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EVERYONE'S TRAVEL CLUB
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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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
Greg
3/2/2014 02:50:40 am

This is awesome! Are all of these good locations to bring a dog along on the paddle board?

Reply
Paul link
3/15/2015 11:56:44 am

Greg,

Why did it take me so long to reply!?!?!?!

Although I've seen paddle boarders at all of these locations, numbers 1,3,4,5, & 10 are probably your calmest options as they are on freshwater lakes.

The saltwater paddles can be just as calm, however, the water is much colder so if the wind picks up it could get more challenging rather quickly. Be safe and have fun!

~Paul

Reply
Brian
4/29/2017 05:12:59 pm

This reply doesn't answer the question in the least.
Are any spots dog friendly???

Paul link
4/29/2017 05:28:43 pm

Greg and Brian,

Yes - all spots are dog friendly! We didn't realize how dog friendly Seattle is until we just recently traveled down to Miami with our mutt. Seattle is a go for dogs:)

-Paul

Reply
Sophia Song link
3/17/2015 06:00:25 pm

Hi Web Master,
I am Sophia,sales commissioner from Shark SUPs CO in Weihai Shandong China.
I have noticed that you’re also in the watersports business, SUP is widely accepted around the world, still comparing with rigid SUP, the inflatable SUP has more advantages: affordable price tag, low maintenance, easy to carry around. The potential market of high quality iSUP is considerable.
So, have you ever consider distribute a high quality iSUP with competitive price to boost your business? If the answer is a Yes, I’d like to introduce my company Shark SUPs Co. as a dedicated manufacturer of inflatable stand-up paddle boards (iSUP), boats, tents & accessories.



Our iSUPs' recommended working pressure is 18 psi, and it can reach up to 30 psi, which makes it not much less rigid than a hard board, still it get greatest benefits of durability and transportability.

We have one year quality guarantee for our products and the price is about half of other big brand, such as RED PADDLE, NAISH, which makes our products very competitive in the market.



We’re seeking buyers and distributors around the globe to distribute our brand SHARK SUPs. We already have exclusive distributor for iSUP &accessories in New Zealand, Netherland & United Kingdom to distribute our brand. More and more distributor will join onboard, please take the opportunity while the market is still available.

By the way, we can also produce product of your own brand with your own design on large order.



Finding a reliable business partner is the crucial to a good business. We can send you the product catalog and samples with special discount if you’re interested.

Looking forward to your reply.

Reply
Mike Wittman
8/20/2018 12:13:04 pm

Send me information. I’m in the Seattle, WA area. Sounds like you could use a distributor. I’m an avid inflatable SUP’er.
Mike

Reply
Dave B
8/19/2018 03:18:05 pm

Been seeking calmer waters for some SUP trips. So far, Greenlake has been the smoothest, but we’re are looking for more calm spots w/not a lot of boat wakes. Recommendations?

Reply
Paul link
9/5/2018 06:57:38 am

Dave,

The Arboretum in the U-District would be fun and there's not much wake if you stay in the jungly part. Another few less-wakey spots in North Seattle - try Haller Lake and Bitter Lake.

In South Seattle, Andrews Bay near Seward Park (Lake Washington) can be pretty chill. Launching is from a parking lot on the lake just north of the actual park. Launching from the main area is usually OK in the off-season but they'll yell at you in the summer:)

Have fun out there and paddle safe!
~Paul

Reply
Scott link
12/6/2021 06:13:00 pm

Awesome list! Thank you for sharing this with us. These will be good addition to my next SUP trip. I've noticed more and more people are getting into standup paddle boarding these days and I'm glad they have discovered how amazing this sport is. Read more about it here:
https://3dfins.com/blogs/media-spotlight/the-rising-popularity-of-stand-up-paddleboarding

Reply



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