Columbia Kayak Adventures-Tours-Sea Kayak Tours and Instruction on the Columbia River

Tours - 2010
All CKA tours are instruction-oriented and aim to show you the fun and ease of paddling through beautiful places.

CKA offers many Beginner Tours that require little or no experience, and more Advanced Beginner Tours where better physical ability and skills are important for safety due to longer lengths and/or possible wind and current condtions.

Each tour offers beautiful scenery and all will get you excited about kayaking; the fun, challenge and enjoyment of moving yourself along the water’s surface while watching the blue heron near shore or suddenly hearing the slap of a beaver’s tail. Deer, cliff swallows and hawks are just some of the wildlife you’ll likely see.

Beginner Tours (no experience required) Yakima Delta Sunrise Yakima Delta Yakima River (various lower stretches) McNary Wildlife Refuge "Topic" Tours	Advanced-Beginner Tours (some experience and physical ability required due to longer paddle times and/or current and wind conditions) Full Moon Palouse River Sand Islands Ringold to Richland Hanford Reach Pelican Island Snake River / Fishhook Park CKA offers Multi-Day Instructional Tours in the Lower Columbia and San Juan areas; see Classes for more information.
CKA provides high quality single and tandem sea kayaks and gear for all tours. With registration you will be given a description of meeting location, appropriate clothing and gear you may want to have, and any other trip details. Please contact CKA with any questions about tours. If you don’t see what you’re interested in, or offered tours do not meet your schedule, please contact us at 509-947-5901, or check again soon. Personal tours can be created to fit your group. Tours are also frequently offered through Kennewick Recreation Services; please check their web site for additional tour days and times. Registration information follows tour descriptions, below. Please Note: Class times and dates can change; it is always a good idea to confirm time and date before registration; call 509-947-5901.
Tour Descriptions Beginner Tours Yakima Delta 3 Hours, $50; Tour meets at Wye Park, Richland. See Calendar for Dates Enjoy a new view of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers! This tour goes from Bateman Island through the hidden areas of the Yakima Delta, exploring narrow waterways and islands. Look for great blue heron, hawks, beaver, deer and a local osprey nest; all from the level of the water.
Sunrise Yakima Delta 3 Hours, $50; Class meets at Wye Park, Richland See Calendar for Dates Start at the break of dawn for a quiet morning of wildlife watching in the hidden reaches of the Yakima Delta. An early rise - we meet at 5:00 AM - will reward you with the chance to view usually hidden wildlife and enjoy the cool morning calm. Yakima River 4-5 Hours, $60; Tour meeting location varies by river stretch paddled. See Calendar for Dates The Lower Yakima River from Benton City to its delta on the Columbia, has several stretches that offer beautiful runs through hidden islands and numerous bends in the river. We select those most suitable depending on river flows and conditions, then arrange a shuttle for a trip that is guaranteed to see lots of wildlife and offer a break, sometimes right in town.
McNary Wildlife Refuge 3-4 Hours, $60; Tour meets at launch site near Burbank, WA See Calendar for Dates McNary Wildlife Refuge is home to an abundance of birdlife and small bays. Launch is near Two Rivers Islands and tour takes you across to other islands and inlets where pelicans, herons, possibly eagles and other water birds can be seen.
Topic Tours 3 Hours, $60; Tour meeting location varies. See Calendar for Dates CKA occasionally offers tours with a naturalist, geologist, or other specialist who will talk about a special "topic" as we paddle through an area. The location of these varies, but all are 2-to-3 hour tours at a relaxed pace, comfortable for the beginner paddler. Contact CKA for more information on these informational tours.
Advanced-Beginner Tours These tours may require some experience and physical ability due to longer paddle times and/or current and wind conditions. Full Moon 3 Hours, $60; Tour meets at Snyder Boat Launch, north Richland. See Calendar for Dates The river is a different place at night; magical almost, as you paddle under a full moon. Launch in North Richland, and with a relaxed pace we travel around to the east side of the island where city lights are minimal. Enjoy floating downriver for a bit and absorb the sounds of the water and wildlife, then return along the shore listening for the slap of a beaver tail.
Palouse River 5-6 Hours, $85; Tour meets at Lyons Ferry Boat Launch See Calendar for Dates The Palouse is an incredible canyon with close-up views of swallows' nests tucked into rock crevices, islands with herons and beautiful cliffs. Launch at Lyons Ferry Boat Launch on the river's entrance to the Snake. We'll paddle around cliffs at the river entrance, then curve upriver 4-5 miles, stopping for lunch and possibly playing in faster water. Return to put-in mid-afternoon.
Sand Islands 4 Hours, $65; Tour meets at boat launch near Paterson. See Calendar for Dates Located in the middle of the Columbia between Paterson and Irrigon, OR, the Sand Islands offer a variety desert views, rocky outcroppings and small beaches hiding abundant birdlife. Crossing to the Oregon side, we'll explore a channel near the Umatilla Wildlife Refuge. More exposed than other tours, this trip can be calm or offer wind to challenge.
Ringold to Richland 4 Hours, $65; Tour meets at Snyder Bboat Launch, north Richland. See Calendar for Dates From Snyder Boat Launch you're transported to Ringold, north of Pasco, to launch for the trip along this rarely-seen stretch of the Columbia River. You pass several islands as you travel downriver, and can expect to see hawks, White pelicans, herons and other birdlife, as well as possible coyote and deer. The group stops for lunch near the base of cliffs on this 15-mile paddle, and lands back at the boat launch.
Hanford Reach Full Day, $115; Tour meets at boat launch near Vernita Bridge. See Calendar for Dates The journey starts at Vernita Bridge below Priest Rapids Dam and travels through numerous islands along the White Bluffs of the Hanford Reach, the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River. History is dramatic on the rivers’ south where you see preserved and active structures of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, while you pass a pristine area of 300-foot high cliffs that harbor cliff swallows, deer and hawks on the opposite bank. Bring a packed lunch to enjoy at a stop along the way, on this 18-mile paddle.
Multi-Day Instructional Tours CKA offers multi-day tours that emphasize stretching your kayak skills while enjoying beautiful suroundings. See Classes for descriptions of trips in the San Juans and Lower Columbia River.
Registration You can register for any tour by calling Columbia Kayak Adventures at 509-947-5901, or sending an email to info@columbiakayakadventures.com. Or you can get a pdf registration form for printing, and mail it to CKA.	Click icon to get Acrobat Reader Free.
Payment is due at time of registration. CKA accepts VISA and MasterCard, cash or check. After registration, an informational sheet will be sent to you confirming your tour/trip time and launch location, plus information on things to bring, appropriate clothing or other helpful tips. Cancellation Policy Full payment is due at time of registration for classes and tours one-day or shorter in length. Full refunds are given if cancellations are made within 5 days of class or tour. No refunds are made if cancellation is made with less than 5 days notice, unless your space is filled. Multi-day classes and tours require a 50% deposit at time of registration and full payment seven days prior to the first class session. You will receive a full refund, less a $25.00 office fee if you cancel two weeks prior to class. No refunds are made for cancellations made within two weeks of the class or tour, unless your spot is filled, in which case you will receive a full refund, less the deposit. CKA reserves the right to re-schedule or cancel a class due to unsafe conditions or insufficient registration. We do not cancel due to rain.