Pittsburg Marina to Browns Island

My daughter and I headed out to Pittsburg Marina to do a short paddle and explore Browns Island.  There was a gentle breeze with winds blowing about 5 knots.  The water was smooth as glass and the temperature was already 83 at 9:45 a.m..  Max flood was at 8:30 and the slack ebb was to begin at 11:21.










The Pitsburg Marina is a fairly large marina with three launch ramps you can use at no charge.  There are restrooms available and free parking.

We left the marina a few minutes after 10:00 and crossed New York Slough which is less than a quarter mile  wide.  We followed the south shore of Browns Island for about 10 minutes until we found the entrance to another slough that would take us north through the island.  We paddled a couple of minutes when we came upon another slough or cut to the east.  We decided to continue north to see what we could find.  I would definitely suggest bringing a GPS device as you can get lost in all the different cuts throughout the island.  I had my phone GPS and I'm glad I brought it!

We paddled about one half mile more until we reached the Sacramento River. We hung out there and had a snack while we watched a large cargo ship pass the Pittsburg Marina.  After our snack we headed back into the island and headed east.  My intention was to head toward the northeastern part of the island but we missed the cutoff.  So we ended up paddling through the winding slough toward the center of the island until I realized my mistake.  The temperature was climbing quickly so we decided we should head back to the marina.

We didn't see much wildlife on this trip but I imagine the fishing is probably good.  We passed what looked like a beaver lodge and there were lots of spots where it looked like some critters had made homes.  There were many wildflowers to see and it was a very scenic paddle.  I'd love to do it again when the temperature is a little cooler.  On the way back our entrance was blocked by some lily pads but we were able to paddle through them.  It did cause me to wonder if we had made a wrong turn but after checking my GPS I confirmed we were going the right way and we returned to the marina safe and sound.