Nikki Bettis and daughter "Not Oatmeal" paddle the Mississippi River

Single Mother And Seven Kids Finish Paddling Mississippi River

On November 22, 2025 single mother Nikki Bettis and her seven youngest children finished paddling the Mississippi River, reaching the Gulf of Mexico after...

2026 Paddling Magazine Industry Awards: Winners Announced

Rapid Media is pleased to announce the winners of the seventh annual Paddling Magazine Industry Awards. These awards recognize significant and innovative achievements in...
Outdoor Media Awards Best Print Publication

Paddling Mag Wins People’s Choice Award for Best Print Publication

Paddling Magazine has been named Print Publication of the Year in the People’s Choice category for the second year in a row at this...
Sam Shoemaker in his mushroom boat entering the Port of Los Angeles on August 5, 2025. | Image: Jordan Freeman / Courtesy Fulcrum Arts

Artist Creates Mushroom Kayak And Crosses The Catalina Channel

On a recent summer morning, sculptor Sam Shoemaker was paddling a mushroom kayak 20 miles off the coast of Los Angeles when the hallucinations...
Rutabaga Paddlesports

Iconic Midwest Paddling Shop Rutabaga To Close

Rutabaga paddlesports owner Darren Bush announced that he will close the Madison, Wisconsin, paddling shop at the end of the year to pursue a...
Paddlers gather using Rally Crew app.

RallyCrew Launches To Unite Whitewater Paddlers

RallyCrew, a new free online platform, offers a unique space for the whitewater paddling community to connect, share experiences, and explore new rivers. Designed...
A raft on the Colorado River below Havasu Creek in Grand Canyon National Park

In Brief: News The Paddlesports Industry Is Talking About

To date, 2025 has seen what could be called a dramatic divergence from the status quo for the paddling industry, and with it, stark...
Kayakers are rescued in the San Juan Islands. Feature Image: USCG Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Strohmaier

12 Kayakers Rescued In The San Juan Islands

On Thursday, August 14, 2025 the US Coast Guard (USCG) issued an urgent marine broadcast after being notified via VHF channel 16 that 12...
Gear salvaged in the aftermath of the Tracy Arm tsunami. Image courtesy Billy White.

Kayakers’ Camp Washed Out By Tsunami In Alaska

On day 78 of kayaking the Inside Passage, a trio of sea kayak guides and instructors woke at 5:45 in the morning to a...
illustration of a person kneeling on a paddleboard with a large wave breaking over top of them

Humbled On The Great Lakes

Within a couple of hours, the wind picks up and shifts to my right side. The waves, which have nearly all of Lake Ontario’s...
Tupac Andi whitewater kayaking

Top Five Up-And-Coming Whitewater Athletes You Should Be Watching

The pace of progression for young kayakers is skyrocketing. Thanks to programs like Keeners, Yaku Churi, World Class Kayak Academy and Paddle Tribal Waters,...
bird's eye view of a canoe and kayak paddling across still water with mountains and clouds reflected

An Ode To The Company We Keep On The Water

It’s an expression used mostly by grandparents and politicians. If you fly with the crows, you die with the crows. The intended meaning, of...
whitewater kayaker moves straight down in the midst of waterfall spray

Hey, Whitewater Boaters: This Is Why No One Understands You

“Idolizing hard whitewater leaves out what the vast majority of whitewater paddlers do,” expedition kayaker and author Doug Ammons wrote 10 years ago in...
two people paddleboard across a fjord in East Greenland, with small icebergs nearby

Chris Christie Dodges Icebergs In East Greenland

We awake early in the tent, mentally prepared for the daunting crossing of the Sermilik Fjord. My partner, Julie, and I dismantle the polar...

Reader Favorites

Author Spotlight

Virginia Marshall
Virginia Marshall
When she’s not on the water guiding, instructing or exploring, you might find this former editor of Adventure Kayak magazine immersed in a new woodworking project or filling her panniers with chocolate and cookies for a cycling adventure.
Woman paddles Stellar’s three-piece modular S14 G2 light touring kayak

Kayak Review: Stellar’s Modular S14 G2

Every kayak has an origin story. In the best designs, that raison d’être is described in every detail, from the hull shape and material...
two people pack their kayaks in the sun while kayak camping

How To Pack For Kayak Camping

A well-packed kayak is one where you know where everything is, and nothing important gets left behind. So, as a veteran guide, I felt...
a group guided by Lure of the North takes part in canoe sledding on a frozen lake

Reviving A Forgotten Style Of Travel At Spring Breakup

Late March isn’t typical timing for a Canadian canoe expedition, but for Lure of the North co-founders Kielyn and Dave Marrone, it was a...
La Vérendrye Canoe Camping

Canada’s Largest Canoe Camping Reserve Is Hidden in Plain Sight—And It’s Not Algonquin

Created In Partnership With Abitibi-Témiscamingue Boasting more than 800 kilometers of maintained routes traversing rivers, reservoirs and some 4,000 scenic lakes, Réserve faunique La Vérendrye...
man stands and paddles a beginner paddleboard

Best Beginner Paddleboards For 2025

The best paddleboard for beginners depends a lot on personal preferences and what you hope to do with your paddleboard. Are you looking for...

Editor’s Choice

woman paddles the Eddyline Caribbean 10 kayak under rosy skies

Best Kayaks For 2025

The number of kayaks available today is astonishing. The kayak is at least 4,000 years old and was invented as a productive means to...
Brenna Kelly paddles the NRS Jukdo inflatable paddleboard

Best Inflatable Paddleboards For 2025

Inflatable standup paddleboards have revolutionized the sport of SUP. They store in oversized luggage bags to transport, often include a pump and breakdown paddle,...
Paddling Magazine editor Joe Potoczak holding up an assortment of the best kayak paddles on the market.

Best Kayak Paddles For 2025

Only once in nearly 30 years of paddling have I found myself facing a familiar adage in real life. I couldn’t help but chuckle...
man paddles his paddleboard

Best SUP Paddles For 2025

Just like paddleboards themselves, paddle technology continues to evolve to the point that it’s nearly impossible to only have one paddle in your arsenal....
a perosn sits on a tailgate wearing Astral Loyak water shoes

Best Water Shoes For 2025

Among the checklist of what to wear paddling, solid footwear is not to be overlooked. The best pair of water shoes will keep you...

5 Expert Tips To Improve Your River Running

Too often, no matter whether on a big play wave in a spring creek, beginner and even quite seasoned paddlers run straight-ahead-Fred green runs...
photograph of a wolf howling on tundra

How To Photograph A Tundra Wolf

Dream of capturing the photo of a lifetime? Use the recipe below to photograph a tundra wolf, barren-ground grizzly, caribou or muskox. Though not...
person fillets fish on a wooden board at a camp site

How To Fillet A Fish

If you’re not fond of bones or skin, you’ll want to fillet your fish to prepare it for cooking. Follow these five simple steps...
woman paddling away from the camera along a rocky, wild shore

A Paddler’s Guide To Finding Yourself

Long trips, short trips, any trips out on the water are money in the Bank of the Soul. We can catch a sunset paddle, make...
kid poses in a kayak with map

Kayaking With Kids

A t the end of a school year, I was surrounded by parents and their kids—my children’s cohorts in grade one and preschool. We were...
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a manatee swims underwater at Three Sisters Springs in Florida

6 Best Places To Kayak With Manatees

Imagine this: You're paddling a clear and calm river, when suddenly, you see a large, gray shape ahead of you. As you get closer,...
A paddleboarder stands next to a waterfall

5 Must-Do Paddling Adventures In Revelstoke This Summer

Created In Partnership With Revelstoke Tourism Revelstoke is known for its big mountain adventures—steep ski lines, bike trails and alpine hikes—but long before resort maps...
Glowing blue waters

5 Of The Best Places In The World To Go Bioluminescent Kayaking

Bioluminescence is a unique wonder that thrills almost everyone. Whether it’s created by a land-based creature like a firefly, or marine life like jellyfish...
A kayaker on a river with green vegetation on either side

The Best Places To Paddle Near You

Whether you're an expert or a beginner, there's almost always somewhere to go kayaking, canoeing, rafting or paddleboarding near you. Finding that perfect location...
La Vérendrye Canoe Camping

Canada’s Largest Canoe Camping Reserve Is Hidden in Plain Sight—And It’s Not Algonquin

Created In Partnership With Abitibi-Témiscamingue Boasting more than 800 kilometers of maintained routes traversing rivers, reservoirs and some 4,000 scenic lakes, Réserve faunique La Vérendrye...