What makes the Pig War remarkable is not its violence but its restraint. After Cutlar shot the pig, British authorities threatened arrest. American settlers petitioned for military protection. Both sides escalated their presence on the island. Yet President James Buchanan, shocked that a farmer's frustration could balloon into an international incident, dispatched the commanding general of the U.S. Army to contain the crisis. His diplomacy held until 1871, when Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany was asked to arbitrate. The following year, his commission ruled in favor of the United States, establishing the boundary through Haro Strait and settling forever the line between Canada and its southern neighbor. The only casualty of the entire conflict remained that unfortunate pig.

Friday Harbor serves as the county seat for San Juan County and anchors the island's largest town. The Whale Museum chronicles the pods of orcas that patrol these waters, while the San Juan Islands Museum of Art brings culture to this maritime community. Across the island, Roche Harbor offers a different flavor of island life: a bustling harbor resort where the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park displays more than 150 outdoor works among gardens and forest paths. Between these two settlements, the island unfolds in pastoral beauty, its roads tracing the old sheep runs established by Hudson's Bay Company workers more than a century and a half ago.

The waters surrounding San Juan Island rank among the premier whale watching destinations in North America. Resident orca pods, including the famous J, K, and L pods, follow salmon runs through these cold, productive waters. Lime Kiln Point State Park on the island's west side has earned its reputation as one of the best land-based whale watching spots anywhere, where patient observers can watch the distinctive black-and-white forms breach and spy-hop against a backdrop of distant Olympic Mountains. Kayaking outfitters in Friday Harbor offer a more intimate encounter, guiding paddlers through kelp forests where seals haul out on rocky islets and bald eagles wheel overhead.

Washington State Ferries connects San Juan Island to the mainland at Anacortes, about ninety minutes north of Seattle. The ferry also serves Lopez, Shaw, and Orcas islands, creating a web of maritime transportation through the archipelago. Summer weekends can mean long waits for vehicles, so reservations are strongly recommended. Walk-on passengers have an easier time, though arriving thirty minutes before sailing remains wise. Once on island, a small bus service and taxi options help visitors explore, though many rent mopeds or bicycles to feel the salt air as they travel between harbors and historical sites.