We charter a local fishing tug to take us across the 60 kilometres open water between Michipicoten Bay and Michipicoten Island, landing at the Point Maurepas Lighthouse. From here, we begin our circumnavigation. This trip captures the remote, forgotten nature of Michipicoten. Once shunned by First Nations peoples as a place of malevolent giants, Mchipicoten became one of Ontario’s most promising sources of copper and an easy access point to Lake Superior’s seemingly endless bounty of fish in the early 1900s. Since then, the copper mine and fishing village have been abandoned. All that remains are old mine shafts, ramshackle buildings and flourishing populations of woodland caribou and beaver. The coastline is rugged and makes for spectacular paddling for those with previous sea kayaking experience.
Your trip begins with a half-day group safety and paddling skills workshop at our Rock Island Lodge and Lake Superior Paddling Centre. We end the day with a fresh whitefish dinner. Advanced reservations are required if you’d like to spend Sunday night in our Rock Island Lodge, however we reserve a number of campsites for trip participants on our sandy lakeside beach. The trip begins with a five-hour boat shuttle to Michipicoten Island. We end the trip with a return boat shuttle to the mainland.
This trip is
designed for intermediate paddlers. Your enjoyment will be enhanced if you are
in good physical condition and comfortable with wilderness camping. Lake Superior 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.
You will be
responsible for carrying a portion of the group gear in your kayak, as well as
your tent, sleeping bag and personal gear. Don't worry about cooking or clean-up
– all food preparation is taken care of by our wilderness chefs!
Our trip itinerary provides for one to two wind days to better ensure a safe trip. Still, rough conditions on the lake can prohibit safe boat travel and
delay trip start and finish.
Equipment and Services – Partially
Outfitted Trip
We Provide:
Professional instruction and guiding; BBQ dinner on Saturday evening and all
meals to the following Saturday afternoon; boat and vehicle shuttles; all group
safety, camping, cooking, eating and sanitation gear.
You Provide:
Fully outfitted expedition sea kayak (minimum 16.5 feet in length with two
sealed bulkheads – rudder or skeg are recommended), tent, sleeping bag and pad
and all personal equipment and clothing. A detailed recommended list is
provided on registration.
Outfitting:
We have expedition outfitted sea kayaks ($20 day) and tents ($5 day) available
at reduced rates for trip guests who prefer to use our equipment.
Michipicoten Island is Lake Superior’s most remote and distinctive island. We
only schedule this trip once each year. We hope you can join us.
Check out more photos of this trip in our Photo Gallery.
Show me Section 7 of The Big One.
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or call 1-800-203-9092.
Kayak Trips 
