VASHON TO BLAKE PADDLE & SALMON BAKE
FULL DAY TOUR

Tour Length: 9 Hours
Tour Code: EV17
Pick-Up: City Hotels / Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66
Departing: 8:00a
Returns: 5:00p
Activities: Paddling, hiking, wildlife viewing, birding & educational, historic, cultural sightseeing
Difficulty: Moderate
Skill: Experienced Beginners / 14 miles with an open water crossing.
Carbon Footprint:
Cost: $175 per person
Season: Year Round
Min No of Passengers:


Inclusions:
Hotel  pick up and drop off, highly qualified and knowledgeable naturalist guide & driver, travel in luxury air - conditioned vehicles, scrumptious morning tea and afternoon tea, refreshments, Native Northwest Salmon Bake and comprehensive commentary.

Description:

As we pass through the community of West Seattle we take in views of Puget Sount backed by the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountain range.  We board what the locals call the crossing on the Fauntleroy ferry for an 18 minute ride overseas to the artist’s island.  Keep an eye out for an orca or seal along the way.

After disembarking the ferry we enjoy a quick morning tea and then experience the thrill of an open-water crossing to the sandy point of Blake Island’s "sunset corner." Ahhh! The sand. The beach, the goofy and outrageous boats at anchor…ARUBA! Then we will paddle around the north side for a visit to Tillicum Village, greeted with an appetizer of steaming clams in nectar broth.

Inside the longhouse, we watch as whole Chinook salmon is cooked over an alder-wood fire on cedar stakes in the traditional Northwest Coast Indian style. Your meal is served buffet-style and includes a menu of Traditional Indian-style Baked Salmon, Warm Tillicum Whole Grain Bread, New Red Potatoes, Long-Grain Wild Rice, Fresh Salad Bar, Boehm's Chocolate Salmon Dessert, Coffee, Tea, Lemonade.

As you finish your meal, the lights dim while the myth and magic come to life in the spellbinding performance featuring the Tillicum Village dancers.

Blake Island State Park was an ancestral campground of the Suquamish and Duwamish Indian Tribes believed to be the birthplace of Chief Seattle. The island was named after Captain George Blake, commander of the US Coast Survey vessel in 1837.

After the show, you have approximately an hour of free time when you can watch carving demonstrations in the longhouse, visit their gift shop featuring artwork of local artisans or stroll along the pristine beaches and many forested trails

Next we venture into the densely wooded walking and hiking trails and five miles of beaches.  Vegetation on the island includes native Northwest trees and shrubs. Wildlife on the island includes deer, chipmunks, otter, squirrels, mink and many types of birds.

Later, we'll paddle back across the channel to Vashon and board the ferry back to Seattle.

An active and cultural day out in the heart of the Puget Sound is now under your belt, finally returning home invigorated from a day of Northwest discovery.

This tour can be customized as a private tour, call or email for a quote.