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Many locals think that Little Pleasant Bay in Orleans is the best place to kayak on Cape Cod. It certainly offers one of the most biologically diverse marine habitats on the East Coast and is a great way to get some ocean kayaking in without necessarily having to deal with the rigors of big surf buffeting your boat.

Little Pleasant Bay is one of the best places to kayak on Cape Cod

That's not say there are no waves and no wind (and certainly you shouldn't underestimate either of these elements) but because the entire bay is protected from the ocean by Nauset Beach and the Cape Cod National Seashore to the east, the crashing surf of the Atlantic Ocean doesn't make its way into this protected enclave.

The bay offers kayaking couples hours of enjoyable paddling around its islands and in and out of the creeks and inlets that surround it. Motorboat traffic can be an issue in the height of summer, although the shallow depth tends to limit them to the channel. Green head flies can also be an irritant at that time of year so we prefer to go in either early summer (Before July 4th) or in the fall.

There are a number of places around the bay where you can put in but the one we use most often is at the end of Portanimicut Road where Paw-Wah pond meets Little Pleasant Bay (see map below). From there it's a short paddle over to Sampson and Hog Islands, which, even though they are privately owned, are both lovely places to stop for a walk or a picnic. (The owners welcome visitors but not camping or campfires).

Money Head on Hog Island is allegedly where Captain Kidd buried his treasure when the British were pursuing him. We've never found any treasure there, though we have seen the occasional osprey. You can even see seals from time to time.

From there, you can either paddle around the two island into Broad Creek, which runs between the eastern edge of Sampson Island and the “back” of Nauset Beach or you can head northeast to Clayton's Point. You can paddle to the east of there into Barker's Creek under the footbridge and up into Pochet Inlet.

The creek runs through a lovely salt marsh there and there are a number of places to take out and rest or explore.

Directions

Independent Reviews

If you are familiar with this Cape Cod activity and would like to let others know what you think, you can submit a review right here (and even upload photos, if you like). The hope is that independent reviews will be helpful to other couples as they plan their own trips.

Some of Our Other Favorite Cape Cod Kayaking Haunts

Nauset Marsh, Eastham

Scorton Creek, East Sandwich

Waquoit Bay, Falmouth/Mashpee