Located on the outer Cape in Eastham, Nauset Marsh is one of the best places to kayak on Cape Cod. Protected by the barrier beach and shaped by centuries of tides, this marsh is teeming with wildlife and offers calm waters that are ideal for paddlers of all levels.
The best way to explore Nauset Marsh? Launch right from Salt Pond, just behind the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center. Depending on your skill level you can explore beyond the Salt Pond far into Nauset Marsh and beyond to Coast Guard beach or Nauset Beach.
It’s part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which means you’re paddling in preserved, undeveloped nature. No beach mansions, no marinas—just saltwater, sandbars, birds, crabs, and a front-row seat to the natural beauty of the Cape. The water is usually calm, and if you time the tides right, it’s a super relaxed paddle even for total beginners.
Launching kayaks from Salt Pond in Eastham
You have two options to launch kayaks in Salt Pond. The easiest is to start your adventure at the launch point off of Salt Pond Launch Road in Eastham. It’s a small lot with room for just over a half-dozer cars, and it fills up in the summer.
The lot is right next to where you launch, providing easy access to load and unload. There’s a porta potty and a few signs about shellfishing but other than that this lot is pretty barebones.
If this lot is full, option two is to park at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. The Visitor Center lot always has room, but it’s a really long walk between the parking lot and the launch here. Kind of a pain.
If you have to park at the Visitor Center, It’s easier to just drop off your kayak at the Salt Pond Landing launch, and then drive to the Salt Pond Visitor Center to park. Take the path by the Amphitheater down to the water and walk to the right to access that landing.
The Visitor Center itself is awesome and worth checking out, especially if you’ve got young kids. Free museum, movies, and nature presentations from a really helpful and nice staff. A+
Unless you love rolling a kayak down (and later up) a long path not meant for kayak dollys, it’s best to use the Salt Pond Launch Road launch over the Visitor Center launch. Carrying your kayak at the latter is pretty much out of the question, and even rolling it is a hassle.
Once you launch your kayak, paddle out toward the narrow opening and you’re in the Nauset Marsh system.
Nauset Marsh kayak routes for all skill levels
1. Beginner level: Salt Pond Loop
Want to keep it super chill? Paddle a quick loop around Salt Pond itself.
You’ll still get great views and maybe spot some wildlife. We saw schools of small fish being chased by larger fish on multiple visits, within a few hundred feet of the launch. Not bad if you’re looking for easy access kayak fishing.
Salt Pond Loop is well protected and you’ll feel minimal impact of the tides. It’s gentle and pretty small, perfect for small children.
The small river connecting Salt Pond is also an easy, gentle paddle. You’ll pass by the wooden bridge on the walking path on the Salt Pond Loop Trail.
At low tide this is about as far as you can go without worrying about low water heights. Once you exit the pond and venture into Nauset Marsh you’ll find most routes inaccessible at low tide until the tide rises.
2: Intermediate level: explore Nauset Marsh
In order to access the marsh beyond Salt Pond, you’ll need to time the tides so that it’s near high tide. Which means you’ll be paddling out into the oncoming tide, and if you stay beyond peak high tide you’ll be paddling back in against the tides. Yuck. But it’s worth it.
Stick to the left shoreline as you enter Nauset Marsh, it’s deepest there.
When we went 3 hours before high tide, it was a bit too early and we were beached in 2-3 inches of water fairly early into the trip.
At that point it was easier to tie a rope to the kayak and just drag it through a few inches of water versus waiting out the incoming tide and then paddling through the oncoming tides in the sand. So bring a rope if you want to get there early, you can pull through to deeper waters.
As you head out to the left for a ways, in the far distance you’ll see the backside of Coast Guard Beach to the left and Nauset Beach out to the right.
There’s a big marsh in between, with lots of little nooks and crannies to explore within the tidal flats. Lots of dead ends too, so pay attention to your turns and try to use the nest and the buildings on shore to keep track of where you are.
As you paddle out to the left hugging the banks, you’ll be able to cut over to the pole with the bird nest if you want to further explore.
You can paddle right up to it. But don’t go too far beyond it! There’s danger about.
Word of warning – don’t paddle too far out without first looking at a map of the area. If you go too far beyond the bird nest, you’ll reach the cut through the open ocean.
Which if you hit it as the tide is going out will mean big problems unless you are an expert paddler comfortable with being pulled out into the open sea in shark-infested waters.
3. Expert level: Visit Coast Guard Beach or Nauset Beach
If you continue to stay to the left you will eventually paddle to the back of Coast Guard Beach.
Awesome National Seashore Beach, one of the best on Cape Cod for sure (and frequently voted in the top 10 beaches in the US). You’ll see white buildings which are the beach’s bathroom facilities in the far distance.
This is a really cool trip. Relatively safe for moderately experienced kayakers or even beginners with good arm strength.
Check the wind and the tides when planning. Make sure that you time your return trip with the tides, keeping in mind at low tide some waters aren’t passable.
For even more adventure, you can head out towards the back of Nauset Beach, which is more to the right when you look out into Nauset Marsh. But this is where it gets tricky, as you’ll need to navigate around the cut which leads to the open ocean – and the massive pull of the tides.
We’re hesitant to share the route to Nauset because we don’t want to put inexperienced adventurers at risk. But if you’re looking at a map you’ll see how it’s done. Stick to the left for a bit when entering the marsh, but then cut over to the right after a while.
Keep in mind you’ll need a seaworthy kayak and lots of endurance, the water conditions are much different compared to the protected areas of Nauset Marsh or Salt Pond. Have your phone handy in case you run into problems. You’ve been warned.
How to time the tides at Nauset Marsh
To minimize paddling effort normally you’d want to time your kayak trip so that you’re paddling out with the tides, and back in with them as well. This works fine at places like the Bass River which are deep enough, but won’t work when launching a kayak in Eastham from Salt Pond.
To paddle in both directions with the tides, you’d need to launch before low tide as the tide is going out, and then return after low tide as the water is coming in.
But the marsh isn’t deep enough to allow passage at low tide here, greatly limiting your options. If you’re looking to sit on a private sandbar for a few hours that’s just outside Salt Pond, then this works. But for longer paddles at greater distances, you’ll need to time it so you’re going out just before high tide and coming back in soon after.
Remember the 50-90-100 rule to gauge difficulty of padding against the tides.
At slack tide (which is different from high or low tide) the water flow will change direction and stop moving. One hour later the water will move at about 50% of peak speed, two hours later at 90% speed, three hours later at 100%. In the fourth hour it will drop back to 90%, and the fifth hour back to 50%, and in the sixth hour down to zero as slack tide occurs again.
So if you paddle against the current one hour after slack tide, then you’re only facing 50% of the resistance that you’ll get if you paddle three hours after it. This can make a big difference on your arms.
If you’re planning a trip here that lasts two hours in total and want to do it in lots of water, then launch one hour before high tide and return one hour after it for the easiest trip in the deepest water. You could also launch two hours before high tide. If you launch two hours after you risk getting beached and having a whole lot of waiting (or dragging) to do.
For a three hour trip, launch one and a half hours before high. For four hour trips, launch two hours before.
There’s no way around it, you’ll be getting a workout paddling against the tides. But it’s totally worth it. Check wind speed and direction too when you plan your trip. Worse case scenario is you’re exhausted from paddling out into the tide and with the wind, then later you need to paddle back against the tide but into the wind.
Can I bring my dog to kayak in Eastham?
You can launch your dog in a kayak from Salt Pond Landing Road, but they don’t allow dogs on the Salt Pond Bay loop trail that starts at the Salt Pond Visitor Center and leads down to the Visitor Center kayak launch.. Salt Pond is part of the National Seashore, so seasonal pet rules apply,
Make sure your dog has a life vest. Don’t let them bother the wildlife or run all over the marsh sandbars. Clean up all pet waste.
Dogs are allowed on Coast Guard Beach most of the time, but check for restrictions in the summer due to nesting shorebirds.
Sunrises and Sunsets over Nauset Marsh
The sun rises out over Coast Guard and Nauset Beaches given a warm glow of emerging daylight over Nauset Marsh, truly a breathtaking experience. From what we imagine. Because we were too lazy to get up that early any of the times we’ve paddled here. But if you’re so inclined, please send us photos!
The sun sets over nauset marsh back towards Salt Pond, so it gives an amazing glow starting at Golden Hour. Just don’t stay out too late admiring the sunset or you’ll be paddling back and loading your gear in the dark.
You can get the same sunset from the boardwalk located behind Coast Guard Beach, worth checking out if you don’t have a kayak.
Kayak Gear checklist for first-timers
- Life jacket (required, not optional)
- Water, snacks, and sunscreen
- Waterproof phone case
- Phone Map app (really important to avoid getting lost in the marsh and to avoid the cut)
- Bug spray
- Dry bag for your camera or keys
- Clips or Bungee Cords to secure valuables to kayak (in case you capsize or flip, which is low risk unless you go far out towards the cut)
Ready to kayak Nauset Marsh?
If you’re looking for one of the best places to kayak in Eastham (and all of Cape Cod) it’s hard to top the experience of kayaking Nauset Marsh.
With its calm waters, incredible wildlife, and unforgettable views, this spot delivers everything we love about paddling on Cape Cod. Launching from Salt Pond is easy, the scenery is amazing, and if you pay attention to the tides, it’s a challenging but very rewarding paddle.
There aren’t many places left where you can explore the natural beauty of Cape Cod by kayak due to development and tourism. The Cape Cod National Seashore has forever preserved this area for both you and future generations – enjoy your paddle!
