PADDLE, DON’T PROCRASTINATE
Try western Canadian waterways
FRESH STROKE
Take one of the many courses offered by your local outdoor school or outdoor retailer. They offer some amazing first-time paddle classes, and they have a super lineup of canoe trips that might be suitable for your crew. In addition to a canoe course, be sure to go with friends or family members who are experienced paddlers on your first canoe trips.
EASY CANADIAN ROCKIES
In Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, you can ponder on a point, eat s’mores, share stories by a campfire and see stars. The Point Backcountry Campground is a short 4.5-kilometre paddle from the Upper Lake Day Use Area boat launch, on the west side of Upper Kananaskis Lake. As a bonus, the mountains rise up all around you. There are 20 campsites along the forested banks — but book in advance because this is a popular spot. Also, be sure to keep a close eye on the weather because the winds can blow in quickly here, and stir up some big waves.
FIND FLOW
Canoeing flat water is great, but the flow of the river can also be fun. That’s why paddling through the Canadian Badlands is so amazing. The Red Deer River, lower section, offers many options. One that rewards with lovely scenery — transitioning from central parklands to the famous canyon badlands views — is the trip from McKenzie Crossing, just upriver from Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, to the Morrin Bridge. Get out, walk up the coulees, and wander through the tall grass, to really complete the experience from this twonight, 50-km river journey.
LARGE LAKE, BIG VIEWS
The first time you dip your paddle into a large wilderness lake — I mean super-big like Murtle Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park, B.C. — you’ll be hooked. This is the largest nonmotorized body of water in North America and nothing beats it. It has big, sandy beaches, jagged peaks above, water you can frolic in, and a massive body of water that beckons you to explore. This place is also a perfect introduction to portaging, with a short 1.5-km trail, to access the 30-kmlong lake with 19 designated campsites.
LONGER MULTI- LAKE JOURNEY
Double your pleasure with two 22-km lakes called Clearwater and Azure. It’s a perfect multilake canoe experience in Wells Gray Provincial Park. Wells Gray is also a waterfall-lovers paradise. This gem of a two-lake chain will not disappoint, and it also has 12 lakefront campsites, high peaks, tall trees and sandy beaches. I’d say it’s a paddler’s dream. If you’re short on time, check out Clearwater Lake Tours water taxi service, which can shuttle you up to enjoy the more remote Azure Lake and let you enjoy its two waterfalls and wild shoreline.
THE CROWN JEWEL
Just which one is the prettiest lake is hard to decide. Bowron Lake Provincial Park, in B.C., is a very special place to anyone who has ever taken the time to do this gorgeous paddle, which can take six to 10 days. It is ranked as one of the top canoe circuits in North America, starting and finishing in the same place, and comprising a 117-km loop that takes you over 11 lakes — nestled snugly in deep glaciated valleys, rimmed by rocky peaks — as well as a couple of rivers, with seven portages between waterways. Give yourself a week, or maybe more.