Fire Island by Small Boat: Great South Bay, Watch Hill and Sailors Haven
Fire Island National Seashore can be reached by small motorboat, sailboat or kayak, with permitted docking, anchoring and marina options along Great South Bay.
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Lake Meredith: Pontoon Cruises and Paddling in the Texas Panhandle
Lake Meredith National Recreation Area offers pontoon boating, kayaking and waterfront recreation in the Texas Panhandle, with access affected by changing lake levels.
Chickasaw’s Lake of the Arbuckles: A Family Dayboat Holiday in Oklahoma
Chickasaw National Recreation Area offers two different forms of boating: motorboat cruising and fishing on Lake of the Arbuckles, and slower paddling on Veterans Lake.
Lake Amistad by Motorboat: Exploring the Canyons Around Del Rio
Texas's Lake Amistad is a dramatic setting for dayboat cruising, with canyon arms, sheltered coves and specific lake-use and border-navigation requirements.
Floating Missouri’s Ozarks: Current River and Jacks Fork by Canoe
Ozark National Scenic Riverways offers a range of canoe, kayak and raft trips on Missouri's Current and Jacks Fork rivers, including licensed outfitters.
Blue Mesa Reservoir by Motorboat: A Curecanti Holiday in Colorado
Curecanti National Recreation Area offers motorboating on Blue Mesa Reservoir, a large Colorado waterway with scenic arms, regulated launches and changing winds.
Sleeping Bear Dunes by Small Boat: From Platte River to Lake Michigan
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers choices between gentle river floats, peaceful inland lakes and more demanding sea-kayaking on Lake Michigan.
Kenai Fjords by Sea Kayak: Alaska’s Glaciers and a Guided Wilderness Day
Kenai Fjords National Park offers unforgettable guided sea-kayaking opportunities near glaciers and marine wildlife, but its exposed waters demand experience.
Paddling the Saint Croix and Namekagon: A Family River Holiday in the Midwest
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway provides a range of paddling experiences, from short family canoe outings to overnight travel along protected rivers.
Lake Roosevelt by Small Motorboat: Washington Launches and Reservoir Cruising
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area offers small-boat touring and fishing, but reservoir fluctuations can change launch access even within a day.
Upper Delaware River: An Autumn Float Through New York and Pennsylvania
The Upper Delaware offers free-flowing scenery, placid pools and lively riffles, but water temperature and limited transport services deserve attention.
Big Thicket by Canoe: Texas Bayous, Forested Creeks and Water Trails
Big Thicket National Preserve offers paddling along creeks, rivers and bayous, with designated water trails and free ranger-led activities during the year.
Point Reyes by Kayak: A Quiet Tomales Bay Outing on California’s Coast
Tomales Bay offers relatively sheltered kayaking beside Point Reyes National Seashore, but visitors must respect tide, wildlife closures and camping rules.
Cuyahoga Valley by Kayak: Ohio’s Recovering River and the Water Trail
Cuyahoga Valley National Park offers a changing river landscape and an Ohio Water Trail, but access, conditions and portages require careful advance checks.
New River Gorge by Raft: West Virginia Rapids and a Guided Day on the Water
New River Gorge offers thrilling guided small-raft experiences through West Virginia's river landscape, where route choice and skilled supervision are essential.
Kayaking Yellowstone Lake: Wild Scenery and Strict Boat-Inspection Rules
Yellowstone Lake offers an impressive paddling setting, but the park requires aquatic invasive species inspections and boating permits for all watercraft.
Floating Arkansas’s Buffalo River: Gravel Bars, Canoes and a Gentle Current
Arkansas's Buffalo National River offers scenic paddling through wooded valleys and gravel-bar country, with different routes suited to different levels of experience.
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