It’s great fun when kayaking and camping go together. We’re big fans of Hipcamp, an online marketplace that lists outdoor camping experiences on private land, especially when unique, private locations are the primary search criteria.

And for recreational kayakers? Check that “paddling” activity box on filtered search to see available spots that provide unique water routes – right from your tent, cabin, yurt, or treehouse.

Kayak along a river at a HipCamp camping site

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When state and national park campgrounds are full, try Hipcamp.

In the Pacific Northwest, popular campgrounds often release calendars for reservations in week or month blocks, and campsite slots sell out very quickly.

Other campgrounds have the “show up and see what’s available” policy, but that can be tricky when you’re planning with a group of people or have a family – and if kayaking is on the agenda.

We stayed at a couple Hipcamps this summer and had a great experience with the platform and private landowners – it’s really AirBnB meets camping.

On the website, you can easily search the criteria that matters to you, read reviews, and communicate with the host. And note, this isn’t a sponsored post, we just happen to love the site.

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Does Hipcamp offer kayaking experiences?

Yes. The website has a filtered search for different types of water activities, including “paddling,” “whitewater paddling,” “fishing,” and “boating.”

We recommend reading the full Hipcamp camping listing description, reviews by guests, and asking the host any specific questions regarding water level/conditions and essential kayak safety tips to ensure the water experience will match your paddling skill and comfort levels, your gear, and overall expectations.

At Flatwater Kayak Club, we’re focused on recreational flatwater kayaking in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

A quick “paddling” “Oregon” and “park at listing” website search pulls up quite a few intriguing camping listings on Hipcamp, in all price ranges.

When we recently kayaked with Hipcamp, our filtered search criteria included “Washington” “park at listing” “pets allowed” and “paddling.”

Our camping experience was a fun, unexpected paddling destination in the Pacific Northwest, that offered a short, fun flatwater kayaking route, right from our private, secluded campsite.

The Oru folding kayak in action

While we’ve long enjoyed the convenience of having a folding kayak, the Oru Inlet also came in handy because we were able to pack all our camping, kayak, paddle, and safety gear, plus three people and a small dog, in a compact SUV with no roof rack! (It felt like quite an accomplishment).

We also appreciated the lightweight feature of our Oru Inlet kayak - at just 20 pounds in weight, it was easy to transport from our park-at-listing location to the water’s edge for quick assembly.

The water here was exceptionally clear, providing great visibility to the thousands of tadpoles during our summer stay.

kayaking with hipcamp river conservation

Curious about the kayak we use? We tested the Oru Inlet kayak for two years, and wrote up this in-depth Oru review.

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Speaking of wildlife encounters, we also saw a beautiful bald eagle swoop across the river to a nearby tree. Hipcamp destinations are really ideal for those looking for privacy, peace, and quiet, with the flexible options to pack-in or park at a listing with all your gear.

All in all, kayaking with Hipcamp is a great option for flatwater kayakers in the Pacific Northwest who want to try something a little different than the traditional, popular camping spots and own the right gear to make this an enjoyable, safe experience.

NEW: Two years, 100+ paddling hours and many, many miles - my full, in-depth Oru Inlet folding kayak review – with more photos and videos than ever before – and bonus thoughts on the Oru Paddle!