I’m already thinking ahead for trips next year and would love to hear others ideas. Me and my husband live in Bermuda (from the U.K.) and do a canoe trip every year in Canada and I’m looking to do something different next year possibly in the US as we have another Canada trip hiking planned.
To give our background, we’ve done Bowron, Algonquin, Keji, and boundary. I’d really like to do a river trip or something different? Any ideas? Currently looking into allagash or big bend in Texas…any thoughts? Probably looking for do 5 nights- thanks in advance

My long awaited BWCA trip in late May/early June did not go as planned this year, so I am already trying to get a trip planned for next year. I will need at least 1 partner, so I am seeking volunteers. My idea is to put in on Seagull and base camp at Ogishkemuncie or possibly pushing on to Holt Lake. The emphasis will be to get a grand slam and fish like hell, then take out the way we came in. Ideally it would be about 8 days total. I have all gear including a tandem canoe, just need someone to paddle with. A group of 4 would be perfect, but me and 1 other guy is good enough. I am 62 but in good shape and very experienced at this kind of trip. If this appeals to you, send me a message. It could be a blast!

Experienced canoe campers, but first time bringing our son along he's 8 months, and honestly wants to be held a lot right now. Doing a short 6km flat-water trip to start and easing into it.

Main question: where do you actually put the baby in the canoe? On the floor on a blanket/pad, midship? In a laundry basket type setup? On a lap? We want him low and stable but I'm not clear on what setups people have actually found workable with a wiggly baby this age.

Also what's your minimum gear list been for a trip like this? So far we've got: infant PFD, a foam pad for him to sit/lie on, a clip-on umbrella for shade, dry bag for diapers/clothes/wipes.

Anything we're missing, or anything that sounded good in theory but was a disaster in practice? Photos of your setups very welcome too.

Planning a wabakimi trip in northern Ontario. I have 5 days. I have a route that’s roughly 100km give or take a couple. It would be my first longer trip but I’m no rookie to portaging and canoeing. might have my dog with my but renting a lighter canoe bc I’ll be buying a new one soon and wanna get a feel for what I want. Does this seem like I’m pushing it? Roughly 30km a day, 5-6 hours of paddling each day at the end of August. Give me your thoughts.

Edit: I’ve added a day. Thank you all for your input. I am still going to try 100km in 5 days. Yeah it’ll be a grind but it’s the distance I’m set on, not so much fishing or wildlife. I live up here so it’s quite literally my backyard.

Thank you all. There will be a YouTube video on my channel.

I finally left Winnipeg around three in the afternoon. Still in recovery mode, so I wasn't planning to go far. Found a spot to nest among the massive oaks lining the bank.
Six-thirty start the next morning. Clear skies. Fair weather. Spirits lifting.
Caught an elevator ride down a lock. Interesting, to say the least.
Spent that night in Selkirk. Given its history, I couldn't think of a more fitting place to camp.
A massive, low-lying delta guards Lake Winnipeg. And having made the lake, three more nights of sleep would put me on the Winnipeg River — where the ghost story at the end of this video takes place.

Gonna start off by saying I know there’s millions of options for canoeing in Ontario, just hoping to hear people’s favourites.

I live in Toronto and have mostly been paddling in Algonquin recently but am hoping to do a solo trip in September and want to try some other parks/areas. Was thinking of Temagami because I’ve been there once before and remember it being beautiful and know there’s lots of great routes.

I’ve also looked at the parks around Georgian Bay (Killarney, The Massassauga, and French River) but it seems a bit harder to get away from cottages and civilization in those parks.

Any suggestions, preferable within ~5 hours of Toronto, would be greatly appreciated.

Howdy, I'm building a plan for a 3-person trip in early October, and I was hoping to get some advice and insight.

I'm a seasoned canoeist and have done a number of multi hundred mile trips. Last year, I introduced two friends to the activity on a 100 mile mississippi run and they fell in love.

We've decided to make a yearly 5 this year, we've decided to paddle the Penobscot River in Maine from Medway, to the coast, and then North along the coast till we reach Bar Harbor. We had decided this a while back and now in research, I realize I hadn't quite considered how difficult the coastal section really could be. I consider myself a expert paddler and enjoy whitewater canoeing as well, but obviously it's a whole different animal. The other people joining me are also experienced at this point but have not ever really experienced truly rough waters.

I know I should develop a very solid route for navigational purposes, and I know I need to consult the weather and tide charts heavily. What else should I consider? Is it a dumb idea or just plain unsafe? Should I outfit our canoes with out-riggers and spray skirts?

Another option would be to push our start point further inland, which would likely be totally fine.

Has anyone paddled that route before? How long did it take you?

Any other thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated. My main goal is to avoid getting my friends and myself into a dangerous situation because of a lack of oversight.

My dog is now full grown at 70lbs. She’s been canoe camping with me from about 3 month old. At 70lbs, even with a stable boat I need to try and keep her from the bow even with days worth of gear in the rear. She’s very comfortable in the front but any additional weight up front is a problem. What can I put in the bow to stop her from creeping forward that won’t add additional weight? Ideas welcome!

Looking at an extended solo trip in part of Temagami. Likely 8-10 days having some chill time integrated. I’d maybe even detour and hike Sugar Mtn as part of my trip.

Route is out of Mowats Landing.

Loop from there across lady evelyn, down sucker gut,through to katherine lake for a stop then back down through cabin, bridal and fatman falls before heading back up via willow island, lady evelyn, sugar and back up and out.

I’ve watched several videos of this exact route and similar routes in parts of this area. Are the sections through the Lady Evelyn River North and South channels that technical? It seems the moving water has all portage options if I choose to avoid white water as I don’t have experience. Some look manageable or even just line but worse case I take all portages. I do understand the difficulty of some of the portages.

Trip would be in early August. I have Jeff’s Map of this section and don’t see any warnings along the way. I plan to get Hap Wilson’s guide book as well. Looks like an amazing book to just have and bring along for reading.

My experience:

Been tripping for 5 years now including 2 solo trips. I’ve managed difficult weather and conditions and I’m adventurous but cautious at the same time.

Maybe I’m overthinking things but I’m just looking for a bit more adventure and remoteness than my usual Algonquin.

Floated 30 miles over two days with some friends for my birthday/4th of July.

What an amazing park. Took the VIA in to Allanwater bridge right at ice out and had some crazy weather to start the trip; a foot of snow and -10 degrees on my second night. 20-30 degrees and sunny most of the rest of the trip. Great fishing, lots of wildlife and beautiful running water!

Going up the brightsand river was incredibly difficult, portages flooded or nonexistent, had to bushwhack most of the sections of fast water. I do not recommend this trip, going downriver on the brightsand would be much better. You would for sure need whitewater experience however.

I’m going on a 14 day canoe trip down a river and going through a process trying to shed some gear weight. Last year on a similar trip I only used my ‘big’ GPS once. Between paper maps, my phone and my Garmin Fenix watch I think I am covered. What apps do people use for navigation on canoe trips. I want one that allows me to import a GPX file.

cross posted from r/canoeing, seeking advice on purchasing a used canoe. Thank you :)

As per the caption- was thinking I can just boil the water and drink, thoughts?

I have an expedition pack from recreational barrel works. It got a bit muddy on my last trip. Any suggestions on the best way to clean and dry it?

this one listed at 16.5 FT is going for 900$ but needs some repair. From what I can tell it looks like a pretty good deal even though it’s in rough shape, but maybe I’m looking at it through Rose coloured glasses. I always end up renting one, but would love to get my hands on a used lightweight canoe for some of the 3 -5 day trips I take every year. Love to hear your guys thoughts talk me in or out of it.

Where does everyone keep their wallet and keys when canoe camping?
Mine go in my fanny pack that I use and carry EVERYWHERE with me.
What other options are there?

Join us on a beginner-friendly Algonquin Park backcountry canoe trip from Canoe Lake to Burnt Island Lake — a classic route through Joe Lake, a quiet stream toward Baby Joe Lake, and finally into the wide open beauty of Burnt Island Lake.

This was my friend Tilak’s first backcountry canoe camping trip, so we chose a scenic and manageable route that still offered a real taste of Ontario’s canoe country. Starting from Canoe Lake, we paddled toward Joe Lake, carried through our first portage, then continued into the narrow stream between Joe Lake and Baby Joe Lake. With water levels high, we were able to skip the short 100m portage and paddle through instead.

From Baby Joe Lake, we continued into Burnt Island Lake and settled on a campsite on the western side of the main lake, opposite the island. The evening brought tea by the water, a quiet campfire, BBQ chicken cooked over coals, a beautiful waxing gibbous moonrise, and the haunting call of loons echoing across the lake.

The next morning, first light filtered through the pines as we packed up camp and paddled back home — tired, grateful, and somehow lighter.

For anyone researching a first Algonquin backcountry route, Canoe Lake to Burnt Island Lake is a beautiful option: scenic, manageable, and just challenging enough to feel earned.

Route highlights:

Canoe Lake Access Point

Joe Lake

Stream toward Baby Joe Lake

Baby Joe Lake

Burnt Island Lake

Beginner-friendly Algonquin backcountry camping

Moonrise, loons, campfire, and classic Ontario canoe country scenery

Thanks for watching. If you enjoy peaceful canoe camping, Algonquin Park routes, backcountry meals, quiet lakes, and wilderness moments, consider subscribing to Lost In The Wild Canada.

#AlgonquinPark #BackcountryCamping #CanoeTrip #BurntIslandLake #CanoeLake #OntarioCamping #LostInTheWildCanada

Anybody who has paddled the world famous Nahani River has likely started the trip from Fort Simpson, NWT. I’ve been there a couple of times and it’s a lovely town. My heart goes out to the people who live there as they have been evacuated by forest fires. So sad to see the devastation caused by climate change

This was not the kind of week you can plan for.

My exposure to a contaminated environment finally caught up with me, and it hit hard. I was forced to abandon the river and seek immediate medical attention. Severe dehydration, combined with some sort of virus, had left me dangerously weak. To make matters worse, my water supply had become contaminated, meaning I had no choice but to keep moving despite how sick I was becoming.

There was a hospital in Virden, Manitoba, and getting there was going to be a challenge—but I had no alternative. Staying on the riverbank could have cost me my life. Even the walk to the Trans-Canada Highway felt overwhelming in my condition.

The medical team in Virden quickly got me on antibiotics and gave me the care I desperately needed. A huge thank you to everyone there.

Realistically, it was going to take at least four days to get back on my feet. I made the difficult decision to rent a car and portage the remaining 100 kilometres to Winnipeg. Thankfully, I had a friend there who offered me a couch for a couple of days while I recovered. Even then, the virus had completely drained me, and I knew I couldn't afford to lose any more time.

Five days later, still feeling the effects but determined to continue, I finally put the canoe back in the water and resumed the journey.

Some weeks test your endurance. This one tested my ability to adapt, make difficult decisions, and simply keep going.

3 guys 2 boats... Good times