Glide along pristine wetlands on this 3.2-mile, self-guided loop through the winding waterways of the Carneros Estuary. This expertly curated experience is what guests imagine when paddling in wine country—quiet, immersive, and rich with life. A geolocated audio guide supports your DIY adventure with gentle navigational cues and storytelling, allowing you to explore the estuary’s narrow twists and turns at your own pace, in total privacy, while positioning you at the easternmost edge of the 15,000-acre Napa–Sonoma Marsh—about as close to wildlife as you can get.
Guided by the owner of Napa Valley Paddle, who brings over a decade of professional winemaking experience, this tour offers a truly customizable perspective on wine country. Content can be tailored to focus on viticulture, birding, wildlife, history, and/or estuarine ecology. We expertly time each journey to tides and conditions, and upon request can curate a full-day Napa Valley itinerary. Guests gain local insight into how the Napa River and marine influence shape wine flavors, all while taking in sweeping views of Mt Tam, Mt Diablo, Atlas Peak, and Mount Veeder—landmarks that anchor a powerful sense of place.
Explore Napa Valley’s Carneros Wine Region aboard handcrafted Kanaka canoes or quiet electric Duffy boats. Glide through tranquil wetlands once navigated by Hawaiian sea captains in elephant seal–skinned vessels, and witness seasonal bird migrations in their natural habitat. Framed by sweeping views of Mount Veeder and the Carneros hills, enjoy boutique wines from Andrew Lane, Saintsbury, or Cliff Lede as history, ecology, and flavor converge in Napa’s most soulful waterborne adventure.
Napa Valley Paddle began as a paddleboard outfitter offering fully guided, tide-assisted journeys of up to 14 miles. Today, guests can enjoy a self-guided version of this classic experience, made possible by our geolocated audio guide. Choose between a 3.2-mile, meandering estuary loop (round trip) or a one-way journey up the Napa River into downtown, where the landscape transitions from salt marsh to the revitalized riverfront and into the riparian, forested Oxbow District—revealing the full story of Napa’s living river.
Witness nature’s glowing masterpiece on the calm waters of Tomales Bay, one of the world’s top spots for bioluminescence. Paddle beneath a star-filled sky as each stroke of your paddle sparks ribbons of light in the water. Begin at sunset, glide into darkness, and experience an unforgettable fusion of starlight and sea glow—available only on the darkest, May through January. Reserve early, these magical tours fill quickly!
Bird is the word. Napa Valley’s newest attraction—without question—is the environmental resurgence of the Carneros Estuary. Now a major stop along the Pacific Flyway, this 15,000-acre mosaic of wetlands stretches along the north shore of San Pablo Bay for nearly 25 miles toward Marin County. Because seasonal migrations are always changing, we help guests make the most of each visit with customized kayaking, hiking, and photography itineraries tailored to the time of year and the birds on the move. And yes—wildflowers, too.
