Appeal Tribune
❚ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 ❚ 1B
Outdoors
Hidden marshland
Ginnette Marberry kayaks the mudflats of the Nehalem River on the Oregon Coast. PHOTOS BY ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
High tide opens channels of Nehalem River on kayak tour near Manzanita
Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
WHEELER — From the bridge
overlooking the lower Nehalem
River, there’s little evidence to sug-
gest that it’s an interesting place to
explore in a kayak.
The river appears wide and
slow, with houses lining the banks
and occasional fishing boats mo-
toring up and down the coastal
stream.
But there’s far more to the Ne-
halem, especially if you paddle
into the mudflats and estuaries
hidden from view.
These rich pockets of the river,
only accessible around high tide,
are filled with marsh grass, birds
and even swimming elk.
“I think being able to paddle
into these wetland channels really
makes it a unique, intimate experi-
ence,” said Ginnette Marberry, a
guide with Kayak Tillamook, an
outfitter based on the Oregon
Coast.
I joined Marberry for a tour of
the lower Nehalem last October,
along with my 65- and 70-year-old
parents. The trip, which begins
just south of Manzanita, costs $65
per person and includes boats,
PFDs and, if it’s cold, a mug of hot
apple cider.
I was drawn to the trip because
it offered something different than
hiking and beach-combing during
our stay at the Oregon Coast.
The off-season is a wonderful
time to kayak in coastal rivers,
even in the depths of winter.
“We actually have some pretty
mild conditions in winter,” Mar-
berry said. “I love paddling that
time of year because I find it’s
when I really need that push to get
outside.”
One of the reasons to go with a
guided trip is the complexities of
the tides. A higher tide is required
to visit the Nehalem’s most inter-
esting areas, but it also can make
paddling a challenge if tides are
going the wrong direction.
Our trip began in the afternoon,
with the sun occasionally piercing
through blue waves of coastal
clouds that hugged the surround-
ing mountains.
We put boats in the water at Ne-
halem Bay County Boat Ramp, a
large and easy access point. We
paddled first down the big main-
stem of the river, a major artery for
Native American tribes who origi-
nally lived and paddled canoes
Three kayakers make their way down the lower section of the Nehalem River.
Nehalem River
tour
In a nutshell: Kayak Till-
amook runs tours on the
Nehalem River south of
Manzanita year-round.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Cost: $65 per person
Highlights: Marshland
channels and wildlife
A great blue heron sits atop a stump along the Nehalem River.
here.
The Nehalem means “place
where the people live,” according
to Oregon Geographic Names, and
this area was among the most
densely populated tribal areas.
Later, the river became a thor-
oughfare for early Oregon’s timber,
fishing and dairy industries. Evi-
dence of old docks and jetties is
easy to spot along the river, while
more recent clear-cuts mark sur-
rounding hillsides.
Soon, we turned off the main-
stem and into the mudflats behind
Lazarus Island, where Sitka
spruce forest and marshland com-
bined in shallow channels where
we navigated.
This is the realm of birds — lots
of them. We saw great blue herons
and waterfowl, mostly. Marberry
said her favorite sight is white
egrets because “these white birds
with black legs and feet look al-
most tropical, yet here they are
among the evergreen.”
Marberry also recalled watch-
ing a heard of elk swimming from
the mainland to Lazarus Island,
right in front of her.
“They jumped out of the water
and shook off like a dog,” she said,
laughing at the memory.
We spent much of the trip ex-
ploring the marshland before
heading back to the mainstem and
circling back to the boat ramp.
We took a quick detour to Bott’s
Marsh, a marina in the 1800s that
has almost completely reverted to
nature.
The lower Nehalem River
doesn’t look like much from the
Downside: Cool and rainy
weather, so dress appropri-
ately
More info or book a
tour:kayaktillamook.com
Contact: 503-866-4808
Email: marc@kayaktill-
amook.com
bridge on U.S. Highway 101, but
with a paddle, it becomes a place
rich in scenery and wildlife.
Zach Urness has been an out-
doors writer, photographer and
videographer in Oregon for 10
years. He is the author of the book
“Hiking Southern Oregon” and can
be reached at zurness@States-
manJournal.com or (503) 399-
6801. Find him on Twitter at
@ZachsORoutdoors.