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Take a Slow Day: Escape to Nearby Vashon Island

Go city to country in just 20 minutes for an easy day trip

Published on: March 21, 2023

Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon Island is a fun stop on an island getaway day trip from Seattle
Photo:
Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon Island.

We pulled up to the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal in West Seattle just in time to miss the ferry. But right next to the dock is a tiny pocket of public beach, called Cove Park, where the kids happily poked the sand with sticks and climbed on driftwood.

When life calls for a mental vacation and a quick change of scenery, try a day trip to Vashon Island.

The only way to get to Vashon is via ferry, a beautiful 20-minute ride from either West Seattle or Point Defiance in Tacoma. The island, named for British sea captain James Vashon, is rural by design. Unlike some busier islands, such as Bainbridge and Whidbey, Vashon doesn’t have any bridges connecting it to the mainland. And because of its low aquifers, the island can’t sustain the kind of massive urban expansion that’s walloped the rest of King County.

Riding the ferry to Vashon
Riding the Vashon ferry. Credit: JiaYing Grygiel

Vashon is intentionally cut off, and it offers a nice change of pace from the city.

“One of the things we all love about this place is that we are lucky to live in a beautiful environment,” says Jim Marsh, executive director of Vashon’s Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve got forests, we’ve got water views, we’ve got beaches. There’s plenty of places to hike, to bike. And the nice thing is we are 20 minutes away from two major cities. That is, on a very basic level, one of the things that makes Vashon a special place.”

The island is only 13 miles long, but its 45 miles of shoreline make for a lot of great beaches. Put these on your list: Comb the rocky beach at Lisabuela Park, the wooded beach at Fern Cove, or go to Jensen Point Park, where you can launch kayaks and boats. Once we ferried over to Vashon, we headed straight for Point Robinson on Maury Island, which is attached to Vashon by a man-made isthmus.

Boys playing on the beach
Amid the driftwood on the beach. Credit: JiaYing Grygiel

From the parking lot, a short wooded trail leads to the beach, where the view of majestic Mount Rainier will knock your socks off. The 1885 lighthouse makes a scenic backdrop for pictures, and the keeper’s quarters are now vacation rentals (from about $200 per night during the off-season).

Point Robinson’s beach is perfect for flying kites and skipping rocks, with a grassy picnic area for playing hide-and-seek. Orca sightings happen year-round. While we didn’t see any whales on our visit, we did see a lot of hopeful whale watchers.

Even while using our maps app, we got turned around on the winding country roads. We spotted sheep grazing in roadside pastures … again and again, as we accidentally circled back. With all the working farms on the island, you’ll drive by farm stands on every road. Look for these if you go during harvest season (mid- to late-summer) and note that many operate on the honor system.

View of Rainier from Vashon
A view of Mount Rainier from Vashon. Credit: JiaYing Grygiel

Stopping for a bite

Vashon Island’s teeny-tiny downtown, with one blinking stoplight, is also named Vashon, though locals call it Uptown. (There are a total of four stop signs along the island’s entire main highway.) We drove into town for lunch just as the rain started.

Snapdragon (17817 Vashon Hwy. S.W.) is famous for its baked goods, and our crew of four split a super-size cinnamon bun while we waited for our entrées. And waited ... and waited. Service was sweet but slow, and not even hungry children from the big city were going to speed up island time.

For a date-night dinner, try Gravy (17629 Vashon Hwy. S.W.), which dishes up Americana food with Southern roots, or Bramble House (17123 Vashon Hwy. S.W.), where the farm-to-table fare is served by former "Top Chef" contestant Lia Lira. (Editor’s note: Bramble House is currently closed for regular service; check the website for updates.)

Lunch at Snapdragon on Vashon Island
Lunch at Snapdragon. Credit: JiaYing Grygiel

In the lunch crowd at Snapdragon, we overheard a woman chatting with her neighbor: “You’re an artist?” On Vashon, that’s a pretty safe question. The island is home to a vibrant arts community and a progressive attitude to go along with it. A $20 million performing arts center opened in 2016, and Vashon’s residents include hundreds of painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians and actors.

Island life

Vashon has long held a reputation as a sanctuary for artists and hippies — and now, lawyers, too. Nearly a third of the island’s 11,000 residents commute to Seattle or Tacoma for work, just a 20-minute ferry ride away.

But living on the island has its quirks. You have to be prepared to go without power, and be able to fix stuff yourself. Boats can be delayed because of orcas or weather, so you might not make it to work on time.

Vashon ferry
Vashon ferry. Credit: dirtsailor2003/Flickr CC

“Vashon is not an easy place to get to or do things on. People move here or live here because of that,” says Marsh.

Resident Mike Urban was born and raised on Vashon. Other than a stint at the University of Washington, it’s where he’s lived his whole life.

“In high school, most of my classmates just couldn’t wait to get out,” says Urban. “I couldn’t wait to stay. I recognized early how special the place was. I was telling myself at the age of 17 that there’s no place else like this.”

Vashon special events and sights

Though canceled for 2023, the Vashon Sheepdog Classic is typically held in June at Vashon’s Misty Isle Farms. If your kids loved reading “Charlotte’s Web” or watching “Babe,” they’ll love seeing real working sheepdogs in competition. If this sounds like fun, check back for its possible return in 2024.

Vashon sheepdog credit Kim Farrell
A pooch at the Vashon Sheepdog Classic. Credit: Kim Farrell

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival, typically the third weekend in July, is also worth marking your calendar for. Vashon was the center for strawberry production in the early 20th century. Celebrate the island’s agricultural heritage with a street fair, a parade, local artists, music and the last strawberries of the season.

The bike tree: In the tallest tree just north of the Sound Food building (20312 Vashon Hwy. S.W.), spy a rusty bike sticking out. It’s an odd landmark with an interesting backstory. According to Urban, the tree’s owner, a family lost everything in a house fire in 1954. Someone donated a bike to the family, but it was a girl’s bike, so the boy left it in the bushes. Someone put the bike in a crook in the tree and over the years, the tree grew around the bike.(Unfortunately, the bike was vandalized a few years ago.)

Vashon Farmers Market, Saturdays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., on the Village Green: This is a great spot for families to shop for local produce, baked goods and crafts, and pet some llamas, goats and rabbits. The market is open April to mid-October.

Island Center Forest: A 363-acre forest and nature preserve with an incredible network of trails. Walk through wetland areas and tall stands of firs, and around two ponds. Bring binoculars for bird-watching, as more than 70 species call the Island Center Forest home.

Vashon Heritage Museum, located at 10105 S.W. Bank Rd.: This by-donation museum features photos and artifacts from Vashon history, from the First People and early settlers to the present

Looking for more day trip ideas? Give these a try!

Editor’s note: This article was originally published a few years ago and updated most recently for 2023.

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