Photo Credit: Jennifer Erickson

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Hiking, biking, kayaking: When you think about getting outdoors in Alaska, you probably think of these traditionally popular sports. Well, surprise! You can now add the sport of stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) to the list of great Alaskan adventures. And it’s absolutely something you should try: it’s the #1 most popular fastest-growing water sport in the world!

What Is It?

For those of you who aren’t entirely familiar with this new-ish sport, here’s the lowdown. The paddleboard is a long, flat board that (as the name suggests) you stand on, and then use a kayak-like paddle to control your speed and direction. Paddleboarding is incredibly versatile, since the board is easily transportable and you can take it on flat water (small ponds or lakes), rivers (gentle or rapids), and oceans (calm coves or surf). And while its popularity in Alaska is relatively new, the sport’s been around for more than a decade, in places like California, Hawaii, and Australia.

Why Try It?

  • First off, it’s super fun! Many people who try it once are hooked. Here are some more reasons:
  • It’s super easy. Almost anyone can do it, and most people are up and paddling within an hour. (And most SUP outfitters provide beginner lessons for nearly all ages and abilities on specially designed boards.)
  • It’s a great whole-body workout. You’ll work your core as well as your arms, legs, feet, and back--and at the same time get a cardio workout that helps with balance. But (bonus!) it’s so much fun that it won’t even feel like a workout.
  • Instead of sitting at eye level, like with a kayak or raft, you’ll have a higher vantage point, which lets you take in the surrounding vistas and wildlife in a very different way. You’ll be able to see farther, and in clear waters, deeper.
  • Once you get the hang of it, you can even go fishing from your board!

Isn’t It Cold?

Well, paddleboarding may be a more obvious activity in warm-weather destinations. But that’s what makes it so unique up here. And while there’s plenty of chilly water in Alaska, most SUP outfitters supply their clients with either a dry or wet suit (and a dry bag for personal items), so you won’t be cold. Plus, some smaller inland lakes are generally warm from mid- to late summer, so you won’t even need that extra layer.

So what are you waiting for? Give this great sport a whirl in Alaska and see what all the fuss is about! If you're looking for more than a tour, book into Orca Island Cabins in Humpy Cove, a quick boat ride from Seward. There you'll have access to stand-up paddleboards and sea kayaks all from your private yurt.

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Stand Up Paddleboarding

Season: Year Round $329+ 1.5+ hrs

Glac­i­er trekking, kayak­ing, ice climb­ing, and oth­er activ­i­ties are even more spe­cial when com­bined with a spec­tac­u­lar heli­copter ride through Alaska’s dra­mat­ic scenery. Thanks to key part­ner­ships with oth­er expe­ri­enced Alaskan tour oper­a­tors, Palmer based Out­bound Heli Adven­tures is able to coor­di­nate seam­less out­ings of a life­time! And, they pride them­selves on offer­ing the most amount of flight time with their excursions.

Season: May - August Tours $550+ | Rentals $45+ 4+ hrs

With snow-capped peaks and tow­er­ing trees all around, you’ll set off onto the calm waters of shim­mer­ing Kachemak Bay in a thrilling way — pad­dling a standup pad­dle­board. These long, wide, stur­dy boards are built to han­dle the waters of Alas­ka, and no expe­ri­ence is nec­es­sary. Go with your own pri­vate group; an expe­ri­enced guide will be right there to offer instruc­tion and fun tales of the area. Or rent a board and explore this stun­ning area on your  ...more

Season: Mid May– Early September $30+ day rentals 1+ day rentals

Whether it’s kayak­ing, canoe­ing, or pad­dle­board­ing, you’ll find top-flight equip­ment for rent at AK Paddlesports

Season: Year Round $15+ per hour | $40+ per day 1+ hrs

In the win­ter, Pow­der Hound is filled with all kinds of the lat­est ski equip­ment in tod­dler to adult sizes. You can ski in and out, and will find boots, ski, jack­ets, gog­gles, hel­mets and more. Skiers may howl when the snow leaves, but Pow­der Hound can deck you out with essen­tial items that will keep you com­fort­able and busy all sum­mer. They offer all types of bike rentals, from hybrid style tour­ing bikes to all moun­tain and down­hill bikes. You  ...more

Season: Memorial Weekend - Labor Day Weekend Call for Rental Rates 2+ hrs

This tour oper­a­tor offers guid­ed kayak­ing tours and kayak, canoe, and stand up pad­dle board rentals at X Lake in Tal­keet­na Lakes Park. Denali South­side will pro­vide you with every­thing you need to enjoy your tour or rental, includ­ing the high­est-qual­i­ty gear. While on the water, look for trum­peter swans, loons, riv­er otters, beavers and moose. On clear days, you’ll get stun­ning views of Mt. Denali and the Alas­ka Range.

Season: Memorial Weekend - Labor Day Weekend Call for Rental Rates 2+ hrs

This tour oper­a­tor, based in Tal­keet­na and Denali State Park, offers guid­ed kayak­ing tours and kayak, canoe and stand up pad­dle board rentals at X Lake in Tal­keet­na Lakes Park and at Byers Lake in Denali State Park. Denali South­side also offers trail­head shut­tle ser­vice along the 25 miles of hik­ing trails of Kesu­gi Ridge.

Season: May 1 – 3rd week of September $199+ 3-10 hrs

Take a bou­tique, small-group kayak­ing trip with expe­ri­enced guides at Liq­uid Adven­tures and get close to glac­i­ers in kayaks or pad­dle­boards while look­ing for whales and oth­er marine mam­mals. You can even com­bine your adven­ture with a jet­boat, heli­copter, or wildlife cruise. There’s noth­ing quite like it in all of Alaska!

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