San Juan Island National Historical Park announces opening dates

Submitted by the San Juan Island National Historical Park.

San Juan Island National Historical Park is getting ready to open its visitor centers for the year! This year, the English Camp Visitor Center will open Friday, May 28, 2022, and will remain open until October 1. The American Camp Visitor Center, where staff and volunteers are working on visitor enhancements and installing a brand-new, state of the art exhibits, will open July 4 weekend. San Juan Island National Historical Park received over 630,000 visitors in 2021, a steep increase above past years. Our seasonal staff and park hosts are ready and excited to welcome you to our park!

The new Visitor Center, created in collaboration with the park-associated Tribes of San Juan Island, will be unlike any other park facility we have built. Park staff have worked closely with artists, artisans, scholars, and scientists to create a community facility that pays tribute to the multiple histories of San Juan Island and their meaning for different individuals and groups and the unique environment of our island.

Regular programming scheduled for this summer include guided walks, historical tours, living history, and recurring Monday night contra dancing. This year is the 150th anniversary of the Boundary Dispute Resolution which ensured a peaceful settlement to The Pig War; we have already begun programming and have much more on hand this summer. A major highlight of this will be the long awaited return of popular multi-day living history encampment which will return to English Camp in early August. If you or your organization would like to partner with us to commemorate this history, please contact us!

Our staff is excited to see visitors new and old this summer!