US Fish and Wildlife offers kayak tours to McNary Dam, Hanford Reach

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is starting a water-based interpretive program for McNary National Wildlife Refuge and the Hanford Reach National Monument. This summer, the FWS will offer eight kayak trips, four on McNary and four on the Monument.  The first trip is June 26.

“Very few people experience McNary from the water,” said Denise McInturff, Visitor Services lead for the refuge.  “This is an opportunity to experience the refuge through a different perspective.”

The McNary trips will follow the shoreline in areas protected from the currents and weather found in the open water of the Columbia River and will take about two hours.  The Hanford Reach trips are a bit more physically and time demanding.  The trip will launch at the Vernita Bridge and take out 4-6 hours later at the White Bluffs Boat Launch.

“The best way to experience the Monument is by boat, especially in summer,” said Lamont Glass, a Visitor Services specialist for the Monument.  “When it’s hot and the uplands dry out, wildlife concentrates along the river.”

Space on each trip is limited to 17 people, and the FWS will supply all the equipment and shuttle services for just $15 per person. 

Registration for the first four trips opens at 8:00 a.m. on June 17 on a first-come, first-served basis.  Trip and registration details can be found at the McNary Refuge web site, or the Monument’s web site, www.fws.gov/refuge/hanford_reach/.