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Kitesurfing in Washington

6 spots · 3 destinations · 8 schools

Puget Sound splits by season: summer brings the reliable NW thermal locals call Steady Jetty at Jetty Island off Everett, forgiving enough for entry-level riders, while Seattle's Golden Gardens is a warm-season afternoon thermal spot that demands upwind ability with Shilshole Marina sitting downwind.

Spots with a rule6a permit, a zone or a closed season in the recordBeginner spots2where the record says a beginner can rideSeasonMay to Decembersomewhere in the region, and again January to MarchWindsnone namednamed by two or more of its spots

Winter shifts the action to Richmond Beach and Double Bluff on Whidbey Island, small, low-tide-dependent launches rated advanced, with everything from flat water to head-high swell depending on the front.

Washington holds 6 kitesurf spots in our atlas, grouped into 3 destinations. Riding here is mostly chop. The season runs May to December.

2 of them suits beginners. 8 schools operate in the region. The busiest areas are Hood River / Columbia Gorge, Golden Gardens & Richmond Beach and Double Bluff & Jetty Island.

When you may ride

the rules these spots carry, with the year on each

Double BluffWhidbey Island / Useless Bay20262026: dogs must be leashed in the developed part of the park; the off-leash area starts roughly 500 feet west of the parking lot and is marked by a windsock on a flagpole, with a $500 fine for the leash law up to that line.
2026: dogs must be leashed in the developed part of the park; the off-leash area starts roughly 500 feet west of the parking lot and is marked by a windsock on a flagpole, with a $500 fine for the leash law up to that line.

The whole rule, on the Double Bluff page

Golden GardensSeattle / Puget Sound20262026: the park is open 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
2026: the park is open 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

The whole rule, on the Golden Gardens page

Jetty IslandPuget Sound (Everett waterfront)2026has a date window2026: no pets, alcohol, drugs or glass containers on Jetty Island; children under 12 must be with an adult; campfires only in designated areas; no overnight camping; no lifeguards, and swimming only on the west shore at your own risk.
2026: no pets, alcohol, drugs or glass containers on Jetty Island; children under 12 must be with an adult; campfires only in designated areas; no overnight camping; no lifeguards, and swimming only on the west shore at your own risk.

The whole rule, on the Jetty Island page

Lyle, WAHood River / Columbia Gorge2026As of 2026 there is still no settled legal shore route to the sandbar, and access is the rule that matters.
As of 2026 there is still no settled legal shore route to the sandbar, and access is the rule that matters.

The whole rule, on the Lyle, WA page

Richmond BeachShoreline / Puget Sound20262026: Shoreline's parks are open dawn to dusk unless the parks department has approved otherwise, and the gate is locked at dusk.
2026: Shoreline's parks are open dawn to dusk unless the parks department has approved otherwise, and the gate is locked at dusk.

The whole rule, on the Richmond Beach page

Stevenson, WAHood River / Columbia Gorge20262026: the Port of Skamania ordinance in force, approved by the Port commissioners on 11 June 2026, allows a kiteboard or training kiteboard on Port property only at the designated East Point and Leaven's Point locations and the adjacent waterfront.
2026: the Port of Skamania ordinance in force, approved by the Port commissioners on 11 June 2026, allows a kiteboard or training kiteboard on Port property only at the designated East Point and Leaven's Point locations and the adjacent waterfront.

The whole rule, on the Stevenson, WA page

Each block is the opening of the record's own rule, kept in its own words. Where two postings do not line up, both are kept and neither is picked for you.

The winds here

what the spot records call the wind, and the knots they quote

No wind is named across this region

Fewer than two of its spots give the wind a local name. Each spot page carries its own directions and knots.

Destinations in Washington

Hood River / Columbia Gorgechoppybeginner-friendlyquiet8 spots · 6 schoolsGolden Gardens & Richmond Beachchoppyadvancedgear rental2 spots · 1 schoolsDouble Bluff & Jetty Islandbeginner-friendlygear rentalbudget2 spots · 1 schools

All spots in Washington

Double BluffmixedGolden GardenschopJetty Islandmixed · beginner okLyle, WAmixed · beginner okRichmond BeachmixedStevenson, WAmixed

Regions come from OpenStreetMap administrative boundaries; each spot page carries the record behind it. This list runs A to Z, and no spot here is filed above tier 3.

Last updated September 2026