Paddling Education

Ken Whiting takes this episode of Paddle Tales to his hometown of Ottawa, Ontario where he kayaks the Rideau Canal.

2020 isn’t the best summer to travel to faraway national parks because of social distancing and limited services. But it doesn’t hurt to dream a little!

If you’ve not paddled much before—or even if you have, but haven’t fully explored the waterways around you—how do find the best places to kayak (or canoe, stand-up paddle board or packraft) near you?

There’s something adventurous and exotic about planning kayak, packraft, canoe or SUP trips in faraway places. Somehow we imagine a road trip or overseas destination will be better.

But paddling locally can be just as fun…and in our current situation, the best choice!

“I’m never packrafting the Grand Canyon.” That’s what I told my partner, “Doom,” not even a year after I moved to Mancos from the Front Range to be with him.

With its beautiful blue-green water, semi-tropical temperatures and variety of marine wildlife, Los Arcos National Marine Park near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is a wonderful kayak destination…

Lofoten, Norway, will provide the perfect environment for a sea kayaker. The scenery with mountains and fjords makes this to one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it’s well known among paddlers.

Beth Poliquin has guided kayakers in the tropics of Hawaii, and now lives and works along the rugged north shore of Lake Superior. The differences she cites may surprise you…

Join expert kayaker, Ken Whiting, as he takes us along to paddle our planet’s largest freshwater inland sea, Lake Superior…

Two kayakers head to Kenai Fjords National Park for a 3-day paddle trip in the Alaskan wilderness…

Tisha McCombs made some packraft converts during a mountain weekend with a couple dozen other outdoor industry women…

The Baja Peninsula is a hugely popular sea kayaking destination, but the extreme conditions there make it unique and challenging…

Laila Reigstad is a kayak guide in her native country of Norway. She had the delightful job of helping a group of Kenyan girls from the Nairobi slums discover kayaking…

The Sea of Cortez offers gorgeous waters, plenty of marine wildlife and a variety of conditions for kayakers of all skill levels…

The Baja Peninsula offers world-class sea kayaking with enough variety to entice paddlers of every level, from beginners to experts…

We follow up here with adventurer and conservationist, Ross Exler, about Ross’s kayak and bike journey through the African Great Lakes…

Paddling Maps is an online resource for paddlers to find new places to paddle and tell others about their favorite spots…

Paddle Tales and Ken Whiting take us to another amazing kayaking destination in Quebec: Saguenay - Lac Saint Jean…

A short look into a month long kayak tour in the Sea of Cortez.

Ken Whiting and the Paddle Tales crew take us to another kayaking destination in scenic Quebec: the Jacques-Cartier River…

This episode of Paddle Tales takes us to a destination Ken Whiting has been wanting to kayak more than any other: Quebec’s “Iles de la Madeleine”…