Paddling the Salish Sea 80 Trips: Hood Canal

Showing posts with label Hood Canal. Show all posts

3/2/17

Beach Restoration of the Old Mill Site at Port Gamble - Trip #32

Old School view

Last time I drove on Highway 104 through Port Gamble, I got pretty excited to see that the old mill site is undergoing a transformation into a natural looking beach. A search resulted in info that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will fund the restoration via a grant. See Below for details... (paragraph copied from here)

Once a big mill town owned by Pope and Talbot, the now restored charming town of Port Gamble is a roadside attraction for those driving to and from the Hood Canal Bridge in Kitsap County. A cafe, kayak store and a few other shops give visitors are good stop from traveling. I used to stop there to let the dog run on the big cemetery hill before or after long ferry waits at Kingston.
Trip #32 in the book

KITSAP COUNTY

Before Restoration

Teekalet and Port Gamble Restoration ($1,500,000)
Grant funding will be provided to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe to work with Pope Resources and the Washington Department of Ecology to purchase the development rights of property at Port Gamble Bay and develop a restoration plan to restore coastal processes in the bay. The restoration plan, once implemented, will remove a significant portion of existing jetty, fill and rip rap to restore beach habitat. The restoration will enhance a toxics cleanup project at the mill site and bay.
Phase: Acquisition and design
Sponsor: Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe
Contact: Roma Call (360) 297-9687

Other Puget Sound Restoration Projects

Feb 2017

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 rob@salmonbaypaddle.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

2/14/13

St Patrick's Day Pints & Paddles - Lk Union

On St Patrick's Day check out Pints & Paddles a on water paddling festival at Alderbrook Resort. In conjunction with Union Paddle & Row, there will be vendor booths, a 2.5 mile all craft paddle race, and paddling demos and clinics. Contact Union Paddle for more info: Phone: 360-359-3308
Email: info@unionpaddleandrow.com

7/20/12

Paddling Dewatto Bay on Hood Canal - Trip #22

Paddling Dewatto River

Dewatto Bay isn't really in the book, but is just outside of the map on Pg 135. About six miles north of Union and across from Hoodsport, it's a protected cove tucked into the eastern shore of Hood Canal south of Seabeck. Crystal clear water allows for great sea life viewing (see Lions Mane Jellyfish on previous post), and warm water in summer makes it a great spot to gunkhole and swim without a wetsuit.

A winding creek with multiple channels empties into the bay and is a great spot to explore. Several homes on stilts and some only accessed by the water or walking in align the shorelines north and south of the bay.

Dewatto Bay

Recommended Access:
Rent a SUP or kayak for Union Paddle & Row (Hood Canal Marina) or hire Captain Lee Geist take you there with your paddle gear. His boat is moored at Alderbrook Resort in Summer and is available for private trips on the Canal. He also offers SUP tours of the bay.

6/7/12

Paddling Southern Hood Canal - Trip #22

Called the 'Great Bend', the southern bend of Hood Canal at Annas Bay is also the mouth of the Skokomish River and it's expansive tide flats fanning out between Potlatch State Park and the tiny town of Union. Camp at the Cascadia Marine Trail site at the State Park and rent a SUP or kayak from Union Paddle Center. Bring a tide table to time the level correctly to avoid getting stuck in the mud below the river mouth. Calm waters are the norm on Annas Bay with quiet paddling in the off season. Use the Discover Pass to park along the road south of Union. Photos by Union Paddle Center.