14 National Parks You’ll Want To Bring Your Kayak To This Summer
If you love paddle boarding or kayaking, these National Parks are for you! There are 101 national parks in the US and Canada, and some of the best spots for paddling in the world are located there. These are the perfect places to visit during the summer, paddle around, and really get to enjoy nature.
One thing to remember is that not all National Parks allow paddle boarding and kayaking. That is why I’ve researched and compiled the best National Parks. You should bring a kayak or paddleboard.
1. Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
This is one of the best places on the planet—not just for paddling, but literally the most beautiful place on earth. Banff National Park is known for its incredible mountain hikes, amazing villages, and some of the most jaw-dropping, stunning lakes you’ll ever see. The best part is that you can paddle in them!
The best spot for kayaking in Banff is Lake Louise, which is one of the most popular (and beautiful!) lakes in the National Park. They have a place here that rents out kayaks and canoes by the hour, so you don’t need to worry about bringing your own.
The Bow River is the best place for paddle boarding because it has calm water and many people around who are also paddle boarding. They have paddle board rentals at the Banff Canoe Club right on the banks of the river so you can just park and paddle around without worrying!
2. Channel Islands National Park, California, USA
The Channel Islands are 11 miles offshore from the city of Oxnard in Southern California. It is one of the best spots in the US for snorkeling and paddling because of the incredible rock formations of the islands and the amount of animal wildlife in the area (whales, seals, sharks, etc.)
You should not try to paddle out to the islands from the mainland because they are FAR. 11 miles may seem short but once you’re out there for 8+ hours and your arms and back are cramping… just don’t do it. The best way to get to the Channel Islands is by a boat tour that will take you out to the islands and then let you paddle around the islands.
You can also take ferries to the islands with the Island Packers company. They allow you to bring your own kayak or paddle board, or you can rent one from this company.
3. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA
This is another one of the most popular National Parks in the US for paddling. Even though it’s in the middle of Wyoming and nowhere near a beach! Lake Jenny is the most popular spot in the park for paddle boarding and kayaking, but make sure you get here early because the parking lot fills up fast.
They have a kayak rental spot right on the water of Janny Lake, but they don’t rent out SUP boards, so you’ll have to bring your own. Another popular spot for paddling is along the Snake River.
If you take two cars, you can park one at the bottom of the river and then park the other one at the place you plan on starting so you can kayak as far as your heart desires. Snake River is very calm and is perfect for either SUP boarding or kayaking.
4. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
This place is like a secret Banff! It has way fewer people and depending on what time of year you go, you can have a whole lake to yourself. Some of the best spots for kayaking are Lake Annette and Lake Edith. Giant mountains surround both lakes and they have glowing blue water.
When it comes to SUP boarding, stick to the shoreline of Lake Edith. This is where the water will be calm and you will have easy access to shore in case of things go wrong. Out in the middle of the lakes, the water gets pretty choppy in the afternoon and the water is much colder because of the lake’s depth.
5. Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
If you are looking for an adventure, then try paddling at Everglades National Park. I don’t know if I would, but if you want an adrenaline hit, then go ahead! There are over 200,000 alligators and 3,000 crocodiles in the Everglades. That does not sound like a place that I want to be floating with nothing but a few inches of plastic between me and an animal that could rip me apart.
The most popular place to kayak in the Everglades is The Turner River Canoe Trail. The trail is 8.5 miles long and goes from the Turner River Launch to Chokoloskee. Alligators are here, so be sure to give them a wide birth!
6. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
The Grand Canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It’s over 6,000 feet deep in some spots and 277 miles long. There are lots of tours that will take you rafting down the Grand Canyon on multi-day excursions, but I would have to recommend doing Horseshoe Bend. It’s about 10 miles of paddling down the Colorado River and takes around 4-6 hours to complete.
It’s not technically in the Grand Canyon National Park, but it is one of the best places on the plant to paddle. Another great place to paddle is Lake Powell. There are so many incredible red rock canyons that you can paddle down for miles and you’ll be surrounded by rock walls that are hundreds of feet tall.
7. North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA
This National Park in Washington is one of the most underrated parks in the Pacific Northwest. Ross Lake Resort is the best place in the park to rent canoes and kayaks from, but they don’t have SUP boards, so you’ll have to bring your own. They are located right on the lake, so it’s the perfect place to start your trip.
There are rivers you can kayak and raft down, but the water is fast flowing and has class II to class III rapids. The river that you’ll want to go to for this is the Skagit River. In total, it’s about 9 miles of rapids and starts at Goodell Creek Campground and ends at the Copper Creek Take-Out.
8. Glacier National Park, Montana, USA
This National Park has so many lakes that you can basically drive in any direction and find a lake to paddle in. Lake McDonald is the most popular lake and is surrounded by giant mountains and thousands of pine trees. The great thing about this National Park is that there are multiple places to rent SUP boards and kayaks from, all run by the Glacier Park Boat Co.
They have locations at Lake McDonald, Two Medicine Lake, and Many Glacier (which are all the best spots to paddle). Make sure that you book your rentals ahead of time on their website because they only have a limited number of rentals.
9. Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA
At Canyonlands, you can choose to either kayak or SUP down the Colorado or Green River. You can even make it a multi-day excursion and travel 10- 20 miles a day and camp as you go. The best way to do this would be to rent canoes in Moab, Utah, and then take them to the launch spot.
If you want to paddle the Green River, then you can launch from Green River State Park, Ruby Ranch or Mineral Bottom. For the Colorado River, you can launch from the Potash or Moab ramps. You can then choose to end your trip at either Confluence or Spanish Bottom.
10. Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
This is another less visited park in the Canadian Rockies that is located near Banff. Emerald Lake is the place that you will want to visit in this park. Here they have the Emerald Lake Canoe Rentals & The Boathouse Trading Co. where you can rent canoes but nothing else.
If you are looking for other places to kayak and SUP, then you need to head into Banff National Park. Yoho National Park is just a small park with only one major lake.
11. Virgin Islands National Park, US Virgin Islands, USA
The Virgin Islands are the ultimate tropical paradise and a great place to paddle! Some of the best spots to paddle from are Cinnamon and Maho. These places both have rentals of Kayaks and SUP boards and have calm waters you can paddle out from.
These places are both heaven on earth and have powdery white sand and crystal clear, warm water. You can paddle for miles here, but just make sure that you bring plenty of water and sunscreen!
12. Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska USA
Did you know that fjords aren’t just in Norway? That’s right, we got some in America too! Most people who kayak here (it’s too cold to SUP) hire a guide to take them around the park to the best parts. You can choose if you want to paddle down the fjords or check out the glaciers. Ethier way, you are going to have the experience of a lifetime.
Keep in mind that kayaking in this park is not for beginners and that you should be an intermediate to advanced kayaker before taking on the waters here. The waters are arctic, so if you fall in, then your day is done!
13. Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
Now we head to the deserts of Texas to Big Bend National Park. One of the most popular activities to do in this park is float the Rio Grande. Santa Elena Canyon is one of the most stunning canyons in this National Park and can be done as a day trip.
If you want to do a longer trip, you can choose to do a multi day adventure where you’ll camp out on the banks of the Rio Grande at night and paddle deep river canyons during the day.
14. Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska, USA
Finishing the list off, we have the ultimate bucket list spot, Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. This place is as wild as it gets, so you will definitely want to bring a guide with you. Most people choose to do a 3-6 day kayaking tour of the park where you will go 10-15 miles a day and camp during the night.
If you just want to do a day trip, then Bartlett Cove is the place that you’ll want to go. This is the most beginner-friendly place where you can take in the incredible mountain scenery and maybe even see some wildlife!
