Trip Report
Ravenna Creek: Union Bay Natural Area
An afternoon bike and raft through wildlife-filled wetlands in my own backyard
Ciaran Gallagher
- Sun, Oct 12, 2025
- Ravenna Creek: Union Bay Natural Area
- Packrafting
- Successful
-
- Road suitable for all vehicles
-
I put in by the bridge where Clark Road crosses Ravenna Creek. I encountered one beaver dam and two fallen logs across the creek in the first ~1000ft. A much better put-in would be by the NE Wahkiakum Lane footbridge, as this is downstream of the obstacles that were encountered.
The water level in Ravenna Creek and the wetlands at its mouth was shallow, but adequate for paddling a packraft. There was a 12-15mph wind coming from Lake Washington on the open water which made crossing the Montlake Cut challenging, and with the low water depth it was not practical to skirt the grassy islands for protection from the wind. Thankfully, the crossing was relatively brief and I was soon in the shelter of Marsh Island.
A scenic float nestled in the city and bookended by quick cross-town bike ride seemed like the perfect opportunity to dip my toes into the world of bikerafting without the complications of camping gear, the onset of shoulder-season weather, or having to schedule a whole weekend for the outing. I began on Belltown, riding along the west side of Lake Union to Fremont and the Burke-Gilman trail. Early flares of fall color guided my ride the rest of the way to the University of Washington campus and my launch point.
With a bike involved, the packraft setup was a bit more finicky than usual, but it did bring me to my first lesson learned - when tying your bike to the bow of a packraft, make sure you have the room to take proper, full paddle strokes before tying your bike down, getting underway, and finding yourself being swept into the Lake Washington Ship Canal by the stiff breeze. This eventual wrinkle notwithstanding, I was shortly in the creek floating my way towards Husky Stadium, much to the apparent confusion of the morning dog walkers paralleling me on Canal Road. There were plenty of heron and mallard ducks to satisfy my very basic birdwatching skills, among others which were beyond my limited knowledge.
The crossing from Union Bay wetlands to the Arboretum wetlands was challenging due to the greater-than-anticipated breeze and my inability to reach my paddle all the way forward without hitting my bike frame, but with perseverance the transit was eventually complete. Marsh Island and Foster Point provided great shelter from the breeze, and I was able to resume my more relaxed pace. Though not too relaxed, because by this point, my legs were thoroughly soaked, me having decided to forego my dry suit to save space in my bike and effort with the already more complicated setup and tear down. Lesson #2 learned!
Once dry land was reached in the Arboretum, I tore down my raft and set up my bike as quickly as possible so that I could make my way through the gardens to my next stop: Pagliacci Pizza for a nice, hot slice. Warm lunch consumed, the ride began again, following Madison Avenue over Capitol Hill and into downtown, where I picked up the 2nd Avenue bike lane all the way back up to Belltown, completing my bike-and-raft loop.
