Comments on: Paddle Away From Civilization: 4 Amazing Wilderness Canoe Trips to Take

By: Eric Melanson

Eric Melanson — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:54:23 +0000

Great stuff. I myself went for a phenomenal camping trip 2 days north of Whitehorse. We started on the Tsichu River in the Macmillan Pass and continued down it to the Keel. We went up the Natla, and another unnamed river to get to our portage to the Ravensthroat. We canoed from the Upper Ravensthroat all the way down to the Redstone and from there down into the Mackenzie River

By: Jake

Jake — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:42:53 +0000

I suppose this could also apply to “packrafting” as well, which is something I’ve wanted to get into. AoM should do a piece on packrafting!

By: J.Fischer

J.Fischer — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:17:17 +0000

You forgot Algonquin Park. It is one of the largest providential parks in Canada. You can take trips for a few days to a few weeks. In hundreds of Canada’s beautiful lakes. The water is so pure up there that in the deep lakes it is safe to drink. I have heard some from Minnesota say that it is like the outer banks with out the traffic. I have done trips there once a summer for a week for the last 10 years. And have not been every where in the park.

By: Marcus

Marcus — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 06:04:18 +0000

My friends and I, about 8 – 12, have done an annual trip down the Buffalo River for 5 years now. We don’t do the full trip as the water is usually to low but we do a 3 – 4 day 40 mile trip. Good times are always had and I’ll have memories of those trips to last a lifetime.

By: True

True — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:51:52 +0000

Great post!

Though awfully far from where I live I definitely have my eye on a Boundary Waters trip someday.

I’d like to offer the Green River in Utah as an option for those in the Western US. I took a solo trip there in 2010 chronicled here:
http://thedamntrueexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post.html

When I wrote the piece I stated that I didn’t think I’d do something like that solo again. Since the time of that writing, I have acquired a “SPOT” Emergency Locator Device and have used it on a few subsequent trips. Now that I have become comfortable with this device I would definitely consider a long solo trip on the Green again.

By: Travis

Travis — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 03:13:05 +0000

I’ll echo Heather’s comment above – the Wilderness Waterway in ENP is the ultimate getaway from civilization. The last true wilderness in the Eastern United States.

By: Tom

Tom — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:50:51 +0000

The BWCA is beautiful, I highly recommend it if you get a chance.

Three years ago I canoed down the length of the Mississippi River. It was an adventure/challenge, but the BWCA is pure nature at its best. :)

By: Ian

Ian — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 22:58:38 +0000

Darren,
This is a really great article! This (along with a great episode of the Last of the Summer Wine) has inspired me and some buddies to take the trip from Old Forge to Fort Kent this summer. We’re all musicians and are wondering about the towns we’d be passing through. Would busking be a possibility? As incoming freshmen in college, we would like to try to pay for part of the trip by busking from town to town if possible. Feel free to e-mail me at ianschaefer1995@gmail.com if you feel more comfortable with that.
Thanks in advance,
Ian

By: DJ

DJ — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 21:12:25 +0000

Great article Darren. I paddled 80+ miles of the Seward Penninsula over the summer, but it was in a kayak. 5 days without seeing another human being besides my partner on the trip. Great solitude! I still haven’t paddled a big trip in my canoe yet, my native Arizona doesn’t have huge stretches of canoe-able waters. I’m inspired for a quick weekend trip with the canoe though…

By: Steve C

Steve C — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:14:36 +0000

A few years ago our Boy Scout troop had a crew paddle the Boundary Waters in Quetico. This was the fourth or fifth time our troop had sent crews to Quetico. A beautiful wilderness experience. When we went, It was so windy and chilly (early July) that we never had to worry about the bugs (except during portages). It was quite a trip. The water was clean enough to drink from the lakes (away from shore) and you saw very few others along the way.

If you go in from the Canadian side (Atikokan), I highly recommend Canoe Canada. Excellent outfitters who know every inch the of the waters there. See their website. http://www.canoecanada.com/