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I'm considering moving to the DC area, and I'm wondering about the kayaking. Are there are enough interesting places around the DC and Baltimore metro that I could more or less build my outdoor lifestyle around it outside of winter? Or am I confusing DC metro with Seattle? Any kayakers have thoughts?
Yes, there's kayaking on the Potomac River from Great Falls on down. I consider the D.C. area to be fairly outdoorsy. It's not at the level of west coast cities, because the topography is not the same. However, there are mountains, rivers and beaches on the Chesapeake Bay all within a reasonable distance of D.C.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 06-13-2012 at 09:47 PM..
Perceptions of such things are always going to be subjective, and there's no use comparing a big chunk of Megalopolis to somewhere out west where the the terrain is still in the process of being born. The Appalachians are almost a billion years old, the Cascades a mere 5-7 million -- i.e., if the Appalachians began yesterday at midnight, the Cascades erupted at 11:52PM today. I personally like our older hills: they've evolved astonishing biodiversity, rich human history -- and are way less likely to explode or quake underneath us, much less drown us all in an "inevitable" monster tsunami. There's also going to be a big difference in how close things are in a metro area that's twice as large (as measured by CSA).
That said, I think that the East Coast very much undersells itself when it comes to outdoors pursuits. Right on the Georgetown waterfront, between the Kennedy Center and the Swedish embassy, the Thompson Boathouse will rent you a kayak, canoe, or scull which you can paddle past skyscrapers, woods, tidal marshes, and the Lincoln Memorial -- and that's just the first half-hour. When you're done, you can pop into the KC for an opera, or launch off from Georgetown on bike trails that extend out past Great Falls into Montgomery County's protected greenbelt -- or even hundreds of miles to Pittsburgh. 20 miles east of the city limits is the Chesapeake Bay, which has a longer shoreline than the entire West Coast; 50 miles west and you're in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Plus, LOTS of people here enjoy outdoor recreation; there's a reason why this region scores well on "fittest cities" and Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowedhealthy cities rankings.
Unless you're a professional mountaineer or really love something like downhill skiing, this region has a lot of outdoor recreation on offer almost year-round -- more than certainly I can take advantage of. Only you can answer whether it's enough for you, but coming in with a attitude isn't a good start
The Metro DC area offers world class watersports, including whitewater kayaking. DC has class 4 and 5 rapids at Great Falls literally on our doorstep. Travel a little and you have the Youghiogheny in Maryland, and great rivers in West Virginia and North Carolina. For flatwater paddling you have the Potomac and the entire Chesapeake Bay. When you're willing to drive, you have the Atlantic Coast from Maine to the Keys.
I'm not a whitewater paddler (yet), but I do sail, fish, paddle, and row. I've built my outdoor life around the water all year except those brief periods when it is iced over. The Potomac below DC isn't pristine and perfect, but it is a success story of an urban river and the clean water act and very much an underutilized resource. If you're interested in other watersports, Annapolis is one of the centers of American sailing.
I don't know as much about the Baltimore area. You'd have pretty similar access to good water within a reasonable distance, but my impression is that Baltimore's urban water is not very good, and probably more comparable to DC's Anacostia river than to the Potomac. Baltimore has always been much more industrialized than DC and I think the levels and types of pollution in the water there reflect that.
Thanks for these great replies. I grew up in NC, so I'm quite a fan of the outdoor environment out East. As you say, though, the DC metro is just so huge, so one more question.
Is is possible to get away from the metro feel pretty easily through access to the water? Easy for me seems to mean one hour of driving or less, and then in isolation (or at least peace and quiet) within, say, thirty minutes out on the water, or on a hiking trail.
I'd say 1.5 hours drive is still practical, but my experience is that it feels like more of an expedition, and I end up being less active than when I live closer.
For flatwater paddling within city limits, there are numerous launches along the C&O canal, the Potomac in Georgetown, the Washington Channel, the Anacostia River, and even the Tidal Basin (just paddle boats, but an astonishing way to experience the cherry blossoms).
Most of these are technically inside national parks (as many local waterfronts are), but the best "escape from the city" feel will be on the serene (but boring) C&O and the upper Anacostia through the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and National Arboretum. You can also bring your own boat onto upper Rock Creek, water levels permitting; besides being much faster water, it's really cool to have deep woods and wildlife in a gorge slicing right through the city.
Thanks for these great replies. I grew up in NC, so I'm quite a fan of the outdoor environment out East. As you say, though, the DC metro is just so huge, so one more question.
Is is possible to get away from the metro feel pretty easily through access to the water? Easy for me seems to mean one hour of driving or less, and then in isolation (or at least peace and quiet) within, say, thirty minutes out on the water, or on a hiking trail.
I'd say 1.5 hours drive is still practical, but my experience is that it feels like more of an expedition, and I end up being less active than when I live closer.
Much of the Potomac shoreline is either parkland or wildlife preserve, so once you are downstream of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, it is hard to believe you are still very close to a major metropolitan area, although since the Potomac is the approach to National Airport, you'll see and hear a lot of jets.
Baltimore is a major seaport and is way more oriented to the water than is DC. There are numerous kayaking opportunities from exploring the industrial and working waterfront areas of Inner Harbor, Harbor East, Fells Point and Canton to getting on the Patapsco River or going down south right into the Chesapeake.
Unlike DC, where public urban put-in spots are extremely rare (I lived in DC for over 20 years and can name one single public put-in spot on the Anacostia and maybe one on the Potomac), Baltimore is full of them. In addition, there is the Canton Kayak Club, which maintains a fleet of sea kayaks at six dock locations throughout the greater Baltimore area which members are free to use, free of charge, at any time (unless there is a small craft advisory).
Thanks for these great replies. I grew up in NC, so I'm quite a fan of the outdoor environment out East.
You must have lived in the Midwest though, somewhere not far from Chicago at some point. I think they're the only ones who use the term "out East".
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Any kayakers have thoughts?
Great Kayaking in Baltimore
