Misty Fjords Kayak Trip Recommendations
Planning Your Trip
The Misty Fjords National Monument is vast and beginning to plan a trip there can be daunting especially as there is very little information available online about the area. Don’t be discouraged, Southeast Sea Kayaks is here to help! We offer kayak rentals, water taxi service and a Misty Fjords Planning Package that includes the map with the Cabins and trails marked, tide tables and a 30 page booklet on kayaking Misty Fjords. Please do not hesitate to call us and ask questions, even if you do not plan to rent from us, we are happy to help.
Trip Suggestions
These itineraries focus on the most spectacular parts of the Monument and the most easily accessed from Ketchikan. Most kayakers assume a pace of 3 miles per hour for planning purposes. It is a good idea to factor a weather day (or rest day) into your itinerary if you plan to paddle around Point Alava or to cross the Behm Canal. Our best advice for trip planning is: don’t be overly ambitious. In our experience, paddlers who spend their time in one area or have plenty of time to stop and explore along the way see the most wildlife.
3 - 4 Day Trips
1. Base Camp at Punchbowl Cove in Rudyerd Bay
Take a water taxi to Punchbowl Cove and spend time in the most spectacular part of the Fjords. A 3 – 4 day trip based in Punchbowl Cove is ideal for novice paddlers as conditions are usually calm inside Rudyerd Bay. Base camping means no long mornings packing kayaks. Highlights of this trip include exploring Rudyerd Bay by kayak and the hike to Punchbowl Lake which can be explored in the Forest Service Canoe or rowboat.
2. Winstanley Island Cabin
For those who do not like the idea of tent camping or want a romantic getaway, Winstanley Island is perfect for a 2 night trip or longer. There are several good day paddles from the cabin. This trip is suitable for novices so long as caution is used when paddling out into the Behm Canal. Highlights of this trip include kayaking the serene Shoalwater Pass, paddling to Checats Cove or New Eddystone to explore and hiking the award winning Winstanley Lake Trail.
4 - 7 Day Trips
1. Rudyerd Bay and Winstanley Island
This trip is the basis of our 5 day guided trip itinerary because it explores (in our opinion) the very best of the Misty Fjords. The paddling is suitable for novices when caution is exercised on the paddle to Winstanley Island. Highlights of this trip include paddling Rudyerd Bay, hiking to Punchbowl Lake, looking for bears in Shoalwater Pass and staying at Winstanley Island Cabin.
2. Walker Cove and Rudyerd Bay
.Experienced kayakers will love the challenge of paddling the Behm Canal from Rudyerd Bay to Walker Cove. If time allows, kayakers can cross the Behm Canal and spend a night at the A Frame shelter in Manzanita Bay. Walker Cove is seldom travelled by floatplanes or boat traffic and has the same spectacular cliffs and waterfalls as Rudyerd Bay. Paddling the Behm Canal provides good opportunities to watch for whales and porpoises. Both Hut Point at the mouth of Walker Cove and Punchbowl Cove in Rudyerd Bay are good campsites.
Trips for 7 - 14 Days
Walker Cove, Manzanita, Rudyerd Bay, Winstanley Island Cabin
After paddling Walker Cove kayakers can cross the Behm Canal to explore Portage Cove and Manzanita Bay. Rudyerd Bay is worthy of at least two full days camped at Punchbowl Cove to hike the trail to the Lake and explore the rest of Rudyerd Bay. If time allows, the northern part of Rudyerd Bay is very beautiful and the best place to look for bears. A stay at Winstanley Island Cabin can be a great end to a week or longer trip in the Fjords.
Blind Pass to Rudyerd Bay, Winstanley Island Cabin or Alava Bay
The trip from Blind Pass to Rudyerd Bay or Winstanley Island is ideal for experienced kayakers. At the north end of the Island, kayakers can hike to the Lake Shelocum Hot Springs from Bailey Bay, spend a night at Anchor Pass Cabin and explore the Unuk and Chickamin rivers. Both Portage Cove and Walker Cove are also worthy of a day’s stop. Rudyerd Bay may seem crowded after the solitude of the north but its spectacular cliffs and waterfalls are worth enduring the floatplane traffic. Kayakers could choose to be picked up in Punchbowl Cove or at Winstanley Island Cabin which is a wonderful luxury for the last few days of a long camping trip. Be aware that the north end of the Island is very remote and good backcountry skills are essential. Blind Pass Cabin and Anchor Pass Cabin are good stops on this route. Campsites are few between Anchor Pass and Walker Cove.
15 Days or Longer - Revillagigedo Circumnavigation
Highlights of this trip include the hot springs at Lake Shelocum, cabin stays at Anchor Pass or Winstanley Island, Portage Cove, Walker Cove and Rudyerd Bay. To truly enjoy the spectacular scenery, most kayakers will want to take at least 14 days to circumnavigate Revillagigedo. Remember to allow a day or two for weather in the Behm Canal and at Point Alava. Paddlers who want to make side trips into rivers and Fjords should plan to take at least 18 days to circumnavigate. Circumnavigations have been done in both directions heading south around Point Alava allows kayakers to get the most difficult stretch of paddling done early..
Find out more information about the USFS Cabins in the Ketchikan area at www.recreation.gov
