You won't find this airport in the GNS530 database, but Roche Harbor is another San Juan fly-in destination. Located 7.1 NM northwest of the Friday Harbor airport, WA09 is the home of the Roche Harbor Resort and casual dining on the water at the Madrona Bar and Grille or the Lime Kiln Cafe. For a more formal dining experience try McMillan's Dining Room. Everything is just a short five minute walk from the West end of the runway. Have the whole day? Then rent a kayak or take a whale watching tour.
Airport Considerations
This airport can be intimidating due to its 30 foot wide runway, but with nearly 3600' of length it’s not much different than landing at Snohomish. Parking is at the approach end of runway 07 in the grass above the runway and there are no taxiways so depending on your landing direction, you may have to back-taxi to parking. Remember to announce your intentions!
Since the airport is private and maintained by the residents of Roche Harbor there is a nominal landing fee of $10. It’s a small price to pay for the privilege of landing in such a beautiful place. The pay box is located near the main road. Be sure and read the airport description for pattern altitude and noise abatement information.
-Todd Lindley