Guided Kayaking Tours of Connecticut's Ecosystems
My guided kayaking tours provide a chance to explore the state’s tranquil tidal and forested rivers while learning about the area’s ecology, wildlife, and history. Whether you're a solo adventurer, a couple, or part of a larger group, I offer tours for all skill levels, from beginners to seasoned paddlers. Each tour is unique and has been carefully selected to work with the tides, the moon phases, and the sunsets. They highlights Connecticut's calm waters, lush landscapes, and diverse wildlife, creating an experience that fosters a greater appreciation for our local environment.
All Equipment Included
Sunset and Moon Paddle on a Saltmarsh
Wednesday, June 4
5:45 pm - 8:30 pm, Sunset at 8:20
East River Marsh Wildlife Area Guilford, CT
Paddling experience moderate: paddle with the incoming tide and more floating with the outgoing tide.
Experience one of nature’s rare alignments—when the tides, sunset, and rising moon converge to create a breathtaking saltmarsh evening. This phenomenon happens only once or twice a summer, offering a magical paddling opportunity through golden waters and twilight reflections. Please Note: Due to the uniqueness of this event, no discounts apply. Explore the winding channels of a tidal river as we paddle through one of Connecticut’s most ecologically rich coastal wetlands. This expansive salt marsh is part of a dynamic estuarine system, where fresh water from inland streams meets the tidal flow of Long Island Sound, creating a haven for wildlife and a constantly shifting landscape shaped by the tides. We’ll be surrounded by broad expanses of salt marsh grasses—primarily smooth cordgrass and saltmeadow hay—that provide critical habitat for nesting birds, crustaceans, and juvenile fish. Keep your eyes peeled for snowy egrets, great blue herons, oystercatchers, and ospreys diving for fish. At low tide, exposed mudflats attract willets, yellowlegs, and other shorebirds probing for invertebrates. This landscape constantly changes with the water level—revealing secret creeks and quiet back channels that are only accessible at high tide. By planning our paddle with the tides, we make the trip easier and more relaxed, allowing the incoming or outgoing current to help carry us through the marsh. $120/ person $20 Deposit, $100 due time of event. Spots are limited. Photo credit: Federico Scotto d'Antuono
Morning in the Hammonassett Marsh
Saturday, June 7
8:30 am - 11:00 am
Hammonassett Natural Area Preserve, Clinton, CT
Paddling experience easier: mostly floating and easy paddling with the incoming and outgoing tides.
​$100/ person All equipment included. Spots are limited. Click here to register.  Paddling experience easier: mostly floating and easy paddling with the incoming and outgoing tides. Photo by Gary Leavens
Golden Hour in a Freshwater Marsh
Sunday, June 85:45 pm - 8:15 pm, Sunset at 8:24 pm
Cromwell Meadows Wildlife Management Area, Middletown, CT
Paddling experience moderate: more paddling and less floating
Join us for a peaceful paddle through the floodplain forests and freshwater tidal marshes of the Coginchaug River in Middletown, Connecticut. This relaxing outing explores one of the region’s most ecologically vibrant areas, shaped by the tides and seasonal flooding. We'll begin our journey at the Floating Meadows, a 1,000-acre freshwater tidal marsh located at the confluence of the Coginchaug and Mattabesset Rivers. From there, we’ll paddle upstream for about an hour, taking time to enjoy the scenery before turning back and returning to our launch point. The floodplain forests along the river are home to towering silver maples, black willows, and cottonwoods—trees uniquely adapted to cycles of flooding and nutrient-rich soils. This natural sanctuary also supports a wide variety of wildlife, including hawks, egrets, herons, swallows, turtles, beavers, muskrats, and stands of wild rice. Photo by: Seokhee Kim
Forested Freshwater Tidal River
Saturday, June 14, 9:45 am - 12:15 pm
Mattabesset River, Cromwell, CT
$100/ person
Join us for a peaceful paddle on the Mattabesset - a floodplain forest, home to towering silver maples and cottonwoods—trees uniquely adapted to cycles of flooding and nutrient-rich soils. This natural sanctuary also supports a wide variety of wildlife, including hawks, egrets, herons, swallows, red-winged blackbirds, belted kingfishers, painted turtles, beavers, and muskrats. Paddling experience moderate: paddle with the tides. Photo by: USFWS Mountain-Prairie
Golden Hour in a Saltmarsh
Friday, June 20
5:45 pm - 8:15 pm, Sunset at 8:27
East River Marsh Wildlife Area Guilford, CT
$100/ person
Join us for a peaceful paddle on the Mattabesset - a floodplain forest, home to towering silver maples and cottonwoods—trees uniquely adapted to cycles of flooding and nutrient-rich soils. This natural sanctuary also supports a wide variety of wildlife, including hawks, egrets, herons, swallows, red-winged blackbirds, belted kingfishers, painted turtles, beavers, and muskrats. Paddling experience moderate: paddle with the tides. Photo by: USFWS Mountain-Prairie
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Spots are limited.
Paddling experience easier: mostly floating and easy paddling with the incoming and outgoing tides.
Photo by Paul VanDerWerf
Saltmarsh in the Morning
Sunday, June 22
8:15 am - 10:45 am
East River Marsh Wildlife Area Guilford, CT
Paddling experience moderate: paddle with the incoming tide and more floating with the outgoing tide.
Explore the winding channels of the East River as we paddle through one of Connecticut’s most ecologically rich coastal wetlands. This expansive salt marsh is part of a dynamic estuarine system, where fresh water from inland streams meets the tidal flow of Long Island Sound, creating a haven for wildlife and a constantly shifting landscape shaped by the tides. We’ll be surrounded by broad expanses of salt marsh grasses—primarily smooth cordgrass and saltmeadow hay—that provide critical habitat for nesting birds, crustaceans, and juvenile fish. Keep your eyes peeled for snowy egrets, great blue herons, oystercatchers, and ospreys diving for fish. At low tide, exposed mudflats attract willets, yellowlegs, and other shorebirds probing for invertebrates. This landscape constantly changes with the water level—revealing secret creeks and quiet back channels that are only accessible at high tide. By planning our paddle with the tides, we make the trip easier and more relaxed, allowing the incoming or outgoing current to help carry us through the marsh. Photo by Trish Hartman
Persieds Meteor Shower
Tuesday, August 12
Details TBD
Spots are limited. Click here to sign up for trip updates.
Disclaimer: Expect to see a handful of meteors, it will not be like what is shown in movies.
Paddling experience easier: mostly floating and easy paddling.
Photo by: Mike Lewinski