Kayaking Indian Island to Portage Beach & Port Hadlock - Trip #43 -

Trip #43 - Indian Island is one of the most picturesque trips in the book with so many sights in such a short distance. The trip has multiple launches, moving current to protected inlets, two Cascadia Marine Trail campsites, and a hidden Naval base which may or may not have a Nuclear arsenal stored behind it's thick canopy of forest.

North of the bridge on Indian Island.

In the old book, Indian and Marrowstone Islands were one trip, but I find this area so interesting that I split them into two trips. Portage Beach is a new wwta site, and we added the Port Hadlock launch which is alongside our favorite restraunt, the Ajax Cafe. Here's a few pics from the Port Townsend Canal side of the island.

South of bridge by WWTA site.

Port Hadlock

Learn more about my book Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juans, 60 Trips. I also offer SUP and Kayak lessons available throughout the year at Salmon Bay Paddle. Questions about paddling on the Salish Sea, give me a holler anytime at salmonbaypaddle@gmail.com or 206-465-7167

Support the Washington Water Trails Association and the Cascadia Marine Trail. The wwta works to create and protect access for paddlers on Puget Sound as well as provide an extensive network of over 60 paddle-in camping sites - www.wwta.org

Paddling Indian Island's Causeway by Marrostone Island - Trip 43

Looking north from causeway.

In the first two editions of this book, Trip #43 listed a causeway located under the roadway of the isthmus separating Indian and Marrowstone Island.  It was suggested that with enough water you could get a tidal push through the causeway to each side.

We researched the causeway last summer and found that due to years of barnacle build-up in the pipes, there is no way any paddler could make it through without scraping or bumping their heads while in a prone position.  In other words, I wouldn't recommend trying - sketchy!

Portaging over the causeway is the best bet.  Time the tides so they're high, otherwise you'll have 200-300 yards of sludging through thick mud on both sides.  While going over, watch for traffic, local residents drive through this stretch quickly to shorten their commutes from the mainland.

Looking from north to south.

Learn more about my book Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juans, 60 Trips. I also offer SUP and Kayak lessons available throughout the year at Salmon Bay Paddle. Questions about paddling on the Salish Sea, give me a holler anytime at salmonbaypaddle@gmail.com or 206-465-7167

Support the Washington Water Trails Association and the Cascadia Marine Trail. The wwta works to create and protect access for paddlers on Puget Sound as well as provide an extensive network of over 60 paddle-in camping sites - www.wwta.org