Pacific Northwest - Kayak/Bike in Washington State

My wife likes kayaking more then biking. I like road biking more then kayaking. Whenever possible we try to find a place to do both. We are planning a trip to Washington soon. Any suggestions where to go to keep us both busy. She likes calm water and I am not a great climber.

The first thing that came to my mind was a trip to the San Juan Islands. I don't kayak but I understand it's a good place for it and the biking is nice.

There is plenty of good sea kayaking around the Puget Sound - you have tons of options.

This article is just one that mentions several spots in the South Puget Sound, and also mentions a couple of books on the topic:

http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/133914_kayaking07.html

I thought of the San Juan Islands as well - good kayaking, and there is a good ride you can do on each of the major islands in the San Juans. There are also some good climbs.

However, if you're interesting in longer road rides, and doing some mountain riding, you could consider picking a non-island spot so she can kayak and you can get out on some longer roads.

I second south puget sound. It's fun to kayak, lots of bays and otherwise protected areas (ie, not open ocean) to explore. Just get a book that describes the currents/tides, put-ins, etc., for south puget sound/Hood Canal. Hood Canal does not connect to south puget sound, but is close proximity to Olympia. Olympia is also 45 minutes from the entrance to Mt Rainier NP (Paradise entrance), 1.5 hours from Mt St Helens, 1 hour from the SE corner of the Olympic National Park. Portland is 2 hours away, Seattle 1 hour away. Weekends there's a fab farmer's market. Olympia also has a microbrewery and 2 coffee roasting companies that I am aware of. There's a bike trail from Olympia to Yelm/Tenino; you can easily do 50-60 miles of flat riding, RT.

I life in Anacortes, "Gateway to the San Juans" and have kayaked and biked the Islands a bit since we moved here (I've probably spent 1,000 days trailer boating the Islands in my lifetime). Lopez Island is mostly flat, very bike friendly population, and has a great bakery where you can both meet for lunch from your separate adventures. A good book is THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS AFOOT AND AFLOAT, by Marge Mueller (The Mountaineers). A good way to do it if you wait until after Labor Day to avoid weekend ferry traffic, would be to take your car out in the Islands and then use the inter-island ferry to move from Island to Island every day or two and either camp out or stay in bed & breakfasts that are scattered all throughout the Islands. A great place to stay on Orcas if you like rustic cabins that are at least 100 feet apart with great sunsets is GIBSON'S NORTH BEACH INN; or condos on an excavated canal in from the sound if you'd like to go that route. You can even stay in Anacortes itself and just walk on to the ferry each day if you have some strap-on wheels for your kayaks.
jakecat

My wife mentioned Gig Harbor as someplace she would like to see. Do you guys have any info about biking or Kayaking in that area?

okay, the simplest place is she can rent a kayak on Lake Union and you can do urban assault riding in the
city. Northwest Outdoor Center rents the kayaks on the west side of the lake.

I believe you can also rent them on Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride away from downtown Seattle.
she can paddle in the sound, you can ride around bainbridge.

Finally I think you can get them in the San Juan Island on either Orcas or Su\an Juan Island. San Juan
is more flat and has some loops to it, Orcas is more hilly and you have to backtrack whatever you
ride.

Check out:

http://www.exoticaquaticsscuba.com/kayak_outings.html

http://www.sanjuanislandsdirectory.com/orcas/okayak.htm

My wife mentioned Gig Harbor as someplace she would like to see. Do you guys have any info about biking or Kayaking in that area?

Gig Harbor is a SMALL harbor. You could paddle that in NO time flat.

Once you start at Gig Harbor, head over to Point Defiance in Tacoma. Lots of biking and kayaking there too. Afterwards, head on up to Vashon Island. Again, more to bike and kayak. Pretty much a loop from within these areas.

If you need kayak rentals, its available at Pt Defiance/Owens Beach =>
http://www.metroparkstacoma.org/page.php?id=80

But, this requires crossing the Narrows, no? And, isn't the Narrows kinda fast at times? :twitchy:

If you're in the South Sound area, you can also rent kayaks at Burton Park on the southern end of Vashon Island. Very nice protected harbor to paddle around in.

Vashon Island is also a nice island to bike around - it's a beautiful lap around the island, 30 to 35 miles, depending on how you do it.

Thanks for the good ideas! I should have mentioned we own two kayaks. You should see our minivan loaded down with two kayaks and two or three bikes (typical empty nester's out to play).
Vashon Island had interested me for biking, is the kayaking good there? From what I can tell Quartermaster Harbor might be a nice place to kayak.

But, this requires crossing the Narrows, no? And, isn't the Narrows kinda fast at times? :twitchy:

There are designated bike lanes on the new Narrows bridge which separates car traffic like the I-90 bridge. The one thing to worry about is crosswinds - just be sure to look at the windsock on either end to get an idea where the wind is coming from.

http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/PC/abtus/ourorg/pwu/tpp/nonmotor/bicycle.htm

From what I can tell Quartermaster Harbor might be a nice place to kayak.

Very peaceful. It's not wilderness - the shores are lined with nice houses - but very calm and protected if you don't go out into the Sound.

Thanks for the good ideas! I should have mentioned we own two kayaks. You should see our minivan loaded down with two kayaks and two or three bikes (typical empty nester's out to play).
Vashon Island had interested me for biking, is the kayaking good there? From what I can tell Quartermaster Harbor might be a nice place to kayak.

Check it:

http://www.amazon.com/Kayaking-Puget-Sound-Juans-Islands/dp/0898866073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1250292283&sr=8-1 (I personally know one of the authors & he is a big-time kayaker)

There are a number of other reference books listed on the same page.

There are designated bike lanes on the new Narrows bridge which separates car traffic like the I-90 bridge. The one thing to worry about is crosswinds - just be sure to look at the windsock on either end to get an idea where the wind is coming from.

http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/PC/abtus/ourorg/pwu/tpp/nonmotor/bicycle.htm

I was talking about the crossing the narrows in the water, in a kayak. :o

Now I see it how it can go both ways. :lol: