There is just something about the puffin! Their chubby bodies, short, fat beaks and – in the case of our native tufted – Flock of Seagulls-like feather ‘do, just makes us smile. Thanks to a few boating tour groups near Skagit County, you can see the adorable tufted puffin in its natural habitat!
Tours start in spring, when the tufted puffins come to roost on the cliffsides to raise their young, and head into early summer. “They will lay their eggs, raise their young, then once they fledge, those puffins are on their own,” explains Brooke with Outer Island Excursions. “In the fall, the puffins start to head to the open ocean.”
Salish Sea School
Birding Tours: May – August
Departing city: Anacortes
The Salish Sea School offers a couple of types of tours specifically for those wanting to see the tufted puffin: the Puffin Discovery Trip and the Puffin Photography Trip. As a nonprofit organization, their tours are “educational, conservation-focused experiences led by experienced naturalists and educators,” shares Amy of Salish Sea School. “Guests don’t just see wildlife, they gain a deeper understanding of the Salish Sea, the species that live here, and the importance of protecting this remarkable ecosystem.”
What makes their tours unique:
- Purpose-driven experiences: Every trip supports marine education, conservation and community access programs
- Led by experienced naturalists and educators: The team brings deep knowledge of wildlife, ecology and the Salish Sea
- Education-first approach: Trips are lesson-rich and thoughtfully paced, not just sightseeing
- Conservation connection: Guests may contribute to community science through wildlife observations and data collection
- eBird checklists shared after trips: Helping contribute to bird research and long-term tracking
- Diverse wildlife opportunities: In addition to puffins, you may encounter whales, porpoises, seals, sea lions, and a wide variety of seabirds
- Every trip is unique: Weather, wildlife and ocean conditions shape each experience
Amy says the Salish Sea School puffin tours are great for all ages, including children, but recommends everyone be comfortable on an open boat and be able to follow basic safety instructions.
The Discovery Puffin Tour is three hours long and the Puffin Photography Tour lasts four hours. You can book both on the Salish Sea School website. Prices range from $99 to $149 per person, with small boat experiences available at $249 a person. “Every ticket helps fund marine education, conservation, and community access programs,” shares Amy.
Outer Island Excursions
Birding Tours: Summer
Departing city: Anacortes
Outer Island Excursions offers birding tours in the summer months. They partner with local researchers by sharing their sightings with those monitoring the population.
“The Anacortes location is a great launching point to see the Puffins!” shares Brooke. “The only nesting ground for the puffins within the Salish Sea is just a short boat ride away.”
Their tours will cover the puffin nesting grounds at Smith Island. “The birding tour is special because we have time to find unique birds and spend some time watching them,” says Brooke. “In the last few years, we have had an even more rare puffin visitor to the Salish Sea – we have spotted not one, but two horned puffins! Horned puffins are extremely rare in the area, as they usually live in Alaska and Russia.”
You may see other incredible seabirds that make the Salish Sea home, including common murre, three species of cormorants, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, shearwaters, phalaropes, pigeon guillemots, black oystercatchers, and numerous gull species.
The tour lasts three to four hours and costs $90 plus tax. It’s suitable for bird lovers of all ages! Book your tour on the Outer Island Excursion website.
Skagit Guided Adventures
Tours: April – September
Departing City: Anacortes
Skagit Guided Adventures also has birding tours with potential puffin sightings! The Anacortes Puffin Cruise heads to Smith Island Aquatic Preserve and James Island Marine State Park.
During the four-hour cruise, which is senior-friendly, you will hopefully encounter one of the pairs of tufted puffins that make nests on the cliffside. You may see hosts of other shorebirds as well, and maybe even an orca, seal or other marine mammal!
You can book their tours on the Skagit Guided Adventure website. Cost is $302 a person. Minimum age is 9 years old.
