Napa Kayak

09/17/2026

A little Napa River news: Enjoy Napa Valley is featured in Travelzoo’s Top 20 this week.

Make room for a late-season paddle. The offer includes our guided history tour at $49 for one person in a single kayak (regularly $69).

Buy your voucher here, then reserve your tour online using the voucher instructions:
https://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/San-Francisco-Bay-Area/Other/446361/Enjoy-Napa-Valley/

Valid Sundays–Fridays through Dec. 31; holidays and holiday weekends excluded. Reservations required, subject to availability. Tax, if applicable, and gratuity extra.

See you on the river.

07/06/2026

Meet the Caspian tern—June 2026, Napa River- the largest tern in the world. With a wingspan reaching nearly 5 feet, it can spot fish from high above the water before plunging headfirst for an impressive catch. Nature never stops amazing me.

07/03/2026

Wishing everyone a safe and peaceful Fourth of July.

While many of us celebrate with fireworks and gatherings, tomorrow will be another quiet morning on the Napa River—where American White Pelicans drift across calm water, herons stalk the shoreline, and nature carries on.

However you celebrate, I hope you find a little time to enjoy the outdoors.

Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸

07/01/2026

On the water, the American white pelican looks slow, heavy, and almost awkward.

Then it takes flight.

With a wingspan of nearly nine feet, it becomes one of the largest flying birds in North America. Once it finds rising warm air, it can soar for miles with barely a flap of its wings.

It’s one of nature’s most remarkable transformations—and one that’s easy to miss if you’ve only ever watched them from the water.

06/29/2026

Swans may look calm, but they’re constantly communicating.

They use different postures, head movements, wing displays, and calls to signal everything from greeting a mate to warning an intruder. During nesting season, even a subtle change in body language can mean, “Stay back.”

The more time you spend watching swans, the more you realize they’re having conversations we rarely notice.

Have you ever watched a swan long enough to notice their body language change?

06/23/2026

Every time I see an otter, it feels like a gift.

Not because river otters are rare. Often they’re right under our noses, and we don’t even notice.

One day the river feels empty. The next, an entire otter family appears. They surface for only seconds before disappearing beneath the water again. By tomorrow, they may already be miles away.

That’s what makes them so special.

River otters are highly social animals with strong family bonds, and they’re often much closer to us than we realize.

Sometimes the most remarkable wildlife encounters happen when we’re paying attention.

06/22/2026

You may have passed a river otter today and never known it.

They’re secretive, fast, and often gone before you can reach for your camera.

That’s part of what makes every encounter so special.

A quiet moment with one of the Napa River’s most charismatic residents.

Tomorrow I’ll share some video footage of these incredible animals.

06/22/2026

People don’t expect this in Napa.

When most people think of Napa Valley, they picture vineyards and tasting rooms.

But there is another side of Napa—quiet water, wildlife, and moments where the only sounds are birds and the gentle movement of the river.

06/20/2026

06/15/2026

A lot of people think kayaking looks difficult until they try it.

The truth is, most of it comes down to showing up, getting on the water, and taking that first paddle stroke.

The rest comes surprisingly quickly.