Paddling the Salish Sea 80 Trips: wwta. Cascadia Marine Trail

Showing posts with label wwta. Cascadia Marine Trail. Show all posts

9/16/12

Blake Island, Trip #12

Located in the heart of middle Puget Sound, Blake Island State Park is easily accessible from several put-ins. Paddlers can choose between super easy short paddling distances to much longer trips depending on their skill level or time available for a trip.

During the first weekend in September (2012), my partner Christy and I had little time to escape work thus chose the shortest paddle to the island from the Southworth ferry terminal. While it did require taking the Vashon-Southworth ferry from Seattle, the paddle to the island from Southworth was about a mile.

Other access points to Blake:

- Southworth Ferry Terminal, 1 mile.

- Vashon Island ferry terminal, 1.5 miles.

- Manchester, about 2 miles.

- Fort Ward Park on Bainbridge, approx 2-3 miles.

- Fauntelroy (West Seattle) ferry dock, approx 4 miles.

- Ballard (neighborhood in Seattle), 8 miles.

Blake can feel like it's isolated and far away from the city on one trip, while on the other you may feel like you're camping in a city park. During the trip above, it was a hot weekend so we had a regular stream of island hikers walking through or by our site and canoeists and boaters drifting by. One guy even tried to buy a cup of coffee from me for $10. I thought he was kidding but later found out he was serious! The best way to avoid crowds is to go on weekdays in summer or 'off seasons'.

Raccoons can be problematic but the State Park recently installed metal raccoon boxes to store your food which we found quite useful.

There's three campsites for paddlers on the island. The WWTA Cascadia Marine Trail site is on the NW side, the 'primitive' site on the south side (our favorite), and in Tilikum Village on the northeast side. There's a great surf break there south of the marina for freighter and wind waves. I surfed it one day for 1 hour scoring on waist high peelers.

'Primitive' Site on the south side.

Shot with an Oregon Scientific ATC9K.

5/31/12

Trip #26 - La Connor & the Skagit River

Known for it's rich agricultural heritage and busy maritime scene, the Skagit Valley has several picturesque paddling trips. In Trip #26 you have several options to choose from. On the ebb, launch from Blake's Resort and float down downstream past Fish Town and thread your way through the swamp like tide flats below the Skagit River. Visit the interesting geological rock formations of Ika Island (no landing permitted) or the World War 1 era coastal fortifications on Goat Island.

Using a flood current paddle up the Swinhomish Channel to La Connor and enjoy the town's various shops, enjoy a beer at the La Connor Brewery or a gigantic cinammon roll at the Calico Cupboard. Camp at the Cascadia Marine Trail site in Pioeneer Park below the Rainbow Bridge.

Take the tail end of the ebb back down the Swinhomish Channel to the mouth of the Skagit, then paddle up the river on the flood tide back to Blake's.

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

3/26/12

Paddling Blake Island State Park - Trip #12

Here's an image of mine shot around 2004 at the southern campsite on Blake Island State Park. I discovered the view on Getty Images over the weekend, originally shot on film. We most likely paddled in from near Alki, although in later years we found it easier to paddle to Blake from our home in Ballard, approx 8 miles one way. The paddler in view is Todd Switzer. The Cascadia Marine Trail campsite is on the opposite side of the island.

Follow Todd's kayak fishing page

2/20/12

Paddling Skagit River Delta - La Connor -Trip #26

Downtown La Connor

The Skagit River Delta chapter is quite extensive and includes Goat and Ika Islands, La Connor, and several river channels to the south. Here's an image of the Rainbow Bridge in La Connor. There's a new Cascadia Marine Trail campsite just below the bridge on the right (or east) side in Pioneer Park. Also below the bridge is the only easy water access via a boat ramp in La Connor. For more info on the campsite check out www.wwta.org.

La Connor is a great place to grab a bite, a beer, and/or stock up for a trip while in town.

The image below of the wire fish sculpture is in the town of La Connor. We couldn't find any info on whether it's ok to launch there. The current rips through there on big exchanges and it's most often used by commercial fishermen.

Rainbow Bridge

1/30/12

Washington Water Trails Association - WWTA

Since 1990, the Washington Water Trails Association has been helping secure public access and human powered watercraft campsites throughout Puget Sound, Willapa Bay, the Columbia River, the Snake River, and the lakes bordering Seattle.

Trails include:

- Cascadia Marine Trail.
- Lakes-To-Locks Water Trail.
- Willapa Bay Trail.
- Lower Columbia River Water Trail.
- Northwest Discovery Water Trail.

The Cascadia Marine Trail, one of the more popular water trails of the WWTA includes over 140 miles of water from Olympia to the Canadian boarder. By becoming a member (starts at $35 a year), you can have access to their online maps, travel info and details regarding each site. Below is a the page for the San Juan Islands. The triangles are the WWTA campsites for the region.

San Juan Islands:
http://www.wwta.org/trails/CMT/campsites/san_juans/

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

1/27/12

Paddling Hope and Skagit Islands on Saratoga Passage / Puget Sound - Trip #27

Ala Spit WWTA Campsite View South

Only 1.5 hours north of Seattle, Hope (North) and Skagit Islands provide easy paddling access and the feeling of being much further away. Both of the undeveloped islands are small, uncrowded, and have multiple access points from 6 different launches. The Cascadia Marine Trail has a cozy campsite on Skagit's northeast side overlooking tiny Kiket Island. During strong tidal exchanges a small tidal rapid rips between both islands which at night can be a pleasant sound. The site is on top of a ancient shell midden, one of few still left in the region. Note: There are two Hope Islands on Puget Sound - Hope Island (south) is near Olympia, Trip #5.

Looking north from Ala Spit to Hope Island.

Currents also rush in between Hope Island and Ala Spit on Whidbey Island. Friends have experienced waves there from the wind opposing the swift current. Time your travel with the currents, and you can have a fun ride through each of these rapids.

Launches:
- Deception Pass State Park - Bowman Bay.
- Deception Pass State Park - Cornet Bay.
- Ala Spit, NE Whidbey Island. (Cascadia Marine Trail campsite)
- Snee-oosh Beach (west of La Connor).
- La Connor.
- Blake's Skagit Resort and Marina (Rawlins Road south of La Connor).

Packing on Skagit Is looking East to Kliket Island.

You'll experience the most current approaching from Deception Pass or Cornet Bay. Time the currents for the flood and flow through the Pass or east of Cornet for a free ride nearly to the islands. Ala Spit is the easiest access to Hope, with only a few hundred yard crossing to the island. There's a Cascadia Marine Trail campsite (pictured) on Ala Spit.

Tide & Current Info:
Current Chart
Tide Chart

Get more info from the Washington Water Trails Association's Cascadia Marine Water Trail.

1/22/12

Paddling to Burrows Island from Anacortes, WA - Trip # 29

Alice Bight, location of the WWTA campsite.

Located a short distance off Fidalgo Island and city of Anacortes, Burrows offers a quick wilderness escape. From Skyline Marina at Anacortes, the paddle is about 5 minutes to the undeveloped island. Many also appoach Burrows as a stopping off point when paddling between Anacortes and Deception Pass.

On the eastern shore, there's a Cascadia Marine Water Trail site with one of the best outhouses around. The campsite is perched 20 feet above the little protected cove well protected from southerly and northerly winds. A lighthouse is on the western shore above the water on a rocky cliff. You can land there in the rocky nook on the north side of the lighthouse.

West side of island.

Currents at Burrows are quite strong and friends have spoken of a standing wave on the southern shore in certain conditions. Private Allen Island borders Burrows on it's south side. Circumnavigating Burrows can take about 1.5hrs if you're in a hurry or longer, which recommended. The island's rocky shores and madrona and fir lined forests make it a very scenic paddle or stopover.

Make sure to check the current table for the area prior to launching. Wind can funnel through both the north and south sides of the island. Wind vs current can create route conditions.

Street park is available by Skyline Marina and in the dirt pay lot by the water.

Washington Water Trails link to Burrows for more info, HERE.

1/10/12

Paddling to Vashon Island from Des Moines State Park - Trip #11

There's few places in Puget Sound where you can portage across an island. On Vashon Island, you have the opportunity to do this whether it's to escape rough waters for calm, access other parts of the island, or get to other destinations nearby without having to paddle all the way around the island.

Vashon's Portage seen from Maury Island.

Native peoples used Vashon's portage to save time in traveling throughout Puget Sound and by Captain Vancouver's accounts, used the narrow strip to funnel and catch birds using tall poles and nets. This view is from above the tiny town of Dockton on Maury Island, Vashon's southeastern extension.

Trip #11 originates from Saltwater State Park in Des Moines south of Seattle, and crosses Puget Sound to the Pt Robinson Lighthouse on Maury Island.

There are Cascadia Marine Trail campsites at both Saltwater State Park and Pt Robinson.

Use the Marine Traffic app to track boat traffic before your crossing. Currents run strong through the squeeze between Pt Robinson and Des Moines, a narrow section of the Sound.