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

Exploring the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge - Olympia, WA

1/13/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
   Lately we've been exploring some of the many parks scattered along the coast of Washington's Puget Sound. We like to visit them in the offseason (it's winter around here), mainly because they're usually free of crowds & traffic. It also helps us out for the upcoming summer - we know where to go, where to park, where to launch a kayak. Also, when I can, I like to see future paddle trips from the land first,  it's helps orient things when I'm on the water.
   When we get home from a day out, I eventually download all of the pictures from the adventure, delete the blurry ones, edit, delete, import, export,  move to this app, move to that one, upload, and download. Once I have the pictures organized in article format, I start researching where we've been. That's right. With most park visits: I research after we get home.
   Now, not all trips are like this - paddling & sailing trips are way different. We check the tides, check the currents, check the weather, check all kinds of stuff. With park visits it's sometimes nice going in ready to hike, ready to learn, ready to take pictures, ready to get lost, but not exactly knowing what's going on.
     With this in mind we set out for the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Located just off I-5 between Tacoma and Olympia Washington, the refuge is a protected estuary formed by the freshwater of the Nisqually River & McAlister Creek emptying out and meeting the saltwater of the Puget Sound. The Nisqually Delta is biologically diverse - animals all over the place - and is heavily influenced by the tide. I could tell this from the map - the refuge is a giant green spot. 
   From paddling the Skagit & Stillaguamish river deltas I could kinda imagine what it would be like. You can see the refuge in the map below. Just follow the signs off of I-5 to get there, the 'A' on this map is a boat ramp (discover pass required), adjacent to the reserve, suitable for launching a kayak and paddling up McAlister Creek (most of the actual refuge is off limits to boats).

View Larger Map
Picture
   When you arrive at the refuge there is a $3 parking fee and lots of spots (I'm sure it gets crowded on the weekends in the summer). There is a nice visitor center & restrooms. There are a few trail choices - about the most you can go is the 4 mile roundtrip boardwalk trail, it's sort of an out and back.
   Since the tide is in and out a couple times per day, the Washington Fish & Wildlife department worked to build the boardwalk that takes you out to the far reaches of the refuge. Informational boards are around to give you an idea of what exactly is going on with the thousands of migrating birds, various mammals, amphibians, and reptiles that live and/or frequent the area.
Picture
   From a paddlers point of view, most of the area is off limits to boats (that includes kayaks). The picture below of a couple canoeing is from McAlister Creek - located adjacent to the refuge. A nearby boat ramp gives great access to the creek. Personally, I'd wait until waterfowl hunting season is over to paddle around here just to be safe…or at least wear some orange? The season in WA usually happens October-ish to February-ish. Here's a link with more info.
Picture
Picture
   That about covers the facts, what did I uncover post-visit about the history of the place? Well, let's start out with a shout-out to the Nisqually Tribe who have lived & fished salmon on the Nisqually River for…wait for it…thousands of years. (the river starts miles away on the south side of Mt. Rainier, otherwise known as Volcano Rainier). Just step back and think about that for a minute. Thousands of years.
   Enter the white man in the mid 18oos and a treaty that was eventually signed between them and the Nisqually tribe. Actually, we are pretty sure that Chief Leschi (Leschi neighborhood of Seattle anyone?) of the Nisqually didn't, or at least didn't want to, sign this treaty - called the Medicine Creek Treaty (P.S. Medicine Creek is now called McAlister Creek - the one in the picture above with the canoeing couple). 
   At any rate, the tribe was relocated and the white man obviously settled. There's also now a military base on part of the tribal land. I think we can, if anything, at least know and respect this history while playing/walking/taking pictures/kayaking/hunting on the Nisqually.
   That's a wrap! We highly recommend checking out the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Take a lunch - there are plenty of tables for a break. Take a zoom lens for your camera & binoculars too. Word on the creek is there are snowy owls there right now!
   Check the tides before you go if you want to see the mudflats (mudflats sometimes = better birding). If you want to kayak near the reserve, use the boat ramp adjacent to the park (the map at the beginning of this post). When you're there, imagine the thousands of years that people have lived on this delta & river…amazing stuff. Oh ya, if you see one, don't kiss the poisonous newts.
   ~Paul & Amber    ETC
Picture
0 Comments

Kayak Madrona Park to Luther Burbank Park - Seattle to Mercer Island Washington

8/22/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
   Looking for a nice paddle to get your heart-rate up, burn some calories, test your mind? Here's one for you - a paddle in the heart of Seattle WA, from Madrona Park to Luther Burbank Park on the Northern tip of Mercer Island.  This Lake Washington trip took us about 2 hours roundtrip, involved some more open water paddling, and gave us great water views of the Northwest. 
   It all starts with some free street parking and a little bit of a rogue put-in (map below for location).

View Larger Map
   You see, for some strange reason, Seattle city beaches (like the nearby Leschi) don't allow you to put in a kayak in the summer. Luckily they aren't there the other 10 months of the year so launching is easy, but in the summer they shoo you away. Hence our launch site for the Leschi area - at the intersection of Madrona Dr and Lake Washington Blvd, just north of Madrona Park (pictured above and below).

View Larger Map

View Larger Map
   Our destination is a great little sandy beach, a diagonal straight-shot on the map above, to the northern tip of Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island. See sandy beach below.

View Larger Map
   The paddle took us an hour each way, mainly because we went straight across the lake. The advantage to this is, and always is, if you paddle as the crow flies you'll get to your destination faster (unless it's crazy windy or there are tides, or sharks, or something else to slow you down). The disadvantage to this method on this paddle is that you will be far from land on most of the paddle - this can get boring (remember how I said it would test your mind in the intro?) and could be trouble if you flipped or had a boat malfunction...but, as always, prepare and be careful out there and you'll do fine. 
   ~Paul & John   ETC
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 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