This water trail on Puget Sound is a National Recreation Trail and designated one of only 16 National Millennium Trails by the White House.
It was originated by the “two Toms”, Tom Steinburn and Tom Deschner, when they noticed many of their favorites spots were being purchased and so were not available. The goal is to have a put-in or take-out approximately every three hours.
Suitable for day or multi-day trips, the Cascadia Marine Trail (CMT) has grown to 66 campsites and 160 day-use sites. Most of the day-use sites are also good places to launch a non-motorized, beachable boat.
WWTA members receive many benefits, including discounts at shops and classes, exclusive camping on Anderson Island, and the 2014 print-edition Cascadia Marine Trail Guidebook.
BC Marine Trail, our “sister” trail to the north, has developed a fabulous code of conduct which they have asked us to share. We ask our users to abide by the Leave No Trace philosophy, basically “take only pictures, leave only footprints”, but this goes one step further: https://www.bcmarinetrails.org/code-of-conduct/
*NEW: We need to track visitations to sites for land managers. If you have been to a site lately, please log your visit.
Here are some other resources:
- Dynamic Google-based map of the Cascadia Marine Trail (Be advised that this works on some browsers but not all.)
- An interactive ArcGIS map of all the trails (beta version)
- High Resolution PDF of the Cascadia Marine Trail Map (2018 version)
- A wonderful video with then Congressman Jay Inslee, and his son, Conner Inslee
- An ARCGIS story map of the Cascadia Water Trail thanks to Mike Macker
- Paddling the Cascadia Marine Trail – a video by Rob Casey
- Paddling The Cascadia Marine Trail – a video by Ben Liddon
- A Trail Less Travelled By Lizz Giordano from the Everett Herald
- Discovering the Cascadia Marine Trail
- Kayak Camping Returns to Windjammer Park by Rachel Rosen
Join or Donate to Washington Water Trails Association to keep this trail growing!
Alphabetical List of Cascadia Marine Trail sites:
*Almost all sites are by agreement. Here is the Draft CMT agency agreement which was originally created at the inception of Washington Water Trails. While we have one agreement for all of Washington State Parks, each other entity has a separate agreement tailored to the site. In most cases, the agreements specify that WWTA take care of, and find stewards for each site. Some sites may be voluntarily stewarded by that particular land manager, and for this we are grateful.
Disclaimer: Water travel is potentially hazardous. There can be no guarantee whatsoever of your safety when participating in sea kayaking, stand up paddle boarding or other water travel. Shore, weather, and water conditions are in a constant state of change, and you must check weather, tide and currents on your own. You should also confirm, via personal contact with or calls to government agencies, that the Cascadia Marine Trail sites are still available and that conditions have not changed. You must be careful not to exceed your capabilities and must be prepared to use alternate landing spots in the event that a Cascadia Marine Trail site cannot be reached for some reason. It is your responsibility to learn and understand the proper techniques associated with safe water travel and to fully accept and assume all damages, injury or death that may result from attempting to travel to or between the sites described on the following mapping system.
The best efforts to ensure the information is complete and as accurate as possible as of April 2017 notwithstanding, WWTA cannot guarantee either its completeness or accuracy. Washington Water Trails Association, its board members, employees or volunteers who compiled the material cannot be held responsible for any mishap, loss of property, injury, or loss of life that may result from using the information, data, or maps contained herein.