While there are lots of reasons people generally pick the June – August summer season for a camping trip to the San Juan Islands, the main reason has to be the weather. The San Juan Islands generally benefit from some unbelievable summer weather with highs that usually top out in the mid-seventies and lows that hang out right around fifty degrees.
Because the San Juans are a pretty temperate climate, the early spring and late fall temps aren’t too far off, but there’s no argument that it’ll be cooler outside if you go camping or glamping outside of the summer season.
Remember that our glamping tents will not offer heat or electricity!
To get you ready for an early spring break visit to the San Juan Islands, we’ve compiled a handful of tips to help you enjoy the (cooler) great outdoors.
1. Be prepared
When you’re glamping with us in Moran State Park, you won’t have to worry about packing your tent and bedding, so you can go ahead and pack a few extra layers of clothing. Go ahead, toss an extra coat, knit cap and some gloves in your car – you may be thankful that you brought them along.
2. Layer
While you’re probably familiar with the basics, layers are the only way to go when you’re camping in a cooler season. A good base layer (the one on your skin) will wick any perspiration away from you and will dry quickly. The middle layer is designed to keep you roasty toasty and your outer layer should shield you from all elements – wind, rain, and anything else that may come your direction.
Chances are good that you’ll get nice and warm hiking around the lake or just hanging out in the sunshine so you’ll shed some layers. Once your hike’s over or you head back to the shade, go ahead and toss another layer back on. If you get too cool too quick, your body will have to work even harder to warm you back up!
4. Snack
This one’s our favorite. If you’re hanging ‘round the campfire and start to get a bit of a chill in the evening, go ahead and have a snack. Chocolate, cheese, nuts, and crackers will give you some extra fuel to stay nice and warm all night long.
5. Preheat
This is a well-known trick: sneaking a warm water bottle in-between the sheets will help pre-heat your bed so your warmth will stay with you and won’t be transferred to the bed once you turn in for the night.
Tip: We provide full bed linens and, for the cooler season, toss an extra fleece blanket in the mix so you’ll have pillows, sheets, a fleece blanket, a fluffy comforter with duvet cover as well as a wool blanket to keep you cozy. We’ll also stock your tent with a hot water bottle with an extra pillow case so that you can preheat your bed using hot water from the campfire.
6. Stay Dry
Be sure to be dry by sundown! We learned this back in our Scouting days and it really works. If you’ve been active jogging, hiking or biking you’ve perspired just enough to add some unwanted moisture to your base layer. Chances are that you’ll be much cooler if you stay in the same clothes into the evening. Change out of those damp clothes before the sun goes down and you’ll be way more comfortable throughout the evening. Don’t forget your socks – those are your base layer too.
7. Keep the fire going
This one may go without saying but, while most everyone thinks of a campfire as an evening campfire as the perfect way to end a great day, it and even better way to start the day! Go ahead, ease into your day and warmer daytime temps by getting a fire going as soon as you wake up. If it’s chilly outside, you’ll be glad that you did!
9. Top it off
Even if you think that more heat escaping from your head than from other parts of your body is a myth, we still recommend that you bring along a hat and gloves. If you’ve got a warm jacket and socks, why not top it all off with a nice warm hat?
We sure hope that you’ve found this post helpful and will consider giving glamping a go either before or after the busy summer season. If you stay with us, we’ll do all that we can to make sure that you’re nice and comfortable! If you have more questions – please don’t hesitate to ring or write!
