Kayak Tillamook County is a kayaking guide service that provides year-round flat-water tours on lakes, bays, rivers and sloughs throughout the North Oregon Coast.
TripAdvisor
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Miami Cove & River Tour
5 of us decided to try Kayak Tillamook on the 4th of July for the afternoon paddle on the Miami River. One came all the way from Vancouver Washington and another all the way from Happy Valley just to do this paddle; ( a 2 hour drive each way) the other 3 were camping nearby. What I was expecting and what I got were definitely two different things. First, I would expect for the price of the tour not to have to carry the boats to and from the water. Second, We paid $75.00 each to paddle only 1.5 hours...that really expensive! Third, we were expecting a "tour" for us meaning getting some history and information about the the area we were paddling ... nope none of that! Forth, we were experienced paddlers so we knew what boats worked best for us, however getting that thought across to our guide was difficult.(for instance, I have a bad back, two artificial knees and some other issues. I needed a boat with a high back seat to ease the back strain. She wanted to put me in a wide boat with a low seat back.) Additionally she wanted to wait till everyone was there to assign us boats (seems ridiculous!) Once on the water the 5 of us headed to the river leaving the remaining 3 and the guide behind. It was never a conscience choice, we were just paddling! Once in the river we slowed down and waited for the rest to catch up and paddled up the river together. The river was beautiful; we all really enjoyed that part of the trip. On the return trip rather than heading back down the river into the cove and out into the bay the guide had us paddle to the mouth of the river and directly into the bay. (skipping the cove) The tide was coming in and the wind was blowing so it was not ideal weather and paddling conditions; not bad, just not ideal. In my estimation it would have been better to travel through the cove and into the bay than travel a further distance in the bay. We all made it back to the put-in with no injuries or flips...always a good thing! I would add one other thing about the safety talk...we were told to hold onto the boat or go to shore if we fell out or flipped ...let the paddle go if necessary. My issue with that was if you flipped the boat and were able to get back in, but you let your paddle go you have no way to maneuver the boat so the current would take you where ever it was flowing. I don't know the answer here it just seemed a bit odd to me, I would only let go of my paddle if I was drowning and it was hindering me. Lastly let me say the trip was NOT all bad, just not as good as it could have been. We were a Meetup group doing the tour; I am not sure I would schedule another tour with this company. I expect a little more value for my dollar.
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Enjoyable Paddle
My wife and I were unlucky to do our kayak tour in 40-degree (F) weather and rain, but we still enjoyed it a lot. Joshua was a cool guide and told us a lot about the natural history and human history of the Hoquarton Slough. We saw at least two harbor seals "fishing" in the slough and numerous birds, including egrets and herons. It's a very easy paddle. The trip was advertised as going through an old-growth forest, but that's not fully accurate, since the banks of the slough were once pretty heavily developed. But there are many tall Sitka spruces and we recommend doing a kayak here if you don't want anything too challenging but want to experience a different side of Tillamook.
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North Fork of Nehalem River - great trip!
We were fortunate to book on a beautiful, sunny day in November. The North Fork of the Nehalem was a relaxing, fun trip with several side sloughs that you can't navigate with a larger boat. In spite of going right through town, parts felt very isolated,N and the whole trip was so peaceful. Highlights were all of the beautiful wildlife including an owl nest pointed out by our fantastic guide Kim! This was a great way to spend time together and learn a little bit about the nature around us.
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Nestucca Bay
Our tour explored Nestucca Bay. We saw seals on the beach, an eagle, herons and crabs. Our tour guide Josh and his intrepid travel partner Jetty gave a great tour. The day was calm. The tour was scheduled so that we went out with the current and back in with the tide. There was no wind to speak of and it was an easy relaxing paddle.
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Relaxing & Enjoyable Kayaking Trip
We had a great time kayaking the Little Nestucka River with Kayak Tillamook County. We saw eagles, cormorants, egrets and seals. Very enjoyable.