Ferry Friday Harbor to Anacortes Looking at Mount Baker

I saw the photo you see above, on Facebook today. No credit was given as to who took the photo. What we are looking at in the photo is a Washington State Ferry, after it has left Friday Harbor, heading west through the San Juan Islands, eventually getting to the mainland, at the Anacortes ferry dock.

That is the Mount Baker volcano hovering over the scene in the background.

Friday Harbor is a town in San Juan County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,613 at the most recent census. Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, is the commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago and is the county seat of San Juan County.

Washington has several towns which might be characterized as tourist towns, due to the throngs of tourists enjoying these towns. Friday Harbor is one of those towns. 

Equally touristy is La Conner, in the Skagit Valley, a short distance from where the ferry from Friday Harbor docks in Anacortes. 

Continuing east from La Conner, on Highway 20, you will eventually be driving over the North Cross State Highway Pass over the Cascades. This takes you through North Cascades National Park. After you get over the mountains you will soon come to another of Washington's themed tourist towns, Winthrop.

Take Stevens Pass over the Cascades and you will come to Washington's most touristy tourist town, Leavenworth. 

I'm likely forgetting some Washington tourist towns. Would Lynden be considered a tourist town? Lynden has a lot of Dutch theming going on...

Washington State Ferry Ride from Anacortes to the San Juan Islands & Sydney British Columbia

You might be able to guess, due to the Mounties, that the above photo was taken somewhere in Canada. Your guess would be correct. The Canadian Mounties have dismounted from their horses and are overlooking a crowd enjoying festivities celebrating the annual first run of the Anacortes/San Juan/Sidney Ferry.

Sidney is on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, which is a province of Canada.

Anacortes is a port city in Skagit County in the state of Washington.

The Washington State Ferry System operates several ferries out of Anacortes, making runs to the San Juan Islands and to Sydney, B.C.

The San Juan Islands are part of an international archipelago of over 450 islands in the Salish Sea.  The Canadian part of the archipelago is called the Gulf Islands. Fifteen of the islands are connected to the mainland (and Vancouver Island) by passenger ferries. The British Columbia Ferry System connects to 9 of the Gulf Islands, while the Washington State Ferry System connects to 6 of the San Juan Islands.

You can park and ride from Anacortes, walking on board.

Trust me, if you have never ridden a ferry and you are taking a vacation to Washington, you will want ride on a Washington ferry.

The Washington State Ferry Fleet is the largest in the United States and the 3rd largest in the world.

In Anacortes you can buy an outbound ticket to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and hop off for a visit at any of the island stops, like Orcas Island, and then catch the next outbound ferry.

Catching the last ferry of the day, in Friday Harbor, after dark, makes for a very fun ride back to Anacortes.

Below is a YouTube video of the first sailing of the year from Anacortes to Sydney...