This three-day solo from the Nisqually River delta up Puget Sound to Seattle was very far from a wilderness trip, but I still saw lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery and had a great time. On Anderson Island, I even got to enjoy the entire Carlson Bay campground all to myself—highly unusual for late June.
Route map. Currents in the area run stronger northward than southward, so a south-to-north routing makes for an easier trip.
There was a surprising variety of bird life, both on land and on the water. All four of what I call the “Big Four” alcids were present in fair numbers: marbled murrelet, common murre, pigeon guillemot, and rhinoceros auklet. There were also surf scoters, western grebes, and a single common loon, as well as both pelagic and double-crested cormorants. On land, I saw tons of Wilson’s and orange-crowned warblers, both of which I love for their bright colors and energetic mannerisms.
The best species of the trip was undoubtedly the purple martin, which I observed both at the Luhr Beach launch site on the mainland and at Carlson Bay on Anderson Island. Other cool observations included a peregrine falcon attacking a bald eagle at Tacoma Narrows, and, later, a different eagle attacking an osprey near Alki Point.
No shorebirds were present anywhere, nor ducks of any kind other than the scoters, and no gulls other than glaucous-winged. I did see Caspian terns several times throughout the trip.
There were also lots of interesting manmade features, including the now-closed prison on McNeil Island and, of course, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Sunset at Nisqually River delta. I had to hurry to reach the campground on Anderson Island before dark.
Morning at Carlson Bay campground on Anderson Island. Only kayakers may camp here, although other users may come during the day.
Eagle Island State Park in the middle of Balch Passage. This small island would make a terrific campsite, but unfortunately, it is day-use only.
McNeil Island Corrections Center, 1875–2011, the last island prison in the United States. Today, the only so-called “residents” who remain on the island are sex offenders subject to civil confinement (to be served following their criminal sentences).
Fox Island pier. Fox Island has one of the nicest shorelines in south Puget Sound, although almost all of it is, unfortunately, privately owned.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Actually, two independent suspension bridges side by side, built to replace the original “Galloping Gertie” that collapsed in 1940.
Tacoma Narrows Park. It feels almost like camping in someone’s backyard.
Kayaking under the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Currents here sometime exceed five knots, so paddling with the tides is essential.
The weather was great: clear and sunny and still. Usually, such good weather brings a lot of people out on the water, but in the middle of the workweek, the crowds weren’t bad at all. At my first campsite on Anderson Island, I had the entire gravel spit to myself. At Tacoma Narrows Park, I was the only camper, although there were quite a few families at the beach during the day. At Point Robinson on the east side of Vashon Island, I was again the only camper, although again, there were a lot of day trippers down by the lighthouse.
The Point Robinson camping experience, I’m sorry to report, was not ideal. The Cascadia Marine Trails site was extremely difficult to find—so much so that the park superintendent had to show me where it was at the top of the hill. Luckily, he had his truck with him and very kindly offered to drive my gear up, because the campsite was not near the water at all.
The superintendent was extremely nice about the whole affair, but I still felt like kayak campers at Point Robinson were tucked away in an inconvenient, buggy, and less scenic site than they deserve, far from the bathrooms and tap water, and distressingly out of sight of the kayak storage area on the beach. The superintendent told me that he didn’t think more than a handful of kayakers had ever camped at Point Robinson. Lisabeula, on the west side of Vashon, is much nicer and more convenient for us paddling types.
In defense of Point Robinson, though, you just can’t beat the view from here of Mount Rainier.
Mount Rainier seen from Point Robinson, Vashon Island. Rainier is the largest and most attractive of our state’s five volcanoes.
Kayaking past Point Defiance. It doesn’t look like much from the water, but Point Defiance is actually a lovely municipal park with a great zoo and aquarium and plenty of hiking trails in the forest.
Tacoma waterfront and Mount Rainier. I think of Mt. Rainier as Seattle’s mountain, but if I’m being fair, it probably “belongs” more to Tacoma.
Northbound up Puget Sound. I’m always surprised how little vessel traffic there in on the sound, considering that more than four million people live here.
The trip was a good mix of urban and wildlife paddling, and each of the campsites had its own charm, even Point Robinson. I’m very grateful to live in a place where such beauty and enjoyment are so readily available.
—Alex Sidles