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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
New Champion Crowned And World Record Set In Men’s Kayak Squirt Final (Video)
The 2025 International Canoe Federation Canoe Freestyle World Championships concluded in Plattling, Germany in June 2025, and Sam Wilson of the United Kingdom took...
Alarming Trend Shows Increase In Paddleboarding Deaths In Latest Coast Guard Report
The U.S. Coast Guard recently released the 2024 Recreational Boating Statistics, and while overall boating deaths are at a 50-year all-time low, paddlesports are...
Paddling Magazine Launches Paddling Kids Story Contest
Paddling Magazine is inviting the next generation of adventurers to grab a paddle, hit the water and tell their stories. The newly launched Paddling...
Sinking Outdoor Ed
Pardon me in advance for yelling.
On morning radio the other day, a 20-something municipal recreation administrator was interviewed about a new protocol to make...
Adventure Is Being Planned Out Of Existence
Last fall, I was driving home from a presentation in a northern town when it became obvious my long drive wasn’t going as planned....
The Pacific Northwest’s Once-Thriving Paddlesports Manufacturing Industry Is Vanishing
In the spring of 1994, a friend wanted a ride to buy a used pickup. We left the remote camp where we ran outdoor...
Jon Turk’s Life Lessons For Digging Deep
An errant hydraulic grabbed the stern of my kayak, stood me into a tail stand, and then pulled me down, down, down. The boat...
Inside The World’s Toughest Paddling Race—On SUPs
July 21, 14:30, somewhere just south of the Arctic Circle. Dehydrated, sunburnt, nursing blisters and suffering from nerve damage in our feet from standing for...
Column Spotlight
Come As You Are: How Our Old Paddling Gear Tells The Stories Of Our...
Muriel was tapping her toe. Ninety-two-year-old Phil knew most of the words. The accordion player, who wasn’t a whole lot younger, was doing a...
A Life Well Wasted
Jimmy Buffett died yesterday.
When his box set Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads was released, I was pushing rubber down the Ottawa River and pouring...
Your Boat Sucks
The local shop showed up at our annual spring whitewater paddling festival with these white capital letters screened across the chest of their red...
Still Happy To Be Here
It didn’t make any sense to my father. He was a pragmatic man. I’m a truck driver’s son. After a 50-hour week behind the...
Never Turn Back
I spent a lot of time this summer floating in eddies. Mostly alone. These were the same eddies of my mid-20s where I spent...
Sit-On-Top vs Sit-Inside Kayaks: Which Is Right For You?
It’s hard to say what the best kayaks for recreational paddlers are: sit-on-top or sit-inside. With more than 30 years of experience working in...
Choosing The Right Size Kayak For You
The size of a kayak plays a huge role in determining its performance characteristics, and whether it’s the right kayak for you. If you’re...
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...
Best Inflatable Two-Person Kayaks For 2025
In all my years paddling, I've spent many days in kayaks and in rafts, but some of the most enjoyable times on the water...
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...
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...
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...
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...
A Paddler’s Guide To Predicting The Weather
As dozens of folksy sayings attest, you can make your own weather forecast from easy atmospheric and environmental observations. You don’t need a weatherman...
A Kayaker’s Guide To Saving Your Marriage
Paddling used to be as primal a need as food or sleep. Now it fits into my life about as conveniently as polo or skydiving.
I...
Best Rivers To Kayak In Michigan
Michigan is home to crystal-clear blue waters, sandy beaches and wild rivers making it the perfect place to kayak for everything from a casual...
This 190-Mile Water Trail In Florida Passes Through Mangrove Tunnels, Pristine Beaches, And Historic...
Whether you're seeking solitude in Southwest Florida's wild landscapes or craving a lively day on the water, the Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail offers...
The South Coast Of Oregon Holds More Wild Rivers To Paddle Than Anywhere Else...
If you were to drop a pin in the center of Curry County, Oregon, along the border of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, you...
Experience British Columbia’s Wildlife Wonders By Water
Along with its coastal temperate rainforests and rugged Rockies, British Columbia is known for iconic wildlife such as bears, whales and eagles. The vast...
The Best Places To Go Kayaking In Chicago
Chicago is famous for many things—astonishing skyscrapers, Art Deco architecture, the blues, Al Capone, Michael Jordan and the Bulls, Navy Pier—but kayaking isn’t generally...
