Step 2: Where to go

So you want to go canoeing, but where? Well, it may not seem like it when you’re just getting started, but there are millions of places to go canoeing. This site will be a great resource to help you decide.

Established park or freestylin’ it?

First off, if you’re new to tripping, you should probably start off somewhere established, like a provincial/state park. The benefit is that you will have access to a multitude of established routes, maintained campsites and portages, and advice from the park staff. There’s also the added bonus of security, as the parks will be aware of who’s in the park (and often where) in cases where they might have to come and get you.

What do you want to see?

Of course, deciding to go to a park might not be much help either because there’s a bunch of those to choose from. What would help is to find an appealing location. Do a little bit of reading on some parks you’ve always wanted to visit. Take some time and surf around some park websites and see what you find. Don’t worry too much about all the “How”s at this point. Just find somewhere you’d like to go, something you’d like to do or something you’d like to see.

Often what helps is to find some kind of landmark that you’d want to see, and use that as a guide to plan a trip around. For example, the Algonquin Park map has several landmarks listed. I was reading about the park and discovered the Barron Canyon. That seemed like something I had to see for myself, so my friends and I planned a trip there. It gave us a focal point in which to plan around. It’s always a great thing to be able to finish the sentence “But it was all worth it when we saw [Insert great thing to see]”. We did it, we saw it and it was worth it.

Or follow in the footsteps of another…

The easiest way to decide is to find a trip that someone’s already taken that really appeals to you, and just simply follow the same route. Check out some trips friends have made, or look for trips online. We’re always adding new trips to this site that you might want to check out as well.

NEXT STEP: Plan the Route >>

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