Eco Sea Kayaking with AquaTrek Adventures

Chuckanut Bay

This is our favorite low-tide tour because of the abundant intertidal marine life exposed. For example, we've seen as many as seven types of sea stars! The shoreline is composed of beautifully eroded sandstone, and if conditions allow, we'll paddle across the bay to view some palm tree fossils. The birding is usually very good with eagles, herons, guillemots, kingfishers, and harlequin ducks. We may also see harbor seals, deer, and mink! The highlight of the tour is our lunch stop on the Nature Conservancy's Chuckanut Island. We'll explore the tide pools and rocks around the shore and usually hike the forested trail. With the fragile environment and our guests in mind, Aqua Trek provides a portapotty and outhouse tent.

La Conner to Goat Island

For our favorite high tide tour we'll meet at LaConner's Pioneer Park before a caravan to Snee-oosh beach to begin this scenic adventure. Our route will circumnavigate several small islands to view birds and wildlife. The lunch break is on a nice sand island with driftwood and beaches to explore. For you, and the environment, we provide a porta-potty and outhouse tent. The afternoon route includes paddling into the "Hole-in the-Wall" (mouth of the Swinomish Channel) and then slipping through the salmon escape passage of the rock jetty. The return route takes us around Goat Island where past groups have seen eagles, osprey, herons and seals. If conditions allow, we'll detour to the west rock jetty, an excellent place to see black oystercatchers and shorebirds. Bring your binoculars and/or cameras!

Skagit Bay

We'll meet at Pioneer Park, just before the LaConner Bridge, and caravan to the launch site at Snee-oosh beach. This tour, with Hope and Skagit Islands, includes geology, birds, wildlife, and water conditions much like the San Juans. Our lunch stop is usually on Hope Island that has an impressive cross-island forested trail and a beautiful bluff view. After the break we usually paddle to circumnavigate Skagit Island and get a distant view of Deception Pass Bridge. The route varies depending upon wind, tide, and current, but we may paddle over to see a floating salmon farm, and over a rocky reef. Birding is excellent, including eagles, herons, cormorants, kingfishers, grebes, loons, guillemots, murrelets, auklets, and oystercatchers. There are resident peregrine falcons and past groups have also seen river otters, harbor seals, and dalls porpoises.

Bowman Bay

One of the most beautiful areas to paddle in Washington is just outside Deception Pass. Our launch from the shelter of Bowman Bay is planned to experience the impressive rocks, cliffs, and islands while minimizing possible risks. We time our approach to the bridge at the slack before an outgoing ebb, but do not go through the pass on this tour. Bring your cameras for excellent photo-ops with the bridge in the background. Our lunch stop at Rosario beach has tide pools, trails, and restrooms. We usually circumnavigate Deception Island and explore the cliffs and caves around from Sares Head As always, tour route decisions vary with wind, current conditions, and group dynamics, which your guide will explain. This is also a very good area for birds and wildlife including intertidal marine life at low tides.

Snohomish Delta

We gather for the pre-tour safety and paddle class at the Everett boat launch, we'll paddle up the Snohomish River to explore the outer estuary areas of the Snohomish River, Steamboat, and Union sloughs. We land for lunch on a nice white sand beach on the north end of Jetty Island. For you, and the environment, we provide a porta-potty and outhouse tent. After lunch we usually take a beach walk to view plants, birds, and marine life. This is one of our favorite accessible birding tours, and perhaps the best place in Washington to see osprey and cormorants nesting. Besides the variety of birds, we may see harbor seals and sea lions. Many long time residents of the area are amazed to learn what can be seen by kayak so close to home. Bring your binoculars and cameras!