ago.…

Garry oaks use to line the coasts of the Pacific Northwest including the San Juan Islands. However, centuries of environmental change has reshaped the landscapes these oaks inhabit. Due to overlogging, the oaks have over time dwindled to a scarce…

In 1853, the steamer HMS Beaver brought the first shipment of sheep to a farm located at the southern point of San Juan Island named Belle Vue Sheep Farm. Established by Charles Griffin, Belle Vue Sheep Farm was the perfect location to raise sheep…

Americans began to fortify San Juan Island even before the Joint Occupation Agreement of 1859. Anticipating war with Britain, they chose the site of Camp San Juan accordingly. Set on a high exposed hill overlooking Griffin Bay and the Strait of Juan…