Napa's Wild Side

It’s wine country’s Amazon. Cutting 50 miles through the famous Napa Valley and emptying into San Pablo Bay, the Napa River is an ecological—and recreational—delight. Of course, the best way to really get a sense of a river is to get out on it! And there’s no better place to get yourself set up for a marvelous and gentle do-it-yourself journey than with the experienced locals at Napa Valley Paddle. Since 2012 Drew Dickson has been running the kayak and paddleboard rental company.

He grew up right in the region and is passionate about the river’s incredible resurgence as a thriving ecosystem now sustaining plentiful wildlife. Napa Valley Paddle offers a variety of fantastic trips and makes recommendations based on season, tides, and a few other inside-knowledge tips. Go in a single kayak, a tandem, or on a paddleboard. Whichever vessel you choose, to really get a sense of the Napa River we like the one-way paddle from Kennedy Park to downtown Napa. Bonus: there's now a mobile podcast option for tours, so as you move you'll hear great stories and helpful navigation info.

Drew will get you on the river at the right time with the tides, as you’re in an estuary subject to the Bay’s influence. You’ll be on the river for an hour or two, gliding past egrets, herons, grebes, kingfishers, and mallards. If you’re lucky, you might see a river otter or a beaver. This riparian habitat is important to the vitality of Napa Valley, but it wasn’t always this way. Drew’s father, Dave Dickson, led the charge in the nineties to restore the once derelict river. Polluted run-off from fertilizers and an old tannery, along with development of the riverbank, kept the Napa River from flourishing for several decades. But with dedicated restoration, a lot of the wildlife has come back, including the salmon.

Paddling gently up the Napa River you’ll get great views of Atlas Peak and Mount Veeder, and as you glide into downtown you’ll enjoy a unique perspective of Napa’s lively riverside restaurants and shops. We recommend going a bit past the Soscol Avenue bridge into a more wild side of the river where you may feel like you’ve been transported to Kauai with some of the lush foliage. Napa Valley Paddle will pick up your kayaks at an arranged spot.

You can leave from there on their water taxi, the cheekily named WooUber. However, just across the way and overlooking the river you've just paddled is Wilfred's Lounge, where getting ready to rum-ble means kicking back with an absolutely delicious island inspired cocktail. As Napa's first (and only) Tiki bar, Wilfred's blends Napa and Honolulu culture for a creative twist on cocktails and food. We like the Spam sliders paired with the Napa Sour or Blue Hawaii. Whatever you order, whatever your pairings, it all goes down smooth.

Book your trip with Napa Valley Paddle.