Washington

Kayaking the Lower Columbia River: Exploration and Discovery

Program No. 2288RJ
Paddle along the basalt cliffs, Sitka spruce swamps, and tidal marshes of the Columbia River estuary with experts as you improve your kayak technique and learn about this grand region.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

At a Glance

Skamokawa is the ideal starting point for exploring the lower Columbia River by kayak. Paddle in a variety of habitats, from narrow sloughs winding through Sitka spruce swamps to wide-open expanses on the estuary of the Columbia. Walk among the giant trees of an ancient coastal forest. In addition to giving professional kayak instruction, your leaders are experts in local history, geology and wildlife.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Kayaking in single or double kayaks up to six hours. No previous kayak experience necessary.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

What You'll Learn

  • Weave your way through the tidal marsh islands that comprise the 35,000-acre Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Paddle along the 90-foot cliffs and waterfalls of the Lower Gorge, or through the quiet Julia Butler Hansen Refuge.
  • Enjoy two traditional music performances with songs by and about the people of the Columbia-Pacific Region.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Profile Image
Andrew Emlen
Since starting Skamokawa's kayaking program in 1998, Andrew Emlen has led more than 250 Road Scholar programs. Andrew has a master's degree in environmental studies. A former instructor of environmental science, geology labs and field biology, he is well-versed on local birds, mammals, insects, plants and mushrooms. Andrew plays cello, guitar and several other instruments with his fellow local musicians during evening presentations that feature music of the lower Columbia River. He is a certified wilderness first responder.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Andrew Emlen
Andrew Emlen View biography
Since starting Skamokawa's kayaking program in 1998, Andrew Emlen has led more than 250 Road Scholar programs. Andrew has a master's degree in environmental studies. A former instructor of environmental science, geology labs and field biology, he is well-versed on local birds, mammals, insects, plants and mushrooms. Andrew plays cello, guitar and several other instruments with his fellow local musicians during evening presentations that feature music of the lower Columbia River. He is a certified wilderness first responder.
Profile Image of Kyleen Austin
Kyleen Austin View biography
Kyleen Austin has been exploring the outdoors her entire life and has led Road Scholar programs since 2014. She is a certified Wilderness First Responder and has completed the British Canoe Union’s four-star kayak sea leader training. Kyleen majored in English and music in college, worked as a worldwide marketing director for IBM, and has served with numerous nonprofit organizations as a governing board or staff member. The multitalented Kyleen is also a singer-songwriter, performing on her programs for Road Scholar.
Profile Image of Wren Hendriks
Wren Hendriks View biography
Wren Hendriks, after ten years as a traveling sailor exploring the Columbia and beyond, is happy to call the uniquely welcoming town of Cathlamet, Washington home. Born to a family of trade fishermen, Wren has spent her life living and working on the water. Her favorite way of savoring the treasures of the Lower Columbia region is on a kayak.
Profile Image of Carson Thomas
Carson Thomas View biography
Carson Thomas was born and raised in Seattle. She moved to Maryland for 4 years where she spent many hours on a kayak traveling the Chesapeake Bay, exploring its 11,000 miles of coastline. While working on her bachelor’s, Carson loved learning about human-environmental relationships and the study of place in anthropology. Carson has traveled, taught in schools, and most recently, worked as a surveyor for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. She is an avid reader, explorer, and full-time observer of the natural world.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Print All
Map details are not available for this location.
6 days
5 nights
14 meals
5 B 4 L 5 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner, Class
Skamokawa, WA
D
Skamokawa Resort

Activity note: Resort check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration. Arrive as early as 3:00 p.m. at Skamokawa Resort. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in and locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Then, relax or explore nearby Skamokawa Vista Park or the J. B. Hansen Refuge. Any time between 4:00 and 5:30 p.m., drop by the kayak shop to meet the Group Leaders and get fitted to a kayak and gear. There will be social time in our reserved area at The Duck Inn at 5:30 p.m.

Dinner: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Evening: Orientation. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Next, we will have a slide presentation by Andrew Emlen on the history of Skamokawa. Emlen taught a course on the Lower Columbia River for 16 years as an adjunct faculty member for Lewis & Clark College. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY
2
Introduction to Kayaking, Paddle Lower Gorge Cliffs
Skamokawa, WA
B,L,D
Skamokawa Resort

Activity note: Getting in/out of vans; in/out of kayaks; paddling 6-8 miles throughout the day.

Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. at the Skamokawa Resort conference room.. Each day, we will have pack lunches provided and take them with us on our field trips.

Morning: At 8:45 a.m., we will walk (less than 1/4 mile) to the Viewpoint Landing dock and launch kayaks for our field trip. We will paddle from Skamokawa through historic Steamboat Slough, lined with up to 400-year-old Sitka Spruce. This forest has been preserved as part of the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife Refuge for the Columbia White-tailed Deer.

Lunch: At a scenic sand beach overlooking the main channel of the Columbia.

Afternoon: We will paddle a loop within Elochoman Slough that will take us through a wildlife-rich channel just wide enough for the kayaks. We’ll then return to Skamokawa with the outgoing tide.

Dinner: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Evening: We will be joined by historian Irene Martin, who won the 2000 Governor’s Heritage Award for her work documenting the cultures of the Lower Columbia. The author of six books on the history of the region, she is also a gillnetter and an Episcopal priest. Her wide-ranging interests and intellect will make for a fascinating presentation.

DAY
3
Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge, Live Music
Skamokawa, WA
B,L,D
Skamokawa Resort

Activity note: Getting in/out of kayaks; paddling 7 miles throughout the day. NOTE: The schedules for Days 3 and 4 may be switched to take advantage of better tides or weather.

Breakfast: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Morning: At 8:45 a.m., we will walk (less than 1/4 mile) to the dock and put in kayaks for our field trip. We will paddle across the main channel to Welch Island, the easternmost of a chain of tidal marsh islands that comprise the 35,000-acre Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge. We will paddle around this 1,800-acre island in the center of the Columbia before landing on another island for lunch.

Lunch: On a small sand beach on Tenasillahe Island. This island has a dike trail that will give us a chance to take a walk and look for wildlife before crossing back to Skamokawa.

Afternoon: We will paddle back across the channel to Skamokawa, often via historic Steamboat Slough. After returning to Skamokawa Landing, we will walk to the 1894 schoolhouse that has been lovingly restored as the River Life Interpretive Center. It serves as historical museum, bookstore, and community center.

Dinner: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Evening: The folk band Skamokawa Swamp Opera will perform music by and about the people of the Lower Columbia River, including their original songs. Skamokawa Swamp Opera are known for creative arrangements using various combinations of voice, guitar, cello, banjo, mandolin, mandocello, and percussion.

DAY
4
Hike at Local Farm/Museum/Skamokawa Creek Paddle
Skamokawa, WA
B,L,D
Skamokawa Resort

Activity note: Getting in/out of vans. Hiking 1.5 miles; trail has 50 feet of elevation gain, well-maintained. NOTE: The schedules for Days 3 and 4 may be switched to take advantage of better tides or weather.

Breakfast: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Morning: After breakfast, you will be transported up the valley to Alcyon Farm where we will take a 1.5-mile interpretive hike on wooded trails along the headwaters of Skamokawa Creek.

Lunch: At Skamokawa Resort.

Afternoon: After lunch, we will paddle up the protected waters of Skamokawa Creek. It is a four-mile round trip to where the headwaters of Wilson and Skamokawa Creeks tumble into the pool at the head of tidewater.

Dinner: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Evening: Kyleen Austin of Columbia River Kayaking will give us a presentation on her 2019 solo kayaking expedition from Ketchikan, Alaska to her home on the Columbia River.

DAY
5
Welch Island, Lewis & Clark National Wildlife Refuge
Skamokawa, WA
B,L,D
Skamokawa Resort

Activity note: Getting in/out of kayaks; paddling 7 miles throughout the day.

Breakfast: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room.

Morning: At 8:45 a.m., we will walk (less than 1/4 mile) to the dock and put in kayaks for our field trip. We will paddle across the main channel again, this time to FitzPatrick Island, a roosting area for white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and Caspian Terns. We'll cross back to the rugged north shore of the Columbia with its basalt bluffs punctuated by cobble beaches and the remains of old cannery towns.

Lunch: On a pebble beach at the site of a long-abandoned cannery town.

Afternoon: The incoming tide will help us paddle back to Skamokawa along the basalt bluffs of the north shore.

Dinner: Our final dinner at the Skamokawa Resort conference room features wild-caught salmon with other fresh, local foods.

Evening: Skamokawa Swamp Opera musicians Kyleen Austin, Andrew Emlen, and Erik Friend will return to perform another set of songs by and about the people of the Columbia-Pacific region. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

DAY
6
Program Concludes
Skamokawa, WA
B

Activity note: 10:00 a.m. resort check-out.

Breakfast: At the Skamokawa Resort conference room. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






Recommended For You

loading spinner