lime kiln point state park

While we didn't luck out and see any orcas in the area when we visited Lime Kiln State park we did see lots of other wildlife,including sea birds and deer. One early morning just outside the park we saw a doe and her two baby fawn just off the road---what a sight-- so adorable!!! The views from the park are incredibly picturesque, especially with the lighthouse in the background. We spent several hours at this park just sitting and enjoying the view! Be sure to bring a picnic and your camera!!

We came hoping to see orcas, as do many visitors. They were by Canada that day, but the views were amazing.

Go around sunset with a bottle of wine and some snacks and you will probably enjoy the most magnificent view of your life. With the backdrop of the Olympic Mountains, Vancouver Island, Haro Straight and a lovely little lighthouse you will not be disappointed. BUT if the local Orca pods decide to join you for happy hour, which they very often do, it is one of the best experiences ever. We have been multiple times to San Juan Island and never leave out a stop at Lime Kiln. Of 6 or 7 visits we have only not seen the friendly Orcas once. It seems they know they will have an audience here and often stay and play and show off for the crowds.

We were driving towards the park and we saw whales in the water! At the park there was a fantastic spot to watch the orca whales go bye. We had our 18 month old with us so we had a picnic while watching the whales.

Lime Kiln SP is one of the few places one can access the shore of San Juan Island because most of the accessible shoreline of the island is private property. Kudos to State of Washington for preserving some of it for the public. The views here are fantastic, looking across the channel to Vancouver Island, B.C., watching dolphin and whales cruise by, kayakers paddling by, and ships out in the channel. A must-see when you visit San Juan Island.

We spent an afternoon here watching the waves, seals, and even spotted a few Orcas from shore. Nicely maintained paths for a walk along the water.

I have seen lighthouses from Maine to Florida to Texas, the Great Lakes and points in-between. Lime Kiln is one of the most accessible, active, and educational lighthouse to visit. The main attraction is the orcas that frequent the area (the Southern Resident pods J, K, and L, as well as transients), but there are also many other opportunities of viewing wildlife from this lighthouse. Harbor seals frequently sunbathe on the rocks and can be seen poking their heads out of the water, harbor porpoise, Dall's porpoise, and minke whales are seen here often as well. There is a pair of bald eagles that frequent this side of the island and can be seen near the park at times.While Vancouver Island limits the sunset it is still a great place to watch it. The interpretive center and lighthouse also offer a chance at education and gifts and there is plenty of signage around the park to explain some of the things within the park.My biggest piece of advice is to be patient and observant when looking for wildlife. I saw plenty of people walk up to the lighthouse area and look around and then continue to just walk around. We had lunch at a picnic table near the lighthouse and watched a harbor seal sun itself. A number of people either walked by or stood there and did not see the little fellow. Learn to stay in one spot for a bit and observe. While staying put we were rewarded with many views of dolphin, porpoise, and eventually orcas.A Discover Pass is needed to park at the lighthouse and can be purchased at most sporting goods stores in Washington as well as the interpretive center on site during the summer months.

We were not too concerned with seeing any whales. There had only been one sighting all day. One should make the time to see the whole park. To the north we found out why it's called Lime Kiln. This site used to be a limestone quarry. One can see where the kilns were built to fire the limestone. Pretty cool to climb down and see the old kiln.To the south is the beach on Deadman's Bay. This is a scenic walk/hike along the rocky coast with some nice picture opportunities. We had lunch on one of the picnic tables. Of course everything in-between is worth visiting including the lighthouse.

Great place to spot killer whales whether you are ashore or in a boat. The lighthouse is stunning too.

Spent a few hours here. Although we weren't lucky enough to see orcas, we did spot a couple seals, lots of birds and many kayakers. Nice relaxing spot even the locals like to hang out here. The light house is an easy walk, has tracking information on the pods of orcas. We had seen the light house from lopez island, it was kind of cool to then be here.

I went to Lime Kiln in hopes of seeing some orcas, even though I wasn't one of the lucky ones, i had a great time hanging out for a few hours. The views are beautiful and I did see a few seals hanging out in the kelp beds.Bring a picnic lunch, beach chair or towel to sit on the rocks, sunglasses, sunscreen and a good book.The park has restrooms and some picnic tables as well.

Wasn't far walk,could sit and have lunch in peace and look at beautiful water below and could also go down towards rocks where the orcas come close to

For a wonderful day of hiking and breath taking beauty come to Lime Kiln Park. If you have a chance pack a lunch, water and maybe a bottle of wine. The water is perfect and needed for the hiking... but take time to sit and enjoy lunch overlooking the sound! Hike to the lighthouse and look for Orca's and other amazing sea life...

This was by far our favorite location on San Juan island. We entered the park in the morning and returned later in the afternoon to whale watch. (most frequent sighting between 3 and 4 pm.) There are plenty of trails one can hike around. i.e. Deadman's Bay which has a small beach area. Several kayaks came by.$10 day use fee.

The main reason I went to San Juan Island was to go whale watching. When I found out you could watch the resident orcas swim by Lime Kiln Park I knew I had to go there. I spent five days on the island and each day I went to this park with the hope of seeing the resident orcas go by. There's a lighthouse where you can talk to the people who take data on the ocras. They keep track of which pod and when they pass by. There's a sign that will tell you when the last sighting was. The first day I was there 2 hours and nothing. The next day I was there at 10 am and the whales were there within 15-20 minutes and stayed in the area for hours. The next day I was there from 10-5 and they were nowhere to be seen, not even the whale watching boats knew where they were. Another day, we got word they were traveling south and should be by the park in 3-4 hrs. I waited and waited, finally they showed up and put on a show! Wow, was it worth the wait. Each day I saw the same die-hard whale watchers, like me, arriving early and staying late. Out of five days, we saw the whales 3 times. If you are planning on going, you either have to plan to spend some time there or understand you may not see the orcas. If you do plan on spending a lot of time, here are my suggestions: 1) be patient, do no expect to show up and have the whales passing by (though I’m sure that happens for some lucky viewers) 2) bring a chair or pillow, the benches and/or rocks are very hard to sit on for a long period of time. 3) pack a picnic, games, binoculars, and reading materials. There is a snack shack, but it is pricey. The scenery is beautiful, but it can get boring staring out into the water hour after hour. 4) dress in layers. It can be windy, chilly, sunny, and hot, all in the same day. 5) buy an annual pass for 30 dollars, otherwise it’s 10 dollars a day. 6) watch a sunset from the lighthouse, it’s spectacular!