This tour is an ideal introduction to kayaking. The route begins in the protection of Elochoman Slough, retracing Lewis and Clark’s route to the former site of a Wahkiakum village where the Corps of Discovery stopped to trade. Entering the national wildlife refuge, which bears the second-largest Sitka spruce swamp on the Columbia, we will wind through the waterways in search of otter and eagles. After lunch on a beach and a mile of paddling on the main channel of the Columbia, we will finish the trip in historic Steamboat Slough, where ospreys nest close to the water and a heron rookery is active from February until mid-June. Traveling with the current, we will maintain an easy pace with time for exploration, photography, and practice of newly acquired kayaking skills.

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