From its inception as "the hidden path through Puget Sound" of Joel Rogers' book "Watertrail," the trail has captured the imagination of kayakers, canoeists, sailors, and rowers plying Pacific Northwest waters in Washington state. A National Millenium Trail, one of 16 trails considered nationally significant at the turn of the century, this saltwater trail introduces modern explorers to historic and commercial coastal routes, in voyages of discovery along the shores of the native peoples' Salish Sea.

Orca, salmon, bald eagle, heron, puffin, side-by-side with trail users, feat on the bounty of lunar-pulled tidal currents and the rich contributions of mountain-fed rivers. From an original 20 camping spots on sate lands, the number of campsites on the trail has more than doubled in its first decade, gathering trail partners within both county and city parks and local port districts. More sites will be added with volunteers, WCC crews, businesses, and kayak clubs lending a hand from the sheltered South Sound to the outer San Juan Islands.

The founders of the Cascadia Marine Trail and the non-profit Washington Water Trail Association continue their work to preserve natural shorelines in Puget Sound and across Washington state. Their tales of kayaking and sailing in the mid-twentieth century inspire the work of WWTA and its non-profit partners and kindle enthusiasm among newcomers to non-motorized recreational boat travel. They love to share some of the many stories that "Honor and reserve 5,000 years of marine travel" on the Cascasia Marine Trail.