Despite Washington’s reputation for gray and rainy skies, the San Juan Islands boast near-perfect camping and paddling weather from late May through early October. High temperatures average in the low 70’s, there is little rain, and the winds are usually light. The San Juan Islands of Washington State are particularly dry, due to their location within the “rain shadow” cast by the Olympic Mountains. This unusual archipelago boasts the driest microclimate of the Pacific Northwest region. Here, a careful observer will notice tiny cactus growing beneath the same towering trees found in temperate rainforests!