Larrabee State Park Kayak Day Trip

Although we are always seeking to find new routes, the day trip out of Larrabee State Park is one that we try and paddle each and every year.  It never disappoints!  The boat launch area is just outside historic Fairhaven, and one of our favourite breakfast spots -Skylark Hidden Cafe.  To access the state park you must follow Chuckanut Drive....one of the prettiest drives in the area, and even if you are not the least bit interested in paddling...you must drive the Chuckanut!

Mexico or Chuckanut Bay?

Incredible sandstone cliffs

This year the paddling gods were on our side as we arrived at the boat launch to find near perfect, well actually PERFECT conditions!   The water was calm, the sun was shining, and we had the boat launch to ourselves.  We excitedly loaded our gear and began to paddle out of the cove.

Boat Launch at low tide - Larrabee 

The water clarity and visibility was unbelievable.  It felt like we could see to the deep dark bottom of the sea.  Of course, we knew this meant that we were in for a full day of fantastic critter viewing!  We marvelled at the variety of life we saw:  water jellies, lions mane jelly, moon jellies, a variety of anemones, sand dollars,  barnacles, red rock crab, purple shore crab, bat stars, leather stars, sun stars, pacific blood star, purple star, sunflower star, giant pink star, Red Sea urchin, and many more we simply could not identify.  We are looking forward to the day that Emma, our aspiring marine biologist will help us correctly identify those we miss.

Underwater Starfish gathering

Jellies lead the way

Sand dollars

It was a very slow leisurely paddle as we explored the amazing sandstone cliffs.  The cliffs have been weathered and battered by wind, ocean and rain and as a result they are a visual feast of smoothly rounded shapes and intriguing patterns...curves, crevices, and holes!

Sand stone - sculpted by Mother Nature

After travelling along the sandstone cliffs, we crossed open water to visit a Nature Sanctuary.  This small island in Chuckanut Bay is a terrific spot to stop for snack and a stretch.  It is a protected area and home to many bird nesting sites.  We enjoyed some beach combing and tide pool viewing.

Coffee Break at the Nature Sanctuary

On our return trip we once again poked and plodded our way along the shoreline.  It is amazing how the ebb and flow of the tides can dramatically change your view and at times you feel like you are paddling a whole new stretch of water.   We found a wonderful secluded cove to land and scrambled up  the cliff to a fabulous picnic spot over looking the ocean.  The view was indescribable.  Reluctantly, we looked at the time and knew it was time to return to the boat launch and head home.  Thank you Larrabee for another awesome paddle....see you next year!

Lunch break with a view

Giggle of the day:

After lunch, as we paddled back to the boat launch, we noticed a creature in the water up ahead.  It looked like a seal, but there was something not quite right.  We paddled closer only to discover a new species....a DOG FISH.  Yes...here we were sandstone cliffs to our right and endless ocean to the left and a dog in front of us.  It was dog paddling like crazy and breathing heavily.  We were quite concerned, and tried to get closer to corral it to shore.  However, every time we drew near the dog would try to jump on board one of our kayaks.  It was quite a big, sturdy dog, and we were concerned that he would capsize one of us.  We managed to get him to rest on a paddle for a bit and then he followed us to a section of shore where he could climb out.  We never did discover the dog's owner or where he came from....but, we were able to rest easy knowing that we had managed to accompany him to shore.

The elusive DOG FISH

Map and Route tips:

There is a small fee to park and launch at the Larrabee Boat Launch.