Whidbey Island, Camano Island

Hop a ferry from Seattle to Whidbey Island or drive — via bridge — to Camano Island for a relaxing ringside seat to Washington’s majestic Olympic Peninsula with expansive views of Puget Sound, rugged landscapes and, if you’re lucky, orca sightings.

Whidbey Island boasts seven state parks, including Cama Beach State Park and Deception Pass. Take a jet boat under the Deception Pass bridge and visit Coupeville’s Penn Cove Shellfish, the country’s oldest mussel farm, or go winery hopping across the island.

On laid-back Camano, visit Four Springs Lake Preserve or Tillicum Beach, then head for one of the pop-up dinners held during the summer months in a restored century-old barn on Kristoferson Farm. Details » Find places to stay, things to do and maps at whidbeycamanoislands.com. Washington State Ferry schedules are posted at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.

Vashon Island, Maury Island

Quiet Vashon Island boasts 45miles of beautiful coastline, plus restaurants, wineries and a lavender farm. It’s a twofer, too. Maury Island is connected to Vashon via an isthmus built in 1913by locals — before that, you had to wait for low tide to get across. A historic lighthouse sits on Maury Island’s Point Robinson.

Details: The Washington State Ferry connects Vashon Island with West Seattle’s Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, and there’s a water taxi option from downtown Seattle available on weekdays during the winter (www.kingcounty. gov/depts/transportation/ water-taxi.aspx).

San Juan, Lopez, Orcas and Shaw islands

For a weekend getaway, head for the San Juan Islands archipelago, which includes scores of islands and reefs. San Juan and Orcas islands are the most popular with visitors, with Lopez and the smaller Shaw offering more laid-back adventures. All four are easily reached via ferry.

Details: Catch the Washington State Ferry to those islands from Anacortes, roughly 90minutes north of Seattle.