If your idea of the perfect day on Cape Cod or the Islands includes calm and quiet,
consider kayaking/paddle boarding. Paddling around is also the perfect way to see wildlife
in their natural habitats.
Cape Cod’s many diverse bodies of water provide excellent settings for kayakers
of all skill levels and offer more than 60 different kayaking routes. Out on the
Islands, the harbors, coves, and ponds are popular with kayakers, as are the South
Shore beaches, which offer surf kayaking.
Outdoor stores such as Goose Hummock in Orleans offer short and long term, on/off-site kayak and SUP rentals. Goose Hummock's convenient delivery/pick-up service is perfect if you're staying in a WeNeedaVacation rental on the water and want to kayak from there. Alternatively, you can head to Goose Hummock’s Outdoor Shop and have the on-site experience! Goose Hummock’s Outdoor Center is situated right on Town Cove in Orleans and is the perfect setting for paddlers of all skill-levels.
If you are staying on the Upper Cape, be sure to check out Rideaway Adventures offering kayak, paddle board and bike rentals. They offer tours along local shores as well, in fact we took one ourselves and thoroughly enjoyed it!
Cape Cod
On the Upper Cape, try a relaxing paddle along the Mashpee River in Mashpee;
in Wild Harbor or West Falmouth Harbor in Falmouth; or Scorton Creek in Sandwich.
Waquoit Bay, a national research reserve, also offers the chance to explore undeveloped
Washburn Island. On Buzzard’s Bay, take in the calm waters of Pocasset Harbor near
Barrett’s Island or Vineyard Sound for more experienced kayakers. Coonamesset Pond
is a good choice for fresh water paddling.
In the Mid Cape area, the Herring River, which runs through the 200+ acres
of Harwich conservation lands, is a favorite among paddlers of all ages and skill
levels. Travel upriver to the marsh to see egrets, great blue herons, and ospreys.
Other Mid Cape destinations include Bass River, the longest river on Cape Cod; Swan
River; Swan Pond; and Nantucket Sound. For solitude, try Barnstable Harbor and the
Great Marsh of West Barnstable, taking time to step onto Sandy Neck Beach.
The Lower Cape features Nauset Marsh, one of the most productive salt marsh
habitats in the world and a spectacular spot for kayaking. It is ideal for birdwatching
and otter-spotting. You may also find sunbathing seals on Nauset’s barrier beaches.
The waters are calm enough for beginners, but the beauty brings back even the most
experienced kayakers time and again. Check the tides before paddling out, however.
Low tide results in vast areas of mud flats that could leave you stranded. Other
Lower Cape choices are Pleasant Bay; Chatham’s Oyster River; and Cliff Pond, Flax
Pond, and Little Cliff Pond in Brewster’s Nickerson State Park.
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Long Pond, Yarmouth MA
Up on the Outer Cape, Long Point and Pamet Harbor in Truro; Blackfish Creek,
Wellfleet Harbor, and Great Island in Wellfleet; and Provincetown Harbor are all
popular out and back kayaking spots. These areas are especially choice for sunset
paddling.
Sea kayakers will find that Cape Cod’s shoreline provides many inlets, coves, and
harbors. Cape Cod Bay, Pleasant Bay, and Nantucket Sound offer open water for adventure
kayaking and the opportunity to fish or view sea life such as the seals that make
Monomoy Island their summer home.
There are many kayak outfitters and tour guides on Cape Cod from Falmouth to Provincetown.
If you have never kayaked, most are happy to offer some instruction, but novices
are encouraged to join a tour. Tours range from two hours to a full day.
South Shore and Southeastern MA
Kayaking possibilities abound on the South Shore and Southeastern Massachusetts,
including Buzzards Bay and the protected harbors of Marion and Westport. Paddle
inner Plymouth Harbor and you can get a great view of the Mayflower and Plymouth
Rock.
Nantucket
Kayaking the waters of Nantucket offers experienced or novice kayakers many different
opportunities. Nantucket Harbor offers easy paddling, with side trips into marshes
with abundant bird life and along the coast to some of Nantucket’s pristine beaches.
Explore the many coves and even fish from the kayak and catch keeper bass or other
fish.
Ocean kayaking is available across the Island. You will find good surfing waves
on the South Shore for much of the year.
Kayaks are available for rent at the harbor or they can be delivered to the beach
for surf kayaking.
Martha’s Vineyard
Gliding along beneath the spectacular Aquinnah Cliffs, paddling in Edgartown Harbor
in front of the historic lighthouse, or nighttime paddles in the phosphorescence
of Menemsha Pond are just a few of the ways kayakers can enjoy themselves on Martha’s
Vineyard.
Make a day of it by paddling to Cape Pogue on Chappaquiddick Island or around the
Elizabeth Islands, or enjoy an afternoon venturing into the estuaries and quahog
beds of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Sengekontacket Pond.
Martha’s Vineyard has half a dozen or so ponds where you can enjoy a short, enjoyable
paddle, or, like Nantucket, experience great kayak surfing in the waves of the ocean-facing
southern shore.
Rentals are available and can be delivered.