Embrace urban pulse and natural serenity on a kayak tour through Elliott Bay

written by Cathy Carroll

Looking out over Elliott Bay from downtown Seattle, the clock on the three-story-tall, red neon Public Market Center sign marks time above the historic heart of Pike Place, bustling since 1907. It’s easy to imagine the boom of prospectors boarding steamships, on their way to the Yukon to strike it rich mining gold. Before that relatively recent history, the Coast Salish tribes fished these waters for time immemorial.

This is the view from the rooftop terrace and many rooms of The State Hotel, an eight-story, 1904 building, once the center-piece of the new downtown Seattle landscape. Along with every modern amenity, compelling contemporary artistic decor and a neighborhood packed with urban pleasures, from music venues to the Seattle Art Museum, its Sound views and proximity to the water issue a siren call that can’t be ignored.

Answer it with a kayak, easily accessible, even for urban adventurers with no paddling experience. Head to Pier 50, about an eighteen-minute walk from the hotel, and get your first dose of salty air on a ten-minute ride across the bay aboard a King County Water Taxi as the downtown skyline, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Range come into view. Hop off in West Seattle, where Alki Kayak Tours, a family-run business since 2005, is steps from the dock.

Paddling south along the shoreline and following Gill McLynne—general manager, lead tour guide and instructor for Alki Kayak Tours—the iconic sounds of seabirds take over as urban and natural landscapes collide. That juxtaposition is evident along the shore at Jack Block Park. After an environmental cleanup of the former shipbuilding facility and wood treatment plant, which was contaminated with creosote and designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the park beach opened to the public in 2011.

“I love paddling down there, because you really get to see these old pilings, this old railway that goes right into the water that’s being retaken by nature,” said McLynne. Harbor seals, great blue herons and a resident bald eagle’s nest evidence nature’s resurgence. Instead of city pedestrians, sea lions, harbor porpoises and migratory and residential waterfowl—swan-necked western grebes and pigeon guillemots—abound.

Guides are mindful about giving wildlife their space, but the etiquette is often unreciprocated. “They will pop up almost right next to your kayak, just to kind of check you out,” said McLynne. “I’ve had them pop up right next to my kayak and scare the bejeebers out of me … a sea lion that’s almost as big as your kayak … out of nowhere. We’ve had little pups pop up and follow us, cruising with the boats for more than a half a mile.”

By now, you’ve turned your back on the city, navigationally speaking, and might forget it’s there. Olympic peaks and Blake, Bainbridge and Vashon islands lie before you. The occasional sailboat regatta and ferries cross in the distance.

Kayaking the bay is a year-round affair, with sunset and full-moon tours in full swing April through September. Time seems to slow, watching the sun setting over the Olympic Range and the moon rising over Mount Rainier, lighting up the bay.

This odd-numbered year brings a summer sea spectacle through September, with the pink salmon run every other year. “You have salmon practically jumping into your boat, not an overstatement … six or ten fish jumping every couple seconds,” said McLynne.

Four million fish return through Elliott Bay, swimming north from the Duwamish River. “It’s really a sight to see water boiling with them,” he said. Sea lions, harbor seals and even rare whale sightings escalate with the abundance of food.

That inspires a retreat afterward to The State Hotel’s Ben Paris restaurant and bar, where the dishes celebrate local ingredients, many straight from Pike Place Market and the bay. The dining room mural, by Seattle illustrator and tattoo artist Kyler Martz, reflects that bounty as well as Paris, a sportsman, conservationist and owner of the building’s original restaurant. Grab a libation and circle back to the rooftop terrace for a seagull’s view of the path paddled, illuminated by the 175-foot-tall Great Wheel.

En route, custom wall coverings from Portland artist Kate Blairstone offer another feast—a flamboyant design mix of Pike Place Market seafood, produce, flowers and souvenirs: a visual treasure hunt composed of hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations. Land-based once again, from your guestroom window, bid the bay goodnight.

Ready to get out on the water? Learn more or book a kayak tour at www.kayakalki.com. For more Seattle-area adventure, rent a kayak from Northwest Outdoor Center on Lake Union (www.nwoc.com) and paddle up to Gasworks Brewing. Plus: Third and fourth rental hours are free on weekdays!