Canoeing

Latest Canoeing

a person solo paddling a canoe while canoe tripping through misty waterways at dusk

The Quiet Rise Of Solo Canoe Tripping

Though not a hermit by nature, I do crave solitude, particularly in a canoe. One need look no further than the welter of solo...
Salus Bijoux life jacket

Best Toddler Life Jackets In 2026

For this guide, I collected a dozen toddler life jackets for testing. Then I asked myself, how many children under 30 pounds are actually...
Woman tosses a lightweight Wenonah canoe overhead.

Best Lightweight Canoes For 2026

Paddlers with enough miles under their yokes appreciate any means to shave a few pounds off their canoe. Lower weight isn’t just a nicety;...
four members of the Hudson Bay Girls canoe expedition pose on a lawn with their gear for the trip

What’s Inside The Hudson Bay Girls’ Expedition Kit

An expedition team calling themselves the Hudson Bay Girls is canoeing from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay this summer. The 1,200-mile route will take...
a person portages a canoe near Virginia Falls on the Nahanni River

A New Generation Is Shaping The Future Of The Nahanni River

I turned right onto the Liard Highway. I’d already been driving north for two days toward the British Columbia-Northwest Territories border. At the border,...

How To Build Your Own DIY Kayak Storage Rack (Video)

Are your kayak and canoes bundled on top of each other on one side of your garage? Perhaps they are stacked up against a...
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...
overhead photo of a canoe paddled down a river in the Barren Lands

100-Year-Old Barren Lands Canoe Expedition Mystery Solved

When a husband-and-wife paddling team set out on a 1,000-mile, 64-day unsupported canoe trip through Canada’s northern Barren Lands to solve a century-old mystery,...
Family paddling red canoe across a lake.

Everything To Know About Nova Craft Canoes

Nova Craft Canoe began producing fiberglass canoes in 1970 out of a garage in London, Ontario. More than 50 years later, they’re still making...

Canoe Buying Advice

Wenonah canoe sitting on a lakeshore

Best Wenonah Canoes For 2026

Wenonah canoes have maintained a presence in the Midwest for more than 50 years. Owner and founder Mike Cichanowski first fell in love with...
Grumman canoe sits on lake

Everything You Need To Know About Buying A Grumman Canoe

If you began paddling before the rise of plastics, chances are you’ve sat in an aluminum Grumman canoe. These iconic canoes have led many...
Two people paddling inflatable canoe towards the setting sun on a lake

Best Inflatable Canoes For 2026

Space is at a premium in so many aspects of modern life. Garages fill to the point that vehicles are relegated to the driveway....
Two people paddling dark green canoe

Read This Before Purchasing A Mad River Canoe

Mad River has been building canoes for almost 50 years. The company was born shortly after the founder, Jim Henry, won the 1971 U.S....
Two canoes being paddled along river

Everything You Need To Know About Old Town Canoes

Old Town is one of America’s original canoe manufacturers. Their Maine factory has shipped tens of thousands of boats out of its doors. The...
Two red plastic canoes

Best Coleman Canoes For 2026

A 1982 article in the Washington Post describes Coleman canoes as “good starter boats.” Thanks to their durability, it’s a description that still rings true...
aluminum canoes sit on a calm lake

Best Aluminum Canoes For 2026

Aluminum canoes were once ubiquitous in campgrounds and parks across the continent. Thanks to their durability, many of those canoes may still be on...
man paddles Pelican kayak constructed of Ram-X material

Best Pelican Ram-X Kayaks For 2026

Pelican’s Ram-X is a time-tested, ultra-durable material used in the construction of recreational kayaks and canoes. This reinforced polyethylene plastic is used exclusively in...

Canoe Reviews

radisson canoe sits crosswise on narrow waterway with motor on stern

Canoe Review: The Radisson By BW Marine Products

Known as the Radisson in the U.S. and Sportspal in Canada, this aluminum canoe crafted by BW Marine Products in North Bay, Ontario, has...
Woman paddles the Nova Craft Canoe Prospector 14 solo canoe.

Review: Nova Craft Canoe Prospector 14

New for 2024, the Prospector 14 (P14) from Nova Craft Canoe is the first solo offering in the brand’s bestselling Prospector series. And this...
people stand beside the Nova Craft Prospector 14 at Canoecopia

New Nova Craft Canoe Prospector 14 Walk-Through (Video)

This might be Nova Craft's most versatile solo canoe yet. The new Prospector 14 is a scaled-down version of Nova Craft's popular Prospector and...
The Esquif Huron 17.

First Look: Esquif Huron 17 (Video)

If you’re going to roll out some new boat-building tech, there is no more fitting way to do so than slapping it on a...
Old Town Saranac 146

Canoe Review: Old Town Saranac 146

Designed for affordable family fun on calm waters, the Old Town Saranac 146 is a great choice if you are looking for a beginner-...
woman paddling the Stellar Kayaks Dragonfly canoe along a leafy, still river

Canoe Review: Stellar Kayaks Dragonfly

There’s something a little magical about dragonflies. Canoeists welcome visits from these voracious aerial predators, rooting for them as they nab mosquitos, horseflies and...
Man paddling solo canoe

Solo Canoe Review: Old Town Discovery 119

Maine-based Old Town Canoe Company has been building canoes since 1900. It’s reasonable to view Old Town’s Discovery 119 solo canoe as a descendent...

All-Around Recreational Canoe Review: Pelican 15.5

The Pelican International 15.5 canoe is built tough, for many years of recreational paddling on rivers and lakes. It’s constructed of legendary RAM-X plastic,...

Canoeing Gear

Paddling Magazine editor-in-chief Kaydi Pyette holds a canoe paddle while wearing and surrounded by a selection of her picks for best life jackets

Best Life Jackets For 2025

Personal flotation devices are the most crucial safety gear on the water. Each year, close to 200 paddlers die in the United States, and...
a luxury wilderness camping tent from Tentipi with high-end canoe and paddle

Not Quite Roughin’ It: 12 Essentials For Wilderness Campers Who Crave Comfort

Some campers are content with a bivy sack and a bag of oatmeal. If that’s not your style, you're in the right place! From...
Martin Trahan on a canoe expedition.

3 Pieces Of Gear Martin Trahan Won’t Canoe Camp Without

I’ve canoed over 20,000 kilometers across North America, both in my native country Canada and in the U.S. Recently I made my first long-distance...
two canoeists hold up bent and straight shafted paddles

What’s Best? Bent Vs. Straight Shaft Canoe Paddles

Much debate and conjecture have surrounded the argument for straight shaft versus bent shaft canoe paddles, and vice versa. We asked two of lakewater...
Paddlers enjoying comfortable canoe seats

4 Best Canoe Seats For Comfort

Comfort was of utmost concern on a backcountry trip with my 70-year-old mother-in-law two summers ago. It was her very first wilderness trip and,...
Two people standing at top of waterfall, one with canoe and other with blue barrel.

9 Non-Essentials You Must Bring On Your Next Canoe Trip

When Elena Wood and Karam Nwilati set off on a three-week trip in a rental canoe nicknamed Truffle, it was their first big trip,...
Person wearing hiking boots walking beside front of canoe in the water.

Ultimate Guide To Choosing The Best Shoes For Canoeing

Much fuss is made by hikers about the demands placed on their feet, while canoeists tend to focus more on their boats. But before...
Woman surrounded by things needed for a bike canoe trailer rig

8 Steps To The Ultimate Canoe Bike Trailer Rig

Easy steps to bring everything you need for your adventure.

More Canoeing Stories

Skills

man standing on a rocky shelf above rapids lines a canoe without having to portage it

How To Line Rapids In A Canoe

After you line a canoe the first time around that usual portage, your watch and back will thank you for the discovery. Using guide...
Two people paddling a canoe on a lake

Expert Canoeing Advice: How To Do The J-Stroke

Whether paddling your canoe tandem or solo, there is a universally necessary, yet elusive goal we all set out to accomplish: going in a...
three whitewater rafts sit on the banks of a western river that requires a lottery system permit to paddle

Why You’re Not Winning The River Permit Lottery

Permits for the United States’ most iconic river trips are difficult to secure, and it’s no surprise why. Data from the U.S. Forest Service...
Pair of paddlers kneeling in a canoe as they go through a rapid.

The Beginner’s Guide To Canoeing

There is no better way to get on the water and get away from it all than in a canoe. Canoeing is simple, efficient...
canoeist with permit travels down the John Day River surrounded by massive striated rock cliffs

How To Score A John Day River Permit And Plan The Ultimate Trip

Standing on river left at Clarno Rapid, I watched the water tumble over a wide ledge, forming a hole that stretched from bank to...
a canoe with design features borrowed from the racing world sits on a sandy bank at dusk

Need For Speed: How Racing Changed Canoeing For The Better

Our everyday lives are filled with inventions that have come out of the world of racing. We drive cars with antilock brakes. We ride...
a black bear stares at the camera

The Bear Canoe: A Risky Way To Store Food Overnight

Canoeists love to debate camping techniques. Single blade or double. Stuffing your tent or rolling it. Ground cloth inside or outside. One of the...
two older canoeists seek out Blue Zones by paddling through turquoise waters

5 Ways Canoeing Can Help You Live Longer

I recently became a great aunt at the age of 33. Perhaps it’s because all my own great aunts are either gone or very elderly,...

Trips

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...
overhead view of a tandem paddling expedition boat travelling down a river

6 Paddling Expeditions To Watch This Summer

Summer is expedition season for paddlers in the Northern Hemisphere, and many of this year’s biggest journeys take advantage of the long daylight hours...
red tripping canoe sits loaded on a dock along the Columbia River

Paddle To The Sea

For as long as he can remember, Robert Lester has been fascinated by water. As a child growing up in Butte, Montana, Lester would...
an older man sits in an ultralight canoe and looks out across a northern lake

The 7 Best All-Inclusive Canoe Trips In Minnesota

Minnesota’s more than 10,000 beautiful lakes and abundance of wild rivers make this a place seemingly purpose-built for canoe tripping. With so many tempting...
an overturned canoe sits on the bank at a campsite under a vivid night sky with northern lights

14 Magical Places To Paddle & See The Northern Lights

According to Expedia, 71 percent of Canadians haven’t seen the northern lights—but they definitely want to. In fact, the travel hub’s survey indicated that...
two kayakers sit on placid waters surrounded by mountains while on a summer paddling trip in Alaska

10 Best Paddling Trips For Summer 2025

Sometimes headlines can be deceiving. Rather than highlighting specific trips, our list of best paddling “trips” for this year showcases regions with multiple world-class...
sunny view of the forest and water in Voyageurs National Park

Guide To Canoe Tripping In Voyageurs National Park

Once a thoroughfare for French fur traders who traveled thousands of miles by canoe each summer, the interior of Voyageurs National Park in northernmost...
wounded man gives thumbs up while being attended by army medic after a gunfight during his Amazon River expedition

Canoeist Survives Underwater Gunfight On Amazon River

John Bathgate was submerged beneath his attacker’s boat when he realized he’d been shot through the shoulder. His expedition partner, Ian Roberts, was still...

News & Opinions

Justin Barbour stands in snowshoes and parka with his loaded sled in the tundra

Inside Justin Barbour’s 4,000KM Journey Across The Hardest Route You’ve Never Heard Of

In late September 2018, Justin Barbour was barely 200 kilometers into a canoe expedition across subarctic Labrador and Quebec when winter arrived far earlier...
two canoes on a river on a misty day

The Canoe Confessional

You’d be amazed what people will tell you in a ferry line. I’m leaning against my car on a scorching July day, trying to...
canoeist and symposium presenter Cliff Jacobson poses in the wilderness beside a tripping canoe

Cliff Jacobson On What’s Changed For Better And Worse In 70 Years Of Canoeing

My friend Cliff Jacobson and I have a lot in common. We both worked as foresters, taught environmental science and led outdoor skills programs...
a person solo paddling a canoe while canoe tripping through misty waterways at dusk

The Quiet Rise Of Solo Canoe Tripping

Though not a hermit by nature, I do crave solitude, particularly in a canoe. One need look no further than the welter of solo...
four members of the Hudson Bay Girls canoe expedition pose on a lawn with their gear for the trip

What’s Inside The Hudson Bay Girls’ Expedition Kit

An expedition team calling themselves the Hudson Bay Girls is canoeing from Lake Superior to Hudson Bay this summer. The 1,200-mile route will take...
a person portages a canoe near Virginia Falls on the Nahanni River

A New Generation Is Shaping The Future Of The Nahanni River

I turned right onto the Liard Highway. I’d already been driving north for two days toward the British Columbia-Northwest Territories border. At the border,...
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...
overhead photo of a canoe paddled down a river in the Barren Lands

100-Year-Old Barren Lands Canoe Expedition Mystery Solved

When a husband-and-wife paddling team set out on a 1,000-mile, 64-day unsupported canoe trip through Canada’s northern Barren Lands to solve a century-old mystery,...

Canoeing Videos