Whether you're building your skills with a goal in mind
or just want a relaxing day on the water, we have something for you.
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Skill Level Rating
based on British Canoe Union and American Canoe Association
guidelines
Level I programs are generally
scheduled for mornings or days with little tidal movement, or
in protected lakes or creeks. No experience necessary.
Level II tours may experience
light wind (8kts), small waves (1'), or moderate current (1kt).
Basic fitness and capsize experience are strongly recommended.
Level III programs take advantage
of afternoon wind (15kts, waves 2-3') or greater tidal action
(2kts). Capsize experience and good fitness required.
Level IV programs require well-refined
paddling skills as they venture into surf, strong wind, or dramatic
current. They may require or build navigation skills,
and contain strong elements of group interdependence.
Equipment. All scheduled tours
and lessons include kayak and paddling gear: paddle, PFD, skirt,
pump, wetsuit & paddle jacket if necessary (specify size in
advance). Available kayaks include: Wilderness Systems Tempest
165, 170 & 180; Necky Eskia, Zoar Sport, Looksha 4, Looksha
Sport & Amaruk double; Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5; Nigel Dennis
Explorer, Romany, Romany Surf. what
to bring
Level I-II Tours
For beginners.
3-4 hours, $65-75 half
5-7 hours, $95-115 full
These tours provide a fun, safe venue for exploring in a kayak.
The tour format offers a practical introduction to kayaking
while a variety of locations gives opportunity to see new places.
Calendar
Secrets of the Spruce, an Estuary Tour
3-4 hours, $75
5-7 hours, $115
This outstanding tour explores the renowned Blind Slough Swamp
Preserve, a Nature Conservancy holding near Astoria, OR. See
old and wind-sculpted sitka spruce trees up to 450 years old.
Enjoy a unique opportunity to access this dynamic waterscape
at its own level. Full day tour also explores some Oregon islands
of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge. Also available
under the moonlight - stunning! Calendar
Tenasillahe Island Tour
5-7 hours, $115
A twelve mile loop circumnavigates this Oregon island through
the Lewis & Clark and Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife
Refuges. "Tenas" is Chinook Jargon for "little",
and "illahe" is also Jargon for "land".
Combining the two creates the concept of an island. Chinook
Jargon was a trade language spoken on the Lower Columbia, as
well as along the coast up into Canada. This tour reflects native
American history, and the stories of explorers and settlers.
Cross the shipping channel, then hide away in the islands of
the Wildlife Refuges, and tales of history. Calendar
Price Island Tour
3-4 hours, $65
Price Island is part of the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife
Refuge, and is located right at the mouth of Skamokawa Creek.
We will paddle up protected Steamboat Slough, past the old steamboat
landing and general store building and into the Wildlife Refuge.
Osprey nests are perched in the top of Sitka Spruce trees that
are up to 400 years old. Beaver and river otter are often seen
here. If the river is calm and paddlers are willing, we will
return to Skamokawa on the outside of the island, using the
main channel of the Columbia River. Cormorants and Bald Eagles
are often seen on this side of the island, along with a sweeping
westward view downriver. This is a great introductory tour for
beginning kayakers. Approximately 3 miles. Calendar
Puget Island Sloughs, an Estuary Tour
3-4 hours, $65
5-7 hours, $115
Step out of time on the quite sloughs of Puget Island. Paddle
through this labyrinth and enjoy a sense of discovery among
the marshes and towering Cottonwood trees. Also available under
the moonlight - stunning! Calendar
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Family Fun
3 hours, $65 adults, $55 kids 10-15 yrs.
Playtime! Features basic instruction, games & exploration. Scheduled
by special request, min. 3 people.
Calendar
Moonlight & Full Moon Tours
2.5-3 hours, $65
What a magic time to be on the water! Locations include the
Lewis & Clark River, Blind Slough, Cathlamet's Hunting Island,
and Nehalem Bay. Some of the experiences we've had include migrating
geese, coyotes and deer, bioluminescent glowing water, and mysterious
fog floating across the water. Bring a flashlight or headlamp.
Glow sticks provided. Calendar
Three Tree Point Tour (Level
1-2)
5-7 miles, 5 hours, $110
Brookfield, Bayview, Rockland, Glenella - the shores of the
Columbia were once lined with river towns that are no longer.
In the days when 39 salmon canneries were in operation on the
Lower Columbia, these towns thrived. The shore through here
is now wild, with cobble-covered coves tucked among dramatic
basalt bluffs, or forested hillsides dropping steeply to the
water’s edge. A few structures still stand, but lines of old
pilings are often the only visible vestiges of the existence
of whole communities that once bore canneries, mills, farms
and homes. On this loop down river from Skamokawa you can get
a feel for how this area was during its heyday and note how
nature has reclaimed it since it was abandoned in the 1930’s.
Calendar
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Oregon Islands of the Lewis & Clark
National Wildlife Refuge (Level 2-3)
3-4 hours, $65-75 half day
5-7 hours, $115-125 full day
Come explore mid-river islands on the lower Columbia River. Scenic
wetlands, open vistas, wildlife, and fun on the water! Launch
from the Oregon side east of Astoria. Calendar
Waterfalls and Islands(Level
1-2)
5-6 hours, 6-8 miles, $115
We begin in the rural farmland of Puget Island where forgotten
mazes of watercourses hide great blue heron, kingfisher, deer,
nutria, beavers, and bald eagles. Then cross the Cathlamet Channel
to paddle along the cliffs of 16.5 million year-old lava flows.
Small summer streams tumble 90 feet to join the Columbia River.
Lunch near Cathlamet, most scenic of small Columbia River towns,
and return with the tide and afternoon breeze.Calendar
Cathlamet Cliffs Scenic Tour (Level
1-2)
5-6 hours, 6-8 miles, $115
Sixty to ninety-foot cliffs line the river east of Cathlamet.
On the other side of the channel lies Puget Island, rural and
scenic. In the distance, the hills of Oregon. This tour offers
some of the best variety in the area. Calendar
Spring Waterfalls and Wildflowers--Lower
Gorge Tour (Level 1-2)
5-6 hours, 6-8 miles, $115
Paddle along the basalt cliffs of the Lower Gorge near Cathlamet,
where waterfalls cascade ninety feet into the Columbia. From April
through June a multitude of native wildflowers paint the cliffs
in blue, yellow, white, red and purple: cliff larkspur, spring-gold,
white shooting star, Oregon stonecrop and coast penstemon are
a few of the prominent ones. Even the rare endemic gorge daisy,
which lives only behind waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge, can
be found here.
Geology enthusiasts can enjoy the details of these 16.5 million year-old lava flows, including pillow basalts, columnar basalts, and the mold of a tree with the bark pattern still perfectly preserved in the rock. Some of the beaches where we may stop offer pebbles of many different types of rock carried down from as far away as Montana during the ice age Missoula floods.
Weather permitting, we may cross Cathlamet channel on the return trip to make a loop through the homes and farms of Birnie Slough before crossing back to Cathlamet. The Lower Gorge in spring is one of the most scenic and fascinating paddles in the region. Your guide Andrew Emlen is knowledgeable on the local plants, wildlife, history and geology.
Calendar
Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge Tour
(Level 1-2)
5 hours, 7 miles, $115
This is a good introduction to kayaking, a one-way trip with the tide that begins in protected Elochoman Slough. Here we will paddle along the path of Lewis & Clark, who were led into the slough by two canoes of Wahkiakum Indians who brought the Corps to their village to trade in 1805. The route has some of the same individual trees that were standing at the time, as the spruce swamps here have trees over 300 years old. The most obvious residents now are Bald Eagles and Osprey, which we can watch as they patrol the sloughs for fish. We will emerge from the sloughs onto a sand beach along the main channel of the Columbia for lunch before taking historic Steamboat Slough down to Skamokawa. This is a leisurely trip with time for bird-watching, photography and working on paddling strokes.
Calendar
North Shore Historical Tour
(Level 2-3)
10-11 miles, 6-7 hours, $115
Brookfield, Bayview, Rockland, Glenella - the shores of the Columbia were once lined with river towns that are no longer. In the days when 39 salmon canneries were in operation on the Lower Columbia, these towns thrived. The shore through here is now wild, with cobble-covered coves tucked among dramatic basalt bluffs, or forested hillsides dropping steeply to the water’s edge. A few structures still stand, but lines of old pilings are often the only visible vestiges of the existence of whole communities that once bore canneries, mills, farms and homes. On this loop down river from Skamokawa you can get a feel for how this area was during its heyday and note how nature has reclaimed it since it was abandoned in the 1930’s.
Calendar
Gray's Bay
(Level 1-2)
6-9 miles, 5-7 hours, $115
In March, thousands of wintering water birds crowd the shallow waters of Gray’s Bay: Tundra Swans, large rafts of Cackling Geese, Greater Scaup, Pintail and Wigeon, and three species of loon among many others. Here the Columbia broadens to eight miles across, yet our trip along the forested shoreline of the bay is protected from most winds. This is also one of the best tours for spotting mammals, including Roosevelt elk, river otter and harbor seal. Some of the most riveting entries in the journals of the Lewis & Clark expeditions were written here, before the building of the Columbia jetties blocked the ocean swells that once broke along this shoreline.
Our paddle begins in protected Deep River before winding out to the bay, where we will have our choice of lunch sites based on how far the group wants to go and what they wish to see. March is truly the time to come here, when wildlife is abundant and people are few. Guide: Andrew Emlen
Calendar
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Level III
Moving Water Tours
The more solid your kayak skills are, the more exciting places
are open for you to discover!
Required: BCU 2-star award, ACA Introduction to Kayaking certification,
equavalent experience, or instructor approval.
Islands and History
6-7 hours, $125
Between Puget Island and Skamokawa, WA are many tales to tell:
Native American history, Lewis & Clark, the fishing & logging
boom, and how nature has reclaimed after fishing & logging ran
dry. Scenery varies from intimate marshy passageways to a mile-wide
channel with sweeping vistas of distant islands and mountains.
Launch at Slow Boat Farm, explore island sloughs, cross the Cathlamet
channel to see 90' waterfalls plummet down basalt cliffs. Lunch
on a small sandy beach in the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife
Refuge. As the tide ebbs, we can ride the channel past Price Island,
and into Skamokawa. The route is about 12 miles. Calendar
Willapa Bay Tour (Level 2-3)
5-6 hours, $125
Willapa Bay, along Washington's southern coast, is a productive
estuary where the nutrients of the ocean mix with fresh water from
several rivers and feed a rich ecosystem. Natives traveled here
for thousands of years to gather fish and shellfish, and oysters
harvested there today are among the world's finest. Willapa National
Wildlife Refuge encompasses portions of the bay and all of Long
Island, which is uninhabited except by black bear, elk, rough-skinned
newts, other forest dwellers, and a terrifically ancient stand of
cedars. Tides and currents provide good opportunity for skill development.
Calendar
Wild Islands of the Lower Columbia River
6-7 hours, $125
Downriver from Skamokawa, WA are tree-lined basalt cliffs where
Indian summer villages and canneries used to perch. We ride the
powerful current down the channel past these cliffs enjoying broad
views of the widening river. After lunch we cross the shipping
channel to the islands of the Lewis & Clark National Wildlife
Refuge and wind our way through marshy channels back to Skamokawa
on an incoming tide. This is an exciting and exposed route, requiring
solid level 2-3 skills. Eleven miles, with flexibility to add
or subtract. Calendar
Skamokawa to Altoona and back-20 Miles
7-8 hours, $135
Taking the North Shore Historical Tour and extending it, the route from Skamokawa to Altoona and back is about 20 miles. Below Pillar Rock cannery, the river starts to widen rapidly, opening up expansive views to the southwest, towards Tongue Point and Astoria. We will stop for lunch on a gravel beach at an ancient basalt arch, left behind by the Columbia River basalt flows 17 million years earlier. After lunch we will catch the incoming tide for our return trip to Skamokawa. A good workout, and a beautiful trip. Calendar
Skamokawa to Astoria 20-Miles
6-8 hours, $135
An exciting jaunt down the wide open heart of the Great River
of the West, and a true test of stamina! Leave the basalt cliffs
of Skamokawa bend, pass the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife
Refuge and its 35,000 acres of tidal islands. Watch the Astoria
bridge climb the horizon into view. Round Tongue Point through
wild currents, and come to a well-deserved landing in the oldest
settlement west of the Rockies. There is no substitute for being
there, and no other sense of accomplishment quite so fulfilling
at the end of the day. Depending on the tide, this trip may also
run upstream, beginning in Astoria and ending at Skamokawa. Collaboration
needed on shuttle logistics. Calendar
Skamokawa to Astoria and Back 40-Mile!
9-11 hours, $150
It starts like the above downriver trip: An exciting jaunt down
the wide open heart of the Great River of the West, and a truer
test of stamina! Leave the basalt cliffs of Skamokawa bend, pass
the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge... Watch the Astoria
bridge climb the horizon into view. Round Tongue Point through
wild currents, and come to a well-deserved landing in the oldest
settlement west of the Rockies. Then stretch your legs and walk
to the
Blue Scorcher Bakery and Cafe for breakfast. Wait till the ships swing
on their anchors, indicating the turning of the tide, and settle
in for the homeward trip. Hope for a good tailwind and some exciting
surf rides! Calendar
Tongue Point
4-5 hours, $125
Starting at the John Day River boat ramp, just east of Astoria,
we will paddle west around Tongue Point, and then along the Astoria
waterfront. Along the way, we will pass the old fishing neighborhood
of Alderbrook, and paddle through the East Mooring Basin, where
we will see scores of sea lions lounging around on the rocks and
even on the docks. We will paddle underneath one of Astoria's
remaining old cannery buildings just before ending our trip at
the Columbia River Maritime Musuem's
dock. Plan to eat lunch at the museum's dock, or at one of Astoria's
fine dining establishments. Fort
George Brewery and Public House is a couple of blocks away.
Approximately 6 miles; the water around Tongue Point is often
confused, with strong current. Calendar
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Columbia
River Dynamic Water Tour level 4
5-6 hours, $150
The "Graveyard of the Pacific" offers some unique kayaking opportunities.
Conditions here hinge on tides, weather, and ocean swell, and CRK
has a depth of local experience. Many things happen at once in this
dynamic training ground, making it, at moderate tides, an excellent
venue for challenging the 3-star paddler with the next level of
conditions. Once bracing, edging, positional awareness, and basic
navigation start to become second nature, come out here to play,
and accelerate that learning curve again. Calendar
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| Coastal
Journey
5-6 hours, $150
The Oregon Coast is a scenic gem and paddler's playground, kept
secret by the pounding surf. Once you've got the skills to cross
those breakers, come on out to where the magic is. Locations vary,
depending on conditions. Seaside to Cannon Beach, Cape Falcon, Manzanita,
Cape Lookout, more. Calendar
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