What we’re about
Our meetup’s goal is to help kayakers meet each other and paddle together, because kayaking with friends is more fun and more safe! Also, many of our organizers and members have extra kayaks to lend during our activities, so a secondary goal is to give people a chance to explore the hobby in a more exciting setting than Lake Union! We look forward to exploring and enjoying the sublime beauty of Washington’s bays, lakes, and rivers with you!
People of all ages are welcome, and pets are usually welcome, too!
To be clear, we are not a meetup for whitewater kayaks. Some of our events go down rivers with gentle currents, but we use recreational kayaks and/or sea kayaks.
This group hosts events of a wide variety of lengths and difficulties, some which require no prior experience and any sort of watercraft like paddleboards or inflatables. However, some events require special training, wetsuits/drysuits, and sea kayaks. Our name used to be “Seattle Sea Kayaking Meetup”, so our events may still reflect that. Keep that in mind. Our events can range from short paddles on lakes to longer multi-day camping open-water paddles on the Puget Sound.
Attendees are required to complete the waiver before attending Meetups:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBr6y8g_WG6TBaHauUk--QOF9IIjyMz-sRFeKG3UodI7VRtQ/viewform
The waiver also contains safety information that may impact your preparation, so please complete the waiver BEFORE you depart for the activity. You only need to fill it out once.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- (BYO) Paddling the Lakes of Deception Pass!Starbucks - West Lake Union, Seattle, WA
NOTE: I will not be providing kayaks or paddle boards for people who don't have them for this event.
NOTE: this meetup is cross-listed with the Seattle Millennials and Gen Z Meetup, but all ages are welcome.
NOTE: I created a Discord community with a channel called "8-3-deception-pass" to facilitate communication between the three meetup groups for this specific event, since the meetup app doesn't always work well. You can join here:
I realized that there are a handful of smaller lakes near Deception Pass that I've never paddled in! Let's go explore them! I plan to explore 5 lakes, but I imagine that most people will only stay to visit the first two or three. We'll start with Cranberry Lake, then move to Pass Lake, then Lake Campbell, then Heart Lake, then Erie Lake. We will have a picnic and hang out on the lakes and chat. I also want to drive up to the top of Mt Erie at some point in the day, since I have never done that. I may also paddle out to Deception Island at the end if the weather is looking calm and favorable.
Paddlers of all experience levels are welcome, even if you are bringing your own paddleboard, oru kayak, or inflatable kayak! We will be paddling a short distance at each lake.
We will be paddling approximately 6 miles, which is a short-medium length trip for us. It should be very doable even for beginners. It involves 2 to 3 hours of paddling. You will have time to eat a snack before the paddle and we will also stop to eat packed lunches during the paddle, so be sure to bring snacks and water to consume before, during, and after the paddle! Kayaking can be more draining than hiking, especially for beginners, and you will need energy!
Please bring clothes and especially SHOES that can get wet! Sandals or flip flops can leave your feet exposed to injuries from rocky terrain if we encounter it. I recommend close-toed shoes like beach shoes, crocs, or best of all, neoprene diving boots like these:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J86CN66
Don't forget SUNGLASSES and SUNSCREEN either! For the rest of your outfit, I recommend SYNTHETIC or wool fabrics that will dry quickly. Swimsuits and polyester running shirts are great for warm weather. For colder or rainy weather, I recommend a fleece or wool sweater, a rainproof shell, and hardshell pants.
We'll meet at the Starbucks at 1200 Westlake Ave N at 9 AM and head out at around 9:15! Let us know before 9 AM if you are on your way. We generally wait 15 minutes for people to arrive. If you are arriving with your own car but carpooling from there, be sure to park in a spot marked "ALL DAY" parking (in case you end up not driving)!
For those who want to meet directly at the launch, we'll meet at west beach parking lot at 11 AM, and we'll try to be finished setting up and ready to launch by 11:15.
We'll paddle north and stop at an island for lunch and a quick swim. Then, we'll paddle to the north end of the lake to see the waterfall, then head back to the launch. I estimate that we will return to the launch spot at 4:15 PM, finish packing up by 5 PM, and be back in Seattle at 6:30 PM.
Here's the location of the first launch :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4GPPDsvNrAPXfvrz7
Here's the location of the second launch :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/tTxaSNsXGPdQWd9X6
Here's the location of the third launch :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/8N8tdJJiJxrYDtAz6
Here's the location of the fourth launch :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Yd11PpTJRVwtD7MJA
Here's the location of the fifth launch :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ab2mkyzuCsMknhmb7
Please reach out if you have any questions!
Attendees are required to complete the waiver :
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBr6y8g_WG6TBaHauUk--QOF9IIjyMz-sRFeKG3UodI7VRtQ/viewform
The waiver also contains safety information that may impact your preparation, so please complete the waiver BEFORE you depart for the activity. You only need to fill it out once, ever.
