• Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • PNW
    • Kayak/Travel Blog
    • Maps
  • Reviews
EVERYONE'S TRAVEL CLUB
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • PNW
    • Kayak/Travel Blog
    • Maps
  • Reviews

Where to SUP (stand up paddleboard), canoe, or kayak in Seattle - an Everyone's Travel Club top 10!    

9/10/2012

9 Comments

 
   Looking to paddle in Seattle? Everyone's Travel Club is here for you and we've put together a quick Seattle paddling top ten! Whether you plan to stand up paddle board, canoe, or kayak, these destinations are sure to please. Need more info? All of the linked words in the paragraphs below take you directly to an ETC post or video related to the destination. Enjoy!
   ~Paul   ETC

1. Arboretum

Picture
Arboretum paddling
If you have only a few days to paddle in Seattle, the most bang for your buck is exploring the Washington Park Arboretum near Seattle's University District (go Huskies!). In this still-water wildlife refuge you'll paddle through narrow, peaceful waterways, trees overhead, and feel like you're in the jungle. It's the urban Everglades. Need a boat? Rent it from the UW WAC boat house nearby. 

2. Shilshole Bay/Golden Gardens

Picture
A golden sunset at Shilshole Marina
A Shilshole Bay paddle surrounds you with some of the best parts of Seattle - mountains, beach, the Puget Sound, sailboats, sea-life, and a great neighborhood nearby. Golden Gardens is the place to be for beach goers once the sun finally comes out in the summer. Sailboats fill the docks at Shilshole Marina. After a paddle exploring sea-life close-up at low tide, head into the nearby hood (called Ballard) for food, shopping, concerts, and sight-seeing. Use the public parking and boat ramp at the North end of the marina to launch. Check the tides/weather before you go and watch out for boat traffic. Make sure to spy dead Leif and the sea serpent chillin' on the breakwater!

3. Lake Union

Picture
Gasworks Park on Lake Union
Tour some Sleepless in Seattle houseboats and enjoy great city views. Pull your boat up on the dock at Ivar's Seafood house for some local seafood. Watch seaplanes land and take off, heading to the San Juan Islands and beyond. Parking can be tricky at the south end of the lake, although there is a great launch site. We prefer the sunnyside boat ramp on the north end. Need a boat? Aqua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club is the place to rent kayaks (and eat burritos) in this area. 


4. Lake Washington, North

Picture
Landing across the pond at St Edward Park
Nothing beats the feel of paddling on Lake Washington. After trips in the saltwater, the no-tides freshwater here is always a welcoming change. On the north end of the lake, Matthews Beach Park is a great place to launch with Sand Point to the south and St. Edward Park across the lake to the East. Like we said, no tides to worry about here, just watch out for wind & boat traffic and bring your bathing suit in the summer. 

5. Lake Washington, South

Picture
Paddling in Andrews Bay
Our favorite place to paddle and launch in the south is Andrews Bay, right next to Seward Park. A favorite anchorage for sailboats overnighting on the lake, Andrews Bay is the perfect launch site with concrete steps right down to the water. From there, paddle around the sizable old growth forest park peninsula that is Seward Park. When you get to the other side to take out - you're pretty much back where you started!

6. Alki Beach/West Seattle

Picture
A view towards Alki & downtown from the lighthouse
Talk about city views. Launch near Salty's seafood restaurant (maybe hit their great happy hour first). Paddling north from there, turn the corner and cruise the Southern California- like Alki Beach. Restaurants, boat rental places, and shopping line the street, often crowded with skateboarders, beach goers, and rollerbladers. For a longer paddle, keep going and you'll pass the Alki Point lighthouse and eventually hit the heavily wooded Lincoln Park to the south. Watch the tides/weather and don't let the summer vibe cloud common sense - the water you're paddling in is chilly all year! 

7. The Ship Canal - Fremont/U-District

Picture
Checking out house boats, paddling to the Montlake Cut
The Lake Washington ship canal connects the freshwater lakes of Lake Washington and Lake Union to the saltwater Puget Sound. The Fremont/U District portion takes you through the historic Montlake Cut, the finish-line for the nationally known Husky crew teams. It also gives you access to the Arboretum (to the east), Ivar's Seafood restaurant, downtown views on Lake Union, Gasworks Park on the north end of the lake, and you're close to the self- proclaimed "Center of the Universe" - the quirky village-like neighborhood of Fremont. A good launch site for a full-day paddle is the 14th Ave boat ramp in Ballard, kinda between the Ballard Fred Meyer and Trader Joe's. Park for free, launch, and head east. 

8. The Ship Canal - Ballard/Fishermen's Terminal

Picture
Kayaks resting on the public dock while we eat breakfast nearby!
Launching from the 14th Ave. boat ramp and heading west takes you towards the Fishermen's Terminal and the Ballard Locks. Paddle next to giants at the Terminal - some of the fishing boats and their crews here are the stars of the popular television show "Deadliest Catch". Pull over at the public dock on the west end of the marina and enjoy breakfast at the popular Bay Cafe. Leave the Terminal heading west  a little more and you'll get a view of boats leaving and entering the freshwater through the Ballard Locks. Don't get too close, it's a busy place for boats of all sizes. Want to kayak to a spa? Try the "Habitude launch site" nearby.

9. Discovery Park

Picture
The Beach at Discovery Park
The largest city park in Seattle also happens to be surrounded by water. If you are lucky enough to score a parking spot close to the West Point lighthouse, you can launch from there. Carrying an inflatable? Hike through the woods to multiple beaches. A better idea? Launch from the Point Shilshole "surfer beach" - across the water on the Ballard side, just south of the Shilshole Marina and across from Paseo (great Caribbean sandwiches). 


10. Greenlake

Picture
Journey to Seattle's central park to soak up the rays (in the summer at least!) and paddle a few laps around Greenlake. Parking, equipment rental in the summer, and possible launch sites are on almost all sides of the lake. Look for some more secluded spots on the west side of the lake where there is also a nice kayak dock at the rowing center (and parking close to launch). 


9 Comments

Kayaking Lake Union & the Arboretum via the Sunnyside Ave N boat ramp

7/1/2012

4 Comments

 
Picture
   In my old age (hey! I'm not that old) and my long Northwest paddling career (OK, only like 3 years), I've gotten pretty official about my kayak put-ins. The days of quietly inflating my kayak in a dark corner, waiting for some dock staff to turn their shoulders, and then lunging toward the water to launch before I get caught are just about over.
Picture
  So, we've been working our way down the Lake Washington Ship Canal (Seattle, WA), checking out launch sites (see here, and here!). This one is just northeast-ish of Gas Works Park, next-door to the Puget Sound Yacht Club on Lake Union.

View Larger Map
   From here, you've got free street parking, great water views of Seattle, and you're close to Gas Works Park, beautiful houseboats in Portage Bay, and if you make a half-day out of it - the Arboretum and the University of Washington are around the corner towards Lake Washington.
   Any negatives? Well, this area of Lake Union can get a little busy with boats of all kinds. Our favorite situation during this trip was a huge power yacht with the captain and crew all working to crane up their giant dinghy, all while leaving the boat in forward. As they scratched their heads in the back of the boat they didn't realize they were slowly moving forward toward the bank. They almost hit a kayaker and ran into a University of Washington research vessel before the captain realized it and hit the reverse...v-rooooom! 
   This busy area leads toward the 'Montlake Cut', the skinny waterway that connects the Seattle lakes. It can be a little choppy depending on boat traffic (a.k.a. SUP's beware!). It's worth it to make it to Seattle's Arboretum - stay close to the edge and you'll do fine.
   Speaking of boat traffic, the Seattle Ducks (Land/aquatic tourist vehicles full of tourists with quackers) enter the lake from the Sunnyside boat ramp. They're not that bad wake-wise, and if you spend some time getting ready on the dock you'll get to vote along with the tourists - "Should I enter the lake fast or slow?" Then, 5 minutes later the next duck-boat will arrive..."Should I enter the lake fast or slow?"
Picture
Picture
   Don't have a kayak? Aqua Verde and the UW are close to this area as well, both rent out various boats...Enjoy more pics at the bottom of this post!
   ~Paul, Amber, Vic   ETC
Picture
4 Comments

From the Archives: Kayaking Lake Union to Lake Washington

12/20/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
   Everyone's Travel Club took a little trip in Seattle's local lakes - paddling from the Center for Wooden boats on Lake Union to the Leschi marina on Lake Washington. The trip took about 2.5 hours (oneway) via inflatable kayak with my typical pace of paddle, take picture, paddle, take picture, etc.
   This route passes by some great boats and gives you awesome city views. You're also paddling where natives have for centuries - what we call the cut (between the two lakes) used to be called something to the effect of "carry a canoe" (due to the fact that water wasn't always flowing between the two lakes, only when Lake Washington overflowed).
   I guess the bad part of the trip was parking, or lack of free parking except Sundays near the Center on Lake Union, and also, I don't think the Center for Wooden Boats technically has a kayak boat launch...I went a little rogue and launched quick off one of their docks (nobody seemed to mind).  Does anyone know of a good spot to launch around there? [update from 2011 - there's a great launch on the South side of the lake in the new park]
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Houseboats!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Coming through the Montlake Cut.
Picture
Picture
Arriving at the Arboretum...
Picture
Boom, done.  Leschi Marina on Lake Washington - made it.
Picture
   ~Paul  ETC
1 Comment
    Follow us on Twitter and receive updates when we post (click the birdie).
    Picture


    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011


    Categories

    All
    Alki Beach
    Arboretum
    Attractions
    Bahamas
    Ballard
    Boat Shows
    Carkeek
    Cascades
    Dungeness Spit
    Edmonds
    Everett
    Florida
    Golden Gardens
    Hiking
    Hood Canal
    Kayak
    Kingston Wa
    Kiteboarding
    La Conner
    Lake Chelan
    Lakes
    Lake Sammamish
    Lake Union
    Lake Washington
    Lemurs
    Leschi
    Less Aquatic Travels
    Lighthouses
    Live Aboard
    Mercer Island
    Nisqually
    North Carolina
    Oregon
    Outside The PNW
    Parks
    Pike Place Market
    Port Ludlow
    Port Townsend
    Poulsbo Wa
    Puget Sound
    Quilcene Bay
    Richmond Beach
    Rivers
    Road Trip Month
    Sail
    Samish Island
    Sand Point
    San Juans
    Sea Serpent
    Seattle
    Shilshole
    Ship Canal
    Skagit
    State Parks
    Sunken Ship
    The Pacific Coast
    Up & Over
    Virgin Islands
    Volcano
    Whales
    Wildlife



    Videos on Vimeo

    We hope you've enjoyed the time you've spent on our site. All images, text and designs are copyright Everyone's Travel Club and may not be used without written permission from ETC.
Picture

Connect:

Contact:

everyonestravelclub@gmail.com

  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • PNW
    • Kayak/Travel Blog
    • Maps
  • Reviews