Paddling Education

Filmmaker Hank Leukart wanted to backpack Ansel Adams Wilderness, and he wanted to be able to paddle the many lakes they’d encounter on their trek. So he convinced his two friends to bring packrafts for this adventure into the High Sierras.

Minnesota canoeist, Jim Gallagher, has been on more than 20 wilderness canoe trips above the Arctic Circle in Canada and Alaska. We wanted to hear Jim’s story about how he got into wilderness canoeing and what he loves about paddling in the Arctic. Here’s our conversation...

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a world-class sea kayaking destination on the world’s largest freshwater lake—Lake Superior. Kayak camping here is spectacular.

We paddlers know that one of the special things about water is that it’s never the same. One can be on a body of water innumerable times with vastly different experiences. So how do you decide where to go next?

Filmmaker and outdoor adventurer, Hank Leukart and his buddy, Jake Jenkins, take a packrafting trip down the Colorado River through Horsethief, Ruby and Westwater Canyons. They tackled up to Class IV rapids on their epic packraft adventure.

Lake Huron, with its 3,827 miles of shoreline (6,158 km) and 30,000 islands, is a world-class freshwater sea kayaking destination. Its 23,000 square miles (59,570 sq km) make it the second largest of the Great Lakes and the fifth largest freshwater lake on the planet.

Nevada-based kayak outfitter, Blazin’ Paddles, does one thing and does it well—they take their guests kayaking on the Black Canyon stretch of the Colorado River.

The Great Lakes, containing 84% of North America’s fresh surface water, are a world-class sea kayaking destination. In this article we’ll explore the shores of Lake Michigan and let you know the outfitters ready to take you there.

The Madawaska River in Ontario’s Highlands is one of the best rivers in the world to learn how to whitewater kayak or canoe. It’s no surprise that with its do-able rapids, relatively warm water and reliable flow it’s also home to the original whitewater school.

 Here is the list of 15 places to soothe your body and mind while paddle boarding.

Ken Whiting of Paddle Tales journeyed to Ontario’s Petewawa River in Algonquin Provincial Park for six days of paddling, fishing and kayak camping. He was joined by James McBeath of Jackson Kayak and Brendan Mark of Heliconia Media.

Packrafting and bikepacking—the combination of packrafting and biking—is gaining popularity around the globe. We’ve rounded up a few adventures you’ll want to read about here.

Paddle Tales’ Ken Whiting takes us to southeast Ontario’s 1000 Islands area for a day of kayaking and water fun.

Ken Whiting takes us kayaking in Bon Echo Provincial Park in southeast Ontario for this edition of Paddle Tales.

Join Paddle Tales host, Ken Whiting, for a kayak fishing trip on Lake Erie’s north shore, in southern Ontario’s Norfolk County region.

Dan Binde, from Lake Park, Minnesota, recently completed his third long traverse in Alaska, totaling 2,500 miles of hiking and packrafting over the past three years. We asked him to tell about his trips in this interview…

New Zealand is known worldwide for its spectacular natural resources. The Mikonui River and river valley are no exception. Deane Parker and a couple friends take us on a short tour of this beautiful river via bikerafting in this video…

Ken Whiting and Paddles Tales take us kayaking down the “Canadian Amazon,” Ontario’s Big Creek.

Four Kiwis from New Zealand’s South Island journey through historic routes in the North Island in this award-winning film by Deane Parker.

Colorado Outward Bound instructors, Noah Larsen and Arthur Shain, took on Alaska’s Brooks Range for a 400-mile packraft and backpack expedition in August. We were able to nail them down for a video chat…

We recently had a great virtual conversation with co-owners Lizzy Scully and Steve “Doom” Fassbinder to talk about Four Corners, their ranch, and running an outdoor tour business during COVID.