Sea Kayak Pukaskwa National Park

Sea Kayak the Wild Shore

Sea kayak Lake Superior's Pukaskwa National Park and explore some of Ontario's greatest wilderness. This guided and partially outfitted expedition captures the magical beauty and powerful isolation of Pukaskwa National Park, a wild coastline of sand beaches, stalwart cliffs and crystal clear water.

Your trip begins with an afternoon of individual and group sea kayak safety coaching from our base on Lake Superior near Wawa, Ontario. Later we’ll enjoy a trip orientation following a home-cooked meal in the front room of Rock Island Lodge. Trip fee includes tent site on our beach or alternatively in the lodge at a trip guest discounted rate.

Following breakfast the next morning we shuttle to Hattie Cove in Pukaskwa National Park and following a brief orientation, begin our trip southwards about 90 km to Pukaskwa Depot at the remote south end of the Park. The trip consists of a pleasant mixture of rugged, steep headlands and sheltered, Caribbean-like beaches.

Along the way we'll visit ancient Pukaskwa Pit "villages," where it is thought that aboriginal peoples once held vision quests on cobblestone beaches. Dozens of rivers and streams feed into the Pukaskwa coast, including the Cascade River, which meets Lake Superior in a spectacular waterfall.

Upon arrival at Pukaskwa Depot, we’ll meet Captain Keith McCuaig and board the “Melissa Jane”, a 30-foot aluminium landing craft catamaran, designed and built to Transport Canada and US Coast Guard standards as a small passenger shuttle vessel with a 25 knot cruising speed. She’ll take us south and westwards following Superior’s coast (and the Superior Highlands Conservation Reserve) finishing at our paddling centre.
 
We’ll encounter a number of short exposed headlands but no significant crossings. It is a trip for paddlers who are physically fit with previous paddling and wilderness camping experience. Daily paddling distances range from 10 to 26 kilometres (average 19 km) with a day included to accommodate rough weather or a more relaxed or exploratory group pace.

The lake is mostly calm in summer, but when it gets rough we enjoy the view from shore. Although each group will travel according to its own pace, we tend to spend most of the day on the water leaving lots of time for “covering the distance” and exploring the coast.

On this trip, paddlers choose between packing and preparing their own meals or joining in with our hearty and healthy meals/snacks packed and prepared by your guide(s).

Most participants will be in single sea kayaks although occasionally we open trips to less experienced paddlers in double sea kayaks. You’ll be responsible for carrying a portion of the group gear in your kayak, along with your tent, sleeping bag, personal gear and food.

If you’re bringing your own sea kayak it must be sea worthy, at least 16 ft long with two sealed bulkheads, deck-lines and closed cockpit. You’ll need to come equipped with a PFD and signal device, bailer and 20m/55ft of floating rope. A detailed packing list is provided following registration.

Our Guides are drawn from outdoor adventure/recreation programs or they are teachers and outdoor professionals. They are certified with Wilderness Advanced First Aid (40 hrs), our own established Sea Kayak Guide Course and sea kayak advanced skills and instructor programs certified by Paddle Canada. Many return to work for us year after year. They are all great paddlers with a love and appreciation for Lake Superior’s heritage, history and ecology.

Naturally Superior Adventures was established in 1994 with a focus on Lake Superior and silent sports. Sea Kayaker Magazine readers have kindly voted us as Eastern Canada’s best company for guided tours by sea kayak, since 2009.

Check out more photos of this trip in our Photo Gallery.

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