Kayaking in the port city comes with plenty of options, with easy water access to Masonboro Island, Wrightsville Beach, and numerous lake accesses all around. What’s also great about kayaking in Wilmington, North Carolina is that you don’t have to own a kayak to go on a kayaking adventure! Wilmington has many options for kayak rentals and guided kayak tours, one resource of which being Kayak Carolina!
In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the best places to go kayaking in Wilmington, North Carolina. At these locations, you’ll find easy access points, the directions, and some details about what you’ll experience if you kayak at any of these locations. Keep in mind, these are not ALL of the places to set in for a kayaking adventure. There are tons of places to kayak in Wilmington, so we decided to narrow things down to just a few of our favorites!
Masonboro Island
Put in: Trail’s End County Park, 613 Trail’s End Road, Wilmington, NC 28409
Difficulty: All Experience Levels
Masonboro Island is one of the beautiful kayaking treasures for those interested in putting in a kayak in Wilmington, North Carolina. Masonboro Island is the largest undisturbed barrier island along the southern part of the North Carolina coast, approximately five miles southeast of Wilmington. The waters in this area are generally calm and shallow, which makes it great for kayakers of all experience levels. There is minimal boat traffic, plenty of bird life to see, and the potential to spot some dolphins along the way! Masonboro Island is an 8 mile barrier island between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, and is part of the nature reserve. If you’re looking to find a great kayaking spot in Wilmington, you should definitely check out Masonboro Island!
Wrightsville Beach
Put in: 109 Causeway Dr Wrightsville, NC 28480
Difficulty: Intermediate to Advanced Kayakers
Wrightsville Beach is one of the most popular water access points near Wilmington, North Carolina, and it makes for a great spot to set off in your kayak! At this destination, you’ll get first hand experience on the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean! At this location, you’ll find a convenient boat ramp at the Wrightsville Beach Causeway that borders several local marinas and watersports companies.
If you plan to kayak the Wrightsville Beach area, you should take note that parking spaces are limited and the water can get rather crowded, especially in the summer months. Additionally, the water tends to be a bit more choppy than other kayaking spots in Wilmington sometimes due to the tide, but mostly due to the heavy amount of boat traffic that exists in this area. If boating during high traffic seasons, it’s advised that kayakers have at least an intermediate skill level as paddling may be slightly challenging at times.
Where Can You Rent a Kayak in Wilmington, North Carolina?
The best place to rent a kayak is from a local business in the area that offers kayak tours. These kinds of businesses are already familiar with the best places to launch your kayak because they are on the water multiple times per day throughout the kayaking season. At Kayak Carolina, we offer kayak tours and kayak rentals to our customers. One of the great things about renting a kayak from Kayak Carolina is that we can take your kayak right to you at the place you intend to launch from.
If you’re interested in renting a kayak from us, please visit our kayak rental page here.