Overview
Shaw Island is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands served by the Washington State Ferries, at just under . It has a year-round population about 200 people, though summertime weekends swell with other residents and the occasional tourist.
2 sights · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Shaw Island
Little Red Schoolhouse
An operational historic one-room school (although a second room was later added), with classes for elementary and middle school students. It has been in continuous use since it was built in 1890 and is the longest-runnin…
Shaw Island Library and Historical Society
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jun–Sep. Summer highs reach about 70°F; winter lows dip to about 33°F. Wettest: Dec and Nov. (climate data from nearby Port Angeles)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- FRD Friday Harbor Airport, Friday Harbor — 5 mi away. Directions
- ESD Orcas Island Airport, Eastsound — 10 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 83 mi away (major hub). Directions
Washington State Ferries operates the Anacortes / San Juan Islands route:
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Shaw Island Library and Historical Society
- Afternoon Little Red Schoolhouse
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
The Wilkes Expedition, in 1841, named the island after John Shaw, a United States Naval Officer.
There are two Catholic religious institutes of nuns on Shaw Island. Benedictine nuns established a monastery on 150 acres in the 1970s; while the Sisters of Mercy have owned an unofficial retreat on the island since the 1980s. Nuns of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist ran the island's only store and the ferry terminal for more than two decades until 2004 where they could be seen in full habit directing ferry traffic.
Get in
By ferry
Washington State Ferries operates the Anacortes / San Juan Islands route:
The ferry also makes stops at:
- Anacortes Terminal on the mainland, about 1½ hours north of Seattle. This is the only easy way to take a car to the islands. Anacortes Terminal is connected by public bus to Mount Vernon and the rest of mainland, and by private shuttle directly to Seattle and SeaTac Airport.
- Lopez Island, at its northern tip, about 4 mi from Lopez Village.
- Orcas Island, at Orcas Village.
- San Juan Island, at Friday Harbor.
The ferry schedule is complicated. There's a sailing about once an hour in the summer, a little less often in the winter. One vessel makes several interisland loops, while the other vessels run from Anacortes to one or more islands and back.
Reservations are strongly recommended for vehicles, especially for summer weekends, when the wait for loading cars can be notoriously long. It is not unusual to wait in line for many hours, and missing the last ferry can mean a desperate search for accommodations to spend an unplanned night on the islands.
Walk-on passengers should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to sailing. Vehicle traffic with reservations should arrive about 60 minutes prior to sailing. Vehicles without reservations should prepare to wait several hours during peak afternoon and weekend sailing.
Get around
Shoreline access is best at the Shaw County Park.
There are 11.5 mi of asphalt and 2.37 mi of gravel public roads on Shaw. The primary roads are three loops in the interior of the island, with branches to the ferry dock, Shaw Island County Park, Neck Point, and Broken Point.
See
Shaw Island has a county park, a historic general store, and a post office at the ferry landing.
See Little Red Schoolhouse (Shaw Island Elementary School)
An operational historic one-room school (although a second room was later added), with classes for elementary and middle school students. It has been in continuous use since it was built in 1890 and is the longest-running school in the state of Washington. The building is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Buy
Sleep
Stay Shaw Island County Park Campground
Basic campground with 11 camping spots at the shores of Indian Cove. Only "accommodations" available as a campground as there are no hotels or hostels on the island. Reservations are recommended during the summer from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; otherwise, it is first-come, first served.
Nearby
Orcas Village
City / town · 10 listings · 2 mi away
Friday Harbor
City / town · 27 listings · 4 mi away
Blakely Island
Rural area · 2 listings · 7 mi away
Lopez Island
City / town · 25 listings · 7 mi away
Decatur Island
Rural area · 4 listings · 8 mi away
Waldron Island
Rural area · 1 listings · 9 mi away
Eastsound
City / town · 30 listings · 9 mi away
Roche Harbor
City / town · 11 listings · 9 mi away
My experience
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