Advice needed for kayaking

[CowPrincess]

I'm doing Alaska on a STRICT budget this year, but will do one shorex, a kayak excursion.

 

I see kayaking that is within my budget advertised in Juneau and in Ketchikan. In Ketchikan two trips -- Orca's Cove or Ketchikan waterfront and some islands. In Juneau, there's a Tongass Wildlife kayaking tour.

 

The Ketchikan waterfront and islands is 2.5 hours, which works well in that I want to see other things in Ketchikan, too. Orca's Cove and the Juneau trip are both pretty long (not much more paddling, but out of town for longer) and I'd have VERY little time to spend in the townsite.

 

Part of me wants to spend as much time as I can in the towns, not having had that chance LAST year when we went.

 

Does any one of these tours have a better chance of actually encountering wildlife, especially marine mammals?

 

Any info or thoughts or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

[kenish]

We took SE Sea Kayaks in KTN last summer and they were great! Toursaver had a 2:1 coupon for the Pennock Island tour. We saw starfish, small fish near shore, dime-sized jellyfish, etc. We saw a pod of orcas in the distance. The tour went through some small islands across the channel near Gravina Island. They took us to a cove with a lot of bald eagles nesting in the trees.

 

It was pouring when we went but we still had a great time. My son's fingers got very cold towards the end of the trip. But they suggested not wearing gloves, they just get soaked and make things worse!

[mytime53]

But they suggested not wearing gloves, they just get soaked and make things worse!

 

I suggest you take gloves anyway. I'm a person who gets cold hands easily, and I disagree about wet gloves making it worse. Your hands can actually warm the water and if the gloves have any windblocking ability at all, you are better off. However, you don't want gloves that when wet get slippery and cause it to be difficult to paddle. I suggest a cheap pair of diving gloves for active water excursions.

[CowPrincess]

Thanks for the tips! Any thoughts into which of the trips I should do, given that I'd REALLY like a marine mammal encounter. I know they are wild, and don't show up on cue, but is there a better chance on one vs. another?

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the tips! Any thoughts into which of the trips I should do, given that I'd REALLY like a marine mammal encounter. I know they are wild, and don't show up on cue, but is there a better chance on one vs. another?

 

Do not plan on any wildlife except for birds and fish. Any other sightings are rare.

[GMoney]

I suggest you take gloves anyway. I'm a person who gets cold hands easily, and I disagree about wet gloves making it worse. Your hands can actually warm the water and if the gloves have any windblocking ability at all, you are better off. However, you don't want gloves that when wet get slippery and cause it to be difficult to paddle. I suggest a cheap pair of diving gloves for active water excursions.

 

Do not plan on any wildlife except for birds and fish. Any other sightings are rare.

 

I agree with both of these statements. Oddly enough, this type of glove at Home Depot would suffice for a short trip. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100077274&N=10000003+90401

 

The only thing I have to add - and I will likely come under fire for this - but these are average Alaska kayaking excursions. There's nothing wrong with them, the scenery is very nice, and the operators are just fine. And I'm not knocking people who have done these tours in the past.

 

But IMO, they do not compare with the compelling, can't-miss kayaking you can do in Seward (to Aialik or Bear Glacier, where you will see a glacier and very likely wildlife like seals up close) or Valdez (to Columbia Glacier, where you will paddle thru a maze of blue-white bergy bits and have good wildlife viewing chances).

 

I bring this up because it sounds like you are really trying to evaluate options and balance limited time and $. Will you have a nice time if you do these tours? Very likely yes. But are they must dos for these ports that will be the highlight of your trip? Probably not.

 

Have fun whatever you decide.

[CowPrincess]

GMoney, that is hilarious -- after reading about needing gloves, I was wondering if I could take my (brand new) grouting gloves to use..... guess I can :D We are just doing a 7 day Inside Passage, so my options are Juneau or Ketchikan. Based on "not much chance of wildlife" I think I've talked myself into the one in Ketchikan, 2.5 hours, so I will have more time in Juneau and Ketchikan to poke around town.

 

If DH & I get to cruise to Alaska in 2010, I wanna do a 14 day, and THAT will get us to other places :)

 

Thanks for your help, everyone.

[anchorage1977]

My first time ever in a Kayak was the Ketchikan Waterfront excursion many years ago. It was pretty fun to pattle along Creek Street etc. It was a very low key tour where I felt I got as much paddling in as my body would allow. Maybe this is a good one as a start trip for someone.... I'm not sure on your experience.

 

Others have said that wildlife is not likely on any of these, and that's my reaction also. But you never know... I've seen whales in some pretty strange places.

 

Good luck with your planning.

[CowPrincess]

Maybe this is a good one as a start trip for someone.... I'm not sure on your experience.

 

I grew up in a canoe, so the learning curve for kayaking wasn't very steep. I was surprised at how well I managed my first kayaking trip. No soreness, no fatigue.... I was probably doing something wrong :D

[anchorage1977]

The waterfront trip doesn't sound like the best trip... go for something away from the noise of the city.

[CowPrincess]

I see you were on the Ryndam Dec/08.... we did Sea of Cortez on her Nov/08, and I'll be back on her for this Alaska trip... need to spend more time at the Aft pool before it goes away during drydock.

 

I'm quite torn about which trip to take. I feel a physical need to spend time in Juneau, just enjoying the town (I cry when we sail away from Juneau -- there's some sort of connection there). And I want to spend time at the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan. So time is an issue. And I've seen a reasonable amount of "pristine" Alaska on previous trips. Such a tough choice, huh? How bad can life be when my BIGGEST decision is which kayak trip to take during my 3rd cruise in a year, and my 5th trip back to Alaska? :)

[PollyPenguin]

I haven't gone on our cruise yet, but I had the same dilemma as you - kayaking in Ketchican or Juneau and wanting to spend time in town enjoying the ambiance and local sights. For me, it came down to which port were we going to spend the most time in and could I squeeze the kayak trip in between everything else I wanted to do. I've decided on kayaking in Juneau more for the timing of the excursion than for the actual location. It was also important to me to kayak away from the waterfront and the Juneau trip seems to fit that bill.

 

Whatever you decide, have a wonderful time!