Hope Island Kayaking


A self-supported trip created by PresenceVideography

Trip Overview

With spectacular aerials of Ala Spit County Park and Ben Ure Spit, Hope Island State Park, and the north end of Skagit Bay including Deception Pass, Skagit Island, and Goat Island, this kayaking adventure in 4K UHD is a must see! Suitable for all levels of paddlers, from beginner to advanced, and for kayakers, paddle boarders, and canoeists, this trip has wide appeal. Be sure to check currents and tides before you go as the currents can pickup in the channels on the west and east sides of Hope Island. See the full video of our Hope Island Kayaking adventure on YouTube.

Check out the highlights of my kayaking trip at the timestamps below:

⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:30 - Hope Island State Park in the Pacific Northwest
0:35 - Kayaking Route and Distance
0:47 - Hope Island from Ala Spit County Park
0:45 - Ala Spit County Park
1:07 - Ben Ure Spit
1:15 - Skagit Bay from Ala Spit County Park
1:35 - Aerials Over Ala Spit County Park
2:18 - Aerial Over Hope Island with Mt Baker in the Background
2:23 - Aerial of Deception Pass
2:25 - Aerial of Skagit Island
2:27 - Aerial of Hope Island
2:32 - Aerial of Goat Island
2:35 - Launching Kayak from Ala Spit County Park
3:00 - Mt Baker from Ala Spit County Park
3:28 - Tips for Kayaking from Ala Spit County Park
4:09 - Arriving at Hope Island
5:03 - Emerald Green Water of Skagit Bay
5:19 - Arriving at Hope Island State Park
5:44 - Campsites on Hope Island State Park
5:52 - Aerials from Hope Island
6:10 - Kayaking Around Hope Island
6:23 - Tips on Hope Island State Park
7:22 - Paddling Tips on Tides and Currents
9:13 - Crossing Channel Back to Ala Spit County Park
9:20 - Arriving Ala Spit County Park
9:40 - Closing Comments

My trip, a total distance of 4 miles / 7 km round trip, started from the Ala Spit County Park where there was plenty of free parking. I launched off Ben Ure Spit, on the inside bay which was nice and sheltered. After paddling north along the beaches of the spit for a short distance I reached the open northern end of Skagit Bay. I crossed the narrow channel, just .4 miles / .6 km wide, at slack tide to Hope Island and pulled in at Hope Island State Park campground on the beautiful little sheltered bay on the northern end of the island. It has 6 primitive campsites each with picnic tables and campfire rings, and a vault toilet. After a brief stop at the campground I continued my kayak trip clockwise around Hope Island seeing the beautiful pristine shoreline with beaches, cliffs, Pacific Madrone trees, and lots of bird and sea life with the emerald green water of Skagit Bay all around. The southeast side had a beautiful little rocky island joined to the main Hope Island by a short spit. In crossing back from the west side of Hope Island I caught a northbound current of about 1.5 knots and cruised back to Ala Spit County Park. Overall this trip took just 2-3 hours. With more time on the island you could easily make this a full day trip. There is a hiking trail going from the campground on the north side of the island south across the island to the cliffs on the south side, but I did not have time to do this hike. My trip was in late January so too cold to swim, but in summer there should be some great swimming both from Ben Ure Spit, and near the Hope Island State Park campground. You could do a multi-day trip with a camp on the island, but note that there is no drinking water source on the island so you need to bring whatever drinking water you need.

If you liked this Hope Island Kayaking adventure you may also want to check out our Deception Island, Skagit Island, and Goat Island kayaking adventures nearby. We also have many other great kayaking adventures in our playlist: Kayaking in the Pacific Northwest.

Looking forward to many more amazing kayaking trips throughout the year. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notified as we release new trips.

Happy kayaking!

Resources

Safety Notes

Check currents, winds, tides.

Gear Notes

Perception Captiva 16ft sea kayak with rudder.

Conditions

Light currents, high tide, light winds.

Portage Notes

NA

Trip Details

  • Trip Dates: 1/28/2022
  • Sport/Activity: Kayaking, Canoeing, Stand Up Paddling, Kayak Fishing, Hiking
  • Skill Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
  • Water Type: Flat/Sheltered Water, Open Water/Ocean

Trip Location