I’m visiting Seattle for the first time and brought my inflatable paddle board to explore all the surrounding bodies of water - so much water to paddle!

First on my list was Lake Union. Lake Union is about a mile from my hotel and I had read about the attractions like watching seaplanes and admiring houseboats. My research also promised breathtaking views of the Seattle skyline.

I arrived to Lake Union on Saturday morning, bright and early and the conditions were less than ideal. Very windy and lots of waves, but I was determined to paddle. I launched my paddle board, snapped some pictures and had to get out of the water. I didn’t bring a drysuit and the combined air and water temperature was less than 120, so I wasn’t going to risk it.

Paddling in Duck Bay at the Washington Park Arboretum

Plan B - the Washington Park Arboretum - I just couldn’t accept no paddling. It’s not ideal to pump up my iSUP, deflate it, and do that all over again in the same day, but I’m sure glad I did it. The Arboretum includes Duck Bay, which was very calm, even with the winds, so this was a perfect backup plan.

Today, I went back to Lake Union and the water was calm with no winds. I watched seaplanes take off and land on the water, paddled alongside beautiful houseboats and by Gas Works Park. My three mile paddle was beautiful with the Seattle skyline in the background.

More detailed posts to come about these paddle locations and maybe I’ll add another to my list before I leave Seattle!

SUP Seattle