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Sunset over the San Juan Islands, Washington
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Off shore, but not too far from the teeming-with-traffic streets of Los Angeles, the Channel Islands represent something entirely different. In fact, on the most visited one, Santa Catalina Island, cars are not allowed. Ferries from the mainland bring day trippers on the hunt for an island getaway that's close-in, yet worlds apart from the grit of the city.
Closer to shore and sitting right in San Francisco Bay, Angel Island State Park provides accommodations only for campers who have no use for creature comforts. Because it's accessible only by ferry from the San Francisco waterfront and Tiburon in trendy Marin County, Angel Island makes an ideal island escape that's clearly off the beaten path.
Washington State's San Juan Islands, located north of Puget Sound near the Canadian border, used to be a sleepy haven only for "in-the-know" Pacific Northwesterners and a few lucky outsiders. Now, fueled in part by the huge success of Seattle's entrepreneurial software, specialty coffee, and hard rock and roll cottage industries, San Juan Island, Lopez Island, and particularly Orcas Island have largely been transformed into island escapes for the well-heeled. While its shores still showcase opulent permanent and vacation homes for CEOs, rock stars, and Hollywood moguls, the area attracts an island getaway crowd of all stripes for activities such as sailing, hiking and camping, scenic drives, and glorious weekend vacations. Nearby islands not part of the San Juan chain but no less attractive include Camano Island and Whidbey Island, the longest island in the U.S.
British Columbia's Gulf Islands are the Canadian equivalent to the San Juan Islands both geologically and geographically. Of the hundreds of boundary islands situated between the city of Vancouver, BC and Vancouver Island, popular weekend escapes for Canadian and U.S. visitors include Salt Spring Island, Galiano Island, Mayne Island, and Pender Island.
Much further to the north - actually within Alaska's Inside Passage - lies British Columbia's rough and rugged Queen Charlotte Islands. Settled by the Haida tribe and supported by the logging industry, the islands are quite remote and overflowing with indigenous culture and history. The Queen Charlottes are highly recommended for off the beaten path island escapes that could include kayaking, camping, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
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