The Best Places to Paddle in the USA
What are the best places to paddle in the USA? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer. Anyone familiar with the United States knows there are seemingly endless places to explore.
Places that include a vast array of environments and landscapes. From mountains, deserts, wild forests, sweeping coastline cliffs, and tropical beaches, the United States has something for everyone.
With so many places to explore, how do you narrow it down and know where to go? That’s where we come in.
At Perfect Paddles, our mission is to provide the information you need to have a fun and safe time in various locations around the United States. And the way we’ve done this is through creating ultimate paddling guides. These guides include every piece of information you need before and during your visit to a certain location.
But still, you may have some questions. Including the main one, “What are the best places to paddle in the USA?”
To help explain what goes into our guides, how we choose a specific location that has the qualities of paddling the best of the USA, and a preview of our current locations and their guides, check out this short article below!
What is a Perfect Paddles Location?
Not every paddling location in the USA qualifies as a Perfect Paddles location to be covered in our guides. So, what qualifies an area?
A Perfect Paddles location provides suitable paddle areas for multiple skill levels – flat water, open water, white water, waves for SUP surfing, or hopefully, all of the above. It’s a location that provides every SUP enthusiast an opportunity to enjoy every facet SUP has to offer.
A paddler, of course, can go anywhere there’s water. But we’re interested in the most accessible launch areas, with the most diverse aquatic terrain. This is our mission. And we’ve scoured the globe searching for experienced and/or certified Paddle Pros who know the best places to paddle and who have offered their knowledge and expertise for advice, guidance, lessons, tours, and rentals that are the most appropriate for each highlighted area.
To see the results of our mission, please visit our SUP Search section on perfectpaddles.com for more information.
With that said, what goes into our guides once we’ve found an area to cover? Let’s get into it…
What is in Our Guides?
To put it simply — every piece of information you need to have a fun and safe time on the water provided by local Paddling Pros on Perfect Paddles.
This includes:
- A curated list of professional, experienced, certified paddle Pros who know the area best and offer the most appropriate lessons, tours, rentals, or just advice and guidance for
- Paddling Pros/Outfitters you can contact for advice and recommendations including: gear, weather conditions, launch areas, or lessons, tours, and rentals
- Their "locals only" information you won't find in any other guides - parking, restaurants, not to miss attractions
- Information on tours/lessons/rentals
- Specific launch locations you can use with details on what you will find when you get there
- What to do in the area if the wind/weather don’t cooperate
- Prices on hotels and camping spots
And an entire Perfect Paddles Travel Brief detailing important information like:
- Best time of the year to visit a location (to avoid the crowds or bad weather)
- The average weather and water temperatures
- Any potential water hazards you might come across
- Activity highlights
- Meetup groups to contact
- Restaurants to eat at
- Even fun area information you might not have heard before!
And discounts ranging up to 25% off lessons and rentals with participating outfitters if you are a Perfect Paddles Member.
In addition, these guides are what is commonly known as “living documents.” This means, they are never truly complete. Instead, we will continuously add new information to each as we learn more about the areas and what makes them unique.
Of course, if you have any inside information you believe would be valuable for our guides, feel free to reach out at any time. Our inbox is always open.
How to Best Utilize This Information
The purpose of our guides is to provide you with “locals only” information on great paddling locations around the world.
But beyond that, it is to connect you with the paddling community within these locations. This typically comes in the form of a list of paddling professionals you can contact when in the area.
There is nothing better than first-hand information from the people who paddle at these locations day after day.
Our suggestion: read through the paddling guides to get a cursory glance and a small understanding of the location you wish to paddle.
Once complete, reach out to one of multiple paddling professionals we list in our guides and make contact with them first hand. They will be able to give you their personal knowledge on the area, as well as possibly provide you with a guided service while you are in town!
We believe there is nothing more valuable than first-hand knowledge on any paddling location. With this information you will be better prepared for whatever may come during your time on the water!
Don't see a guide for your area? Try our SUP Search and use your devices’ geolocation service to access our knowledge base and paddle pro directory, and calendar of events to find all the above info nearest you!
Perfect Paddles SUP and Kayak Guide Samples
Miami and Fort Lauderdale
Miami seems to have endless activities happening within its city streets. From restaurants, night clubs, to the beaches, there are endless places to explore and have fun.
Along with so many things to do, Miami offers paddle boarders some of the best, and easiest, ways to get on the water. Of course, if you want the most immediate launch location, you can’t go wrong at South Beach.
This famous location is home to aquamarine waters that are calm and perfect to launch your board right from the sandy bottom. One word of caution - watch out for the swimmers in the water! And always be sure to check the wind here before you go. It can pick up in the later morning, early afternoon and can make paddling difficult.
If you want a more private location or even more interesting location to launch from, check out the places we cover inside our guide!
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles guide to Miami and Fort Lauderdale<<
Tampa
Often the best place to SUP in Tampa is right in the bay. There you will be able to see the iconic city skyline from your board. While also pinpointing where you might grab a bite to eat. A store to shop in. Or just relax while watching the action in the city.
If you are going to SUP in Tampa Bay we recommend contacting the shops above to secure your board, book your tour, or schedule your first lesson.
However, if you are an experienced paddler, have your own board, and want to paddle outside of the bay, we recommend a few exciting launch locations inside our guide!
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles guide to Tampa<<
Orlando Lakes
If you know anything about Orlando, you know it is home to the world-famous Disney World.
Every year, millions of people visit this city to experience the theme park that has overtaken everyone’s imagination. While visiting Disney World is a must, there are also plenty of places outside of the park's premises waiting to be discovered.
Primary among them are the beautiful lakes to explore on your SUP.
In total, Orlando and the immediate areas around the city have an estimated number of over 70 lakes.
Each lake has its own unique beauty and surrounding area to experience.
While it would be impossible to cover every lake in the Orlando area (and who would have the patience to read a post that long?!), in this article we will be choosing the best launch locations in and around the area for you to SUP in Orlando.
This large city in central Florida has many attractions to please travelers no matter what their tastes or activities. Come along with us as we discuss our favorite places to paddle board in and around the city!
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles guide to Orlando Lakes<<
Emerald Coast
In case you didn’t know, the Emerald Coast is the unofficial name for the coastal area in Florida on the Gulf of Mexico that stretches about 100 mi (160 km) through five counties — Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay, Pensacola Beach, Navarre Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Destin, and Panama City.
The best places for SUP in this area are often found in Destin, Pensacola, and Panama Beach. We cover all of these spots in our Perfect Paddles Guide to the Emerald Coast.
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles guide to the Emerald Coast<<
Key West
Key West is surrounded by beautiful turquoise waters, an abundance of wildlife, and pristine white sandy beaches just waiting to be explored.
From a paddler’s point of view, it can be easy to just drop your SUP in the water at any location. No matter where you go you will be surrounded by the beauty inherent to Key West. The Keys are part of the third largest barrier reef system in the world and there are few sandy beaches. Wear your water shoes and bring them with you on longer paddles so you can launch. And, more importantly, get back on land if you end up returning to at a different location
However, to get the most out of your time there, we suggest making plans to visit at least a few of the choice launch locations in our guide. We cover areas around Key West as well as locations within a day of driving to other Keys in the area where you will have the best views, the best beaches, and the best time on the water. The beauty of Key West makes it one of the best places to paddle in the USA!
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles Guide to Key West<<
San Diego
San Diego has a vibe of its own. The palm tree-lined cities evoke feelings of laid-back summer vibes, wrapped in bustling streets full of people heading to work or the beach.
For most of the year, San Diego enjoys beautiful weather perfect for almost every outdoor activity - especially SUP, surf, and kayaking. Many of its inhabitants take full advantage.
Due to this perfect location for wind, weather, and waves, San Diego has become a hotspot for vacationers to visit every year.
Most visitors will head straight to the beach, maybe a bar or restaurant, and back to their hotel, without ever getting a local’s view of what makes San Diego great.
The team at Perfect Paddles knows this. And we set out to fix the problem.
To understand where, when, and what you should expect from a locals perspective in this beautiful Southern California county, check out this Perfect Paddles Guide to San Diego! You don't want to miss this best place to paddle in the USA!
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles guide to San Diego<<
Orange County
Orange County is home to some of the most beautiful places on planet Earth to enjoy time on a SUP. For our purposes, we mostly concentrate on the coastal regions in areas stretching from San Clemente, Laguna Beach, and Huntington to a few back bay locations located inland.
Within any of these launch locations, you will be able to find picturesque views and warm sunshine. As well as some of the best places to eat in California. There are so many best places to paddle in the USA located in OC, and we cover it all inside our Orange County guide!
>>Click here for the Perfect Paddles Guide to Orange County<<
Los Angeles
Los Angeles county is the second largest metro area in the United States. It extends from Malibu in the north to Long Beach in the south. With over 70 miles of coastline, paddling here is all about coastal cruising tours with plenty of wildlife to see. And waves for SUP surfing. On any given day, you are likely to see breaching humpbacks. Gray whales. Or even a super pod of white sided dolphins.
In addition, there are a handful of crowded marinas for flat water paddling. Several lakes. And even a navigable section or two of the LA river to explore. Of course, there is always Hollywood, Silicone Beach, as well as the art and fashion districts, but when you’re ready for a real authentic outdoor paddle experience, there are tons of places to go right at your fingertips!
The Perfect Paddles mission is to show you when and where to paddle and hopefully connect you with the local LA paddle community through our Paddle Buddy Finder and even Community Events Calendar.
If you’re not sure where to go, or what to do on the days when the wind and weather don't cooperate, we’ve created this ultimate guide to help!
One of the best ways to get to know a new city, or even see the one you live in from a new perspective, is from the water. This guide is for paddlers of every level with every preference from SUP yoga, to paddle surfing, and more.
Our goal is to make it easy for you to make the most of your time on the water and see LA County from its best point of view.
Check out this ultimate guide to SUP and kayak in Los Angeles County where you will find the exact launch locations, additional activities, and other fun stuff to do there! This city is definitely one of the best places to paddle in the USA!
Location Guides Coming Soon
In the immediate future we plan on covering the Tri-State Metropolitan area including New York City and its surrounding areas as well as the rest of California including the North Central Coast, the Bay Area, and NorCal coast and mountains regions.
As always, we plan on taking the same time and attention to detail as we’ve done in our previous guides. Stay tuned if you plan on visiting these areas or if you live there and want to explore!
Request an Area
Live in an area or curious about one that you think would make for a great Perfect Paddles location guide? Reach out! Our list of locations to paddle is endless. And we’re always ready to explore and connect with Paddling Pros around the world.
In the meantime, feel free to use any of our guides listed above. And be sure to share them within your own paddling community. We’re here to connect you with the information you need. And the Paddling Pros within these areas in order to create the most epic paddling adventures possible.
So, what are the best places to paddle in the USA?
The above list is a great place to start!
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