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Sea Kayaking Guides and Outfitters
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Kayaking Trip Reports
Anacortes to Orcas Island
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San Juan Island to Stuart Island Photos
Surf Kayaking at Crescent Bay
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Washington State offers some of the most
beautiful water on the globe with abundant wildlife (in the seas and
above them) untamed lands and historically rich destinations. The State
offers the kind of paddling experiences that sea kayakers dream about!
The scale of the paddling experiences are
awesome. Ocean sea kayaking options range from paddling among the 200+
islands in the San Juan Island Group to navigating the 140-mile Cascadia
Marine Trail. Paddling on the
Columbia River offers 51miles of towering
cliffs as part of the Hanford Reach or 35,000 acres of islands as part
of the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge. Remote inland paddling
destinations include lakes, rivers and sloughs offering privacy, rich
forests, glacial clear waters and diverse wildlife (moose, deer, and the
occasional black bear).
Our Sea Kayaking destination pages
guide the reader to:
San Juan Islands -
Outer Islands: Experienced paddlers are often drawn to
challenging waters along the “Outer Islands” – the more exposed western
shorelines in the San Juan Island group in
Washington. Traveling with an
experienced outfitter is advised. Ferry service is offered to only four
of the several hundred islands in the San Juan Island group. Outfitters
offer trips to more remote destinations in the San Juan Islands either
by multi-day expedition paddle trips or by shuttling kayaks via boat.
Expect unpredictable winds (especially in the afternoons), rich wildlife
with the possibility of viewing whales and dolphin, shorelines ranging
from national wildlife refuges and state parks to resorts, marinas and
personal cabins.
Eastern San Juan Island Destinations:
Historic lighthouses, vast vistas of the Strait of Juan de Fuca,
sightings of porpoise and seals are part what draws kayakers of varying
skill levels to the more sheltered side of the San Juan Island group.
From multi-hour trips for novice kayakers to multi-day expeditions for
more experienced kayakers there is much to interest paddlers. Paddlers
can depart from the shore near Anacortes on Fildago Island, and paddle
to destinations such as Burrows Island with views of the Olympic
Mountains, Cypress Island and its historic biological reserve or Orcas
and San Juan Island.
Cascadia Marine Trail
In 1995 the Cascadia Marine Trail System was formed. It is a 140-mile
“trail” of water-connected campsites, access points, and attractions.
Camping or lodging accessible to kayakers from the water or for which an
Innkeeper will provide transportation for boat and paddler (typically)
by prior arrangement. The trail extends from Olympia to Bellingham,
Washington. For more information:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/trails.asp)
Inland Paddling Destinations
Inland waters including lakes, rivers, sloughs and river deltas offering
a range of Sea Kayaking opportunities. A great blue heron rookery nested
high in cotton wood trees (along the 6-mile long Little Spokane River
trail), moose, bear, deer, eagles, trout and more are common sights for
the inland paddler.
Rivers across the State offer a
multitude of sea kayaking opportunities. Paddlers who head to southern
Washington State and the Columbia River will discover several unique
paddling destinations including the Hanford Reach located in south
central Washington State and offering 51 miles of free flowing,
non-tidal water flowing through towering cliffs and shifting sand dunes.
Further west on the Columbia River are two national wildlife refuges –
the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge offering 35,000 acres of
islands and sloughs and the 5,000 acre White-tailed Deer National
Wildlife Refuge. |
Go
Northwest!
Bookstore
Best selection of books on the
Northwest.
Click here!
The
Whale Watcher's Guide: Whale-Watching Trips in North America.
by Patricia Corrigan, Roger Payne
Paperback, 328 pages, Updated edition,
March 1999.
Order
now...
Killer
Whales: The Natural History and Genealogy of Orcinus Orca in British Columbia
and Washington State
by John K. B. Ford, Graeme M. Ellis, Kenneth C., III Balcomb
Paperback: 104 pages, University of
Washington Press, ISBN: 0295979585. Updated edition, June 15, 2000.
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now...
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