Can You Kayak The Boston Harbor?

Can you go kayaking in Boston harbor? Yes, it is possible for you to go ahead with kayaking. However, there are some important things that you will need to keep in mind. Continue to read and we will share everything that you need to be aware about kayaking in the Boston harbor.

Back in the 1980s, Boston Harbor was one of the dirtiest in the country. Raw sewage was often dumped straight into the lake, just outside the picturesque North End of the city. The Clean Water Act, thankfully, put a stop to this, resulting in the construction of the Deer Island Sewage Plant (with its characteristic egg-shaped buildings visible from Logan Airport) and a 10-mile-long conduit to transport the treated waste to the faster-moving water of Massachusetts Bay. These cleaning initiatives have transformed Boston Harbor, with its historic islands, into a great kayaking location ripe for exploration.

What is it like to go kayaking in Boston harbor?

Boston Harbor is separated into two sections: the inner harbor, which has traditionally been the city’s principal port, and the outer harbor, which is more difficult to access and marked by rockier islands. The inner harbor has more historical monuments and calmer seas, but the outlying islands provide quiet and pristine scenery.

There are three primary put-in places for kayaking the Boston Harbor Islands: South Boston, Deer Island, and Hull. Carson Beach, which includes a parking lot, is the ideal spot to start in South Boston. In principle, you may hire a kayak or a stand-up paddleboard from Boating in Boston there, but the liability agreement forbids you from bringing the boats out into open water. The regulation may not be rigorously enforced, but it is the rule.

The Deer Island and Hull (Pemberton Point) sites are farther from the city, but both offer free parking and are a significantly shorter paddle to the outer harbor islands. To be clear, the port is not a good location to learn to sea kayak. It’s a crowded river teeming with cargo ships, yachts, and fast-moving ferries. In severe winds, the waves may become considerable, making it difficult for novice and even advanced kayakers to navigate.

Having said that, the harbor is plenty with intriguing islands that anybody with some sea kayaking skill may enjoy with a little forethought. If you have the opportunity to visit Boston, Massachusetts, make your way to the Boston Harbor Islands for both history and nature. This kayaking tour will teach you how to kayak to Spectacle Island, Peddocks Island, and other locations.

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Thompson Island

The first stop on a tour of the inner harbor, assuming you start from South Boston, is Thompson Island, which is home to Boston’s Outward Bound program. It’s one of the most developed islands, with dorms, classrooms, a conference center, and obstacle course equipment built specifically for the program.

When the island is available to guests, you may trek the island’s kilometers of trails and relax on its gorgeous beaches (weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day). However, there are no public restrooms or water vending machines, so prepare appropriately.

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Spectacle Island

The next destination is Spectacle Island, a hundred-acre park with five miles of paths that is ideal for a picnic or a run. You’d never guess the island’s history from its lush green slopes and breathtaking vistas of downtown Boston. It had two hotels in the 1800s, and their secluded position made them great sites for gambling and prostitution, until they were finally closed down.

Later on, a horse rendering facility and a rubbish incinerator were established. Following this pattern, the island was utilized as a waste dump during the 1930s and 1960s before being abandoned for another thirty years. Beginning in 1996, during the Big Dig project, when earth extracted from tunnels built in Boston was utilized to cover up the rubbish heap, Spectacle Island received a much-needed facelift. It’s incredible to see how a location with such a shady background has been transformed into such a gorgeous setting. For kayakers, it’s a nice spot to paddle out and stretch your legs or just relax on the gravel beaches.

If you have the opportunity to visit Boston, Massachusetts, make your way to the Boston Harbor Islands for both history and nature. This kayaking tour will teach you how to kayak to Spectacle Island, Peddocks Island, and other locations.

Long Island

Long Island, which is technically off-limits to the public, has been used for a variety of purposes throughout the years, including a military fort, a homeless shelter, a Boys & Girls Club camp, and a drug addiction rehabilitation facility. It was also the basis for the film Shutter Island, which was shot on Peddocks Island (see below), farther out in the bay (though a Dropkick Murphy video was filmed in one of its abandoned buildings).

Long Island was once accessible through a big steel bridge extending out from a neighboring island, but it was condemned and subsequently demolished last year. While it is not possible to disembark on the island, many of the buildings created for its varied functions may be viewed from the water, providing another peek into Boston’s history.

Lovell Island

Because it is so unspoilt, Lovell’s Island is maybe my favorite island in all of Boston Harbor. And, like practically all of the harbor islands, it has a fascinating past. It is the location of Fort Standish, a turn-of-the-century complex of gun emplacements that have been abandoned to nature. You may trek one of the island’s routes through these historic landmarks and conduct some urban exploring of the fort.

If you have the opportunity to visit Boston, Massachusetts, make your way to the Boston Harbor Islands for both history and nature. This kayaking tour will teach you how to kayak to Spectacle Island, Peddocks Island, and other locations.

Final words

Now you are aware about the best places to go kayaking in Boston harbor. Take a look at these places in detail and go ahead with your kayaking adventures.

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