pugetsoundpaddler
Paddler
Paddling in the Broken Group Islands was amazing. We fortunately had excellent weather, despite my initial panic about high winds.
We camped the night before our launch at Secret Beach. The campground was 2/3 full, perhaps because of the highway 4 delays. Gravel road into the campground was easily doable in a subaru. There is no drinkable water at Secret Beach, but we had planned for that. Also, be sure to bring bug spray!
The launch site at Secret Beach is excellent. You can drive your car close to the put-in at the beach and unload kayaks and gear. Then, you drive your car 300 yards or so up the hill to the overnight parking lot ($10 a night to park the car).
We launched at Secret Beach in the morning and paddled to Hand Island, where we stopped for lunch. Met a kayaking tour group. They were relaxing on the beach, as their guides prepared lunch. They were camping on Dodd Island, our destination for the night, so we would meet this group again later. They gave us intel on the one really nice camping spot at Dodd they had not taken, as they only found it after setting up their tents.
We arrived at Dodd Island and were able to find the nice camping spot. One tip I have for the Broken Groups is that if you think all the tent spots are taken, keep looking a little further from the main area to find the more secluded spots.
Dodd was my favorite island because I loved the shallow bay and pebble beach and beautiful views to other nearby islands. The water in the shallow bay was a perfect temperature for swimming. We stayed at Dodd for 2 nights. The tour group took up all the other tent spots on the island. The tour group members were always well fed as the guides cooked elaborate meals. We were slightly envious!
We next paddled to Clark Island, where we camped for 2 nights. Clark Island was windy as one side faces the open ocean. From Clark Island, we did a day trip around Benson Island. Kayaking round Benson was exhilarating - lots of ocean swells.
For our last night of camping, we paddled from Clark to Hand Island. Saw groups of seals sunning on rocks and a lone porpoise on our paddle to Hand.
Toilet paper and water were important trading commodities during our trip. Paddlers heading back to Van Island would often offer up their water or tp to thankful Broken Group Island campers. Besides tour groups, we met a few families, (often from Alberta). Most families had rented kayaks from Broken Group lodge. I was impressed with all the families paddling with children under 12! We did not come across any paddlers who had launched from Secret Beach.
Fog was not an issue, fortunately. Winds would pick up in the afternoon, so any days we were breaking camp and paddling to another island we got up early.
It's hard to describe the beauty and peacefulness of the Broken Group Islands. Perhaps my pictures will help.
The Broken Group Islands was one of my "bucket list" kayaking destinations and it was one of my favorite kayak camping trips that I have done.
Jane
We camped the night before our launch at Secret Beach. The campground was 2/3 full, perhaps because of the highway 4 delays. Gravel road into the campground was easily doable in a subaru. There is no drinkable water at Secret Beach, but we had planned for that. Also, be sure to bring bug spray!
The launch site at Secret Beach is excellent. You can drive your car close to the put-in at the beach and unload kayaks and gear. Then, you drive your car 300 yards or so up the hill to the overnight parking lot ($10 a night to park the car).
We launched at Secret Beach in the morning and paddled to Hand Island, where we stopped for lunch. Met a kayaking tour group. They were relaxing on the beach, as their guides prepared lunch. They were camping on Dodd Island, our destination for the night, so we would meet this group again later. They gave us intel on the one really nice camping spot at Dodd they had not taken, as they only found it after setting up their tents.
We arrived at Dodd Island and were able to find the nice camping spot. One tip I have for the Broken Groups is that if you think all the tent spots are taken, keep looking a little further from the main area to find the more secluded spots.
Dodd was my favorite island because I loved the shallow bay and pebble beach and beautiful views to other nearby islands. The water in the shallow bay was a perfect temperature for swimming. We stayed at Dodd for 2 nights. The tour group took up all the other tent spots on the island. The tour group members were always well fed as the guides cooked elaborate meals. We were slightly envious!
We next paddled to Clark Island, where we camped for 2 nights. Clark Island was windy as one side faces the open ocean. From Clark Island, we did a day trip around Benson Island. Kayaking round Benson was exhilarating - lots of ocean swells.
For our last night of camping, we paddled from Clark to Hand Island. Saw groups of seals sunning on rocks and a lone porpoise on our paddle to Hand.
Toilet paper and water were important trading commodities during our trip. Paddlers heading back to Van Island would often offer up their water or tp to thankful Broken Group Island campers. Besides tour groups, we met a few families, (often from Alberta). Most families had rented kayaks from Broken Group lodge. I was impressed with all the families paddling with children under 12! We did not come across any paddlers who had launched from Secret Beach.
Fog was not an issue, fortunately. Winds would pick up in the afternoon, so any days we were breaking camp and paddling to another island we got up early.
It's hard to describe the beauty and peacefulness of the Broken Group Islands. Perhaps my pictures will help.
The Broken Group Islands was one of my "bucket list" kayaking destinations and it was one of my favorite kayak camping trips that I have done.
Jane
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