By Paul Tolme 

Calm-water kayak tours are like a nature hike on water, offering the chance to see wildlife and view landscapes unreachable on foot. Void of running rapids or raging surf, calm-water tours are ideal for first-timers. Here are a few locations where beginners can get their paddles wet.

Escape the crowded roads of Yellowstone National Park while gliding across Yellowstone Lake, whose 136 miles of shoreline make up the nation’s largest body of fresh water above 7,000 feet. The park’s animals and geology are on full display here. Bald eagles and osprey hunt for fish, playful otters poke their heads above the surface and grizzlies lumber along the shoreline ($175 for a day tour, $400 for an overnight with a gourmet campfire meal; snakeriverkayak.com).

Lake Tahoe’s legendary clarity and aqua-blue color allow visitors to see down 70 feet and draw comparisons with the Caribbean—that is, until you touch the brisk mountain water that flows down from California’s Sierra Nevada and Nevada’s Carson ranges. Navigate around giant rounded boulders deposited by glaciers and land on a secluded beach for lunch ($85 for a five-hour trip; tahoeadventurecompany.com).

Listen for the haunting calls of loons on New Hampshire’s Squam Lake and look for the black-and-white birds as they perch on rocks and spread their wings to dry off before flying. Best-known as the location for the movie “On Golden Pond,” the lake is a great spot to paddle and people-watch. Learn local lore during a half-day paddle with White Mountain Exploration or set off at dusk and enjoy the sunset over mountain peaks during a full-moon tour ($75; whitemountain exploration.com).

Maine’s Casco Bay is dotted with 200-plus islands that are home to historic lighthouses and migratory birds, such as eiders, guillemots and auks. Located on Peaks Island, a 15-minute ferry ride from Portland, Maine Island Kayak runs half- and full-day tours ($65, $110; maineislandkayak.com).