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Do Canadians Paddle in America?

Glenn MacGrady

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We know that generations of Americans have gone all over Canada to paddle and trip. But is there any significant flow in the other direction, and if so, where do they go?

Other than some hardcore Canadian whitewater paddlers during my whitewater days, I can't offhand recall meeting any Canadians wherever I've paddled throughout America.

I mean something more than inching over the border into Minnesota or Maine. Like, let's pack up the Hummer and go paddling in America for a weekend or a month?
 
I have not paddled any water in the States personally.
 
None of the Canadians I have paddled with over the past 35 years have done any* paddling in the USA.

* - "any" does not include things like the following:

- A car camping trip through the US and Canada where a canoe was on the roof and might have been used for a quickie day paddle.
- A trip in the Quetico/BWCA area where a small portion of the trip was on US territory

Personally I've never been to Quetico and I've taken two extended car camping trips which included several weeks in the USA but the canoe never left the racks while in the USA. I know a few people who have made the trip to the popular southeast coastal rivers.

There are a number of places in the USA I would like to do an extended trip but I've had border "issues" since the early 80's and post 9/11 have not been willing to take the risk of crossing the border.

I so have some dream destinations outside Canada but none are in the USA (Mongolia, Norway, Russia, Costa Rico) and a friend of a friend (both Americans) have done some trips in Africa which intrigue me but I prefer my "danger" to be limited to black bears and black flies, given the way I manage to hit rocks I'm afraid I would be hitting hippos and that would not be a good thing.
 
Some do.

I met a Canadian couple winter snowbird paddling one of the spring runs in Florida, planning to later head further south to the Everglades. I expect there must occasionally be Canadians paddling some the desert rivers runs out west, the San Juan, Colorado, Green, etc.
 
I have met several Canadian people and a girls youth group that were paddling in the ADKs.
 
Glenn,

All but one of my canoe trips has been in Canada. But that’s not because I choose Canada over the U.S., it’s a function of what kind of tripping I want to do. Particularly in the old days, I wantEd a trip of 3-6 weeks, on a river that does not go through any communities, north of 60 degrees, preferably north of the Arctic Circle. I love that constant daylight. Also there must be a minimum of rules and regulations - preferably none. These criteria pretty much eliminate paddling in the U.S., except for Alaska. No need for me to go all the way to Alaska, though.

Kathleen and I did paddle on the Flathead in northern Montana, but that’s because four families, from our canoe club in Vancouver, all with young children, asked us to come to be lead boat, and to perform rescues, if necessary. It turned out that it was necessary. Greg and Cheryl, with their young daughter, Alana, were behind us, but drifted too far to the outside bend, where they swamped and capsized in the big water. We got Alana, whose eyes were big as plates, onto our spray deck, as Cheryl held onto our stern while we dragged her to shore. I told Greg to just be patient, as there was no serious danger downstream. Dan and Monica are on the way.

When everyone was back on shore, I asked the swimmers what they did wrong. Alana said, “I don’t know. I kept bailing and bailing, but the water kept coming in.” Very cute. Cheryl said, “I guess we we weren’t following you close enough.” Fair enough, I said. But you need to be getting your boat to the inside bend, where the waves aren’t so big. I introduced them to the mantra that Kathleen and I normally follow. Where do you want to be? INSIDE BEND. When do you want to be there? NOW.

The trip was OK. Good to paddle with friends, and to be helpful. But it didn’t meet any of my criteria for tripping. Also, there was a rule that prohibited camping on the left bank, IIRC.

For the reasons above, I have done almost no tripping, even in BC, my home Province for 33 years. Went on Bowron Lakes because my Department Head asked us to come with him. Not a river. Camping restricted to designated sites. Way far south. Pitch black at night.

Paddled the Dease River in northern BC because a childhood friend from Sacramento wanted to go on a canoe trip, and had never paddled before. The Dease is suitable for beginners, and at least ended near 60 degrees. Also, no rules or regulations. A good trip.

I know several families from our canoe club who have paddled the Green River in Utah multiple times. As you might suspect, it’s not a trip that appeals to me, or Kathleen.

When we were still in Vancouver, we used to go to Washington State with our canoe club for day trips on the North and South Nooksack. Also used to paddle the Wenatchee River in Washington on long weekends. Great whitewater. But the border became a hassle. Kathleen and I quit going.

This summer we plan to return to the Northwest Territories. Only two weeks. Mostly on lakes. But constant daylight and no rules or regulations. No communities. Will probably not see anyone else. Never gave a thought to paddling in the U.S., which just doesn’t have the conditions we’re looking for.
 
Sure I have met Canadians. We used to go to the Buffalo River in Arkansas in early spring and met kids from a college in Huntsville and the Cambridge Paddlers ( ON) who insisted they were not floaters but paddlers when I requested to join them on one gnarly stretch ( I was solomy trip partners having to bail due to broken bones). The kids got swamped in a willow thicket and boy was that a fun rescue with us and the kids that had not swamped. They were from a Bible college and rescued a homeless dog and actually got back over the border with it.

We do see ON and QC paddlers from time to time here in Maine. The Adirondacks is a favorite of Canadian paddlers . From the top of Whiteface you can see the skyline of Montreal ( not Russia)

The Green River is indeed a very different trip. But spectacular as the hiking can be very remote; there are paddlers on the river and sometimes seen with pants down. We did not see anyone on the Upper Missouri for five days but it was a short trip.

I take it the consensus is not seeing people. I can do that on trips here.

I have friends that have crossed the continental US by canoe. It takes a lot of work.

The Everglades back country is still splendid for two weeks.
 
I'm in Mem's camp on this one. I've long held an interest in the Adirondacks, and would love to meet up with the American contingent to paddle and camp, celebrate our similarities, celebrate our differences. I've come close to making the trip but haven't so far. Never say never.
Maybe not many Canadians paddle in America but there sure are many who vacation there.
 
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I've paddled in the daks, Fish Creek area mainly, and also used to fish the Salmon, but not so much lately- most of the water there is just to bony for this beat up old paddler. but if I was able to I would again
:cool:
 
This may be a "regional" thing rather than a national trend but out in Western Canada there are a number of paddlers who paddle the US, especially in off season in Canada. I have a number of paddling friends who head to the Green River in Utah or the Colorado River in November/early December when Alberta lakes and rivers have started to freeze over.
And there have been large numbers of Canadians on Voyageur canoe brigades on the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers in Montana, Idaho and Washington state .

Bruce
 
On release weekends there probably are more Canadians than Americans on the Dead River. 16 mile class 2-3-5 release depending on how big the release is. Esquif the canoe of choice and French predominates as the language. 2 1/2 hours from Quebec City
 
I have meet only one group of Canadians while paddling in Canada - WCPP. I have never meet any paddling in the states. That said, I have often been asked if I an Canadian when meeting Americans in the bush. I am not sure why - I try to think of it as a compliment.

Bob.
 
I've yet to meet a Canadian paddling in Canada. :)

Alan

You beat me to it, Alan. I was just about to respond similarly. On our trips in the Yukon, NWT, Nunavut and northern Manitoba, we have generally not seen many other paddlers at all. But when we do they are generally European, primarily German. Less frequently Swiss, Danish, English, and twice American. Kathleen and I have often wondered why we rarely encounter other Canadians on these northern waters. There was that kayaker from Winnipeg on Great Slave Lake in 2017. Not a canoeist, but a paddler nevertheless.
 
You beat me to it, Alan. I was just about to respond similarly. On our trips in the Yukon, NWT, Nunavut and northern Manitoba, we have generally not seen many other paddlers at all. But when we do they are generally European, primarily German. Less frequently Swiss, Danish, English, and twice American. Kathleen and I have often wondered why we rarely encounter other Canadians on these northern waters. There was that kayaker from Winnipeg on Great Slave Lake in 2017. Not a canoeist, but a paddler nevertheless.

Often times it is easier to fly from overseas than domestically. There is a direct non stop flight to Whitehorse from Frankfurt Germany. Yet to fly to Whitehorse from Ottawa involves several changes and stops.

It is a snap for me to fly to the Caribbean or England or Iceland. It is dang near impossible to get non stop service to Bozeman MT or anywhere in the US. You always have to make stops and sometimes to fly north you have to go south.
 
Often times it is easier to fly from overseas than domestically. There is a direct non stop flight to Whitehorse from Frankfurt Germany. Yet to fly to Whitehorse from Ottawa involves several changes and stops.
Amen to that. The Yukon is highly populated with Europeans, Germans especially. Saw lots in Dawson, including dedicated German tour busses. I was surprised when I first saw that flight arrive direct from Frankfurt in Whitehorse. We met several tourist paddlers from Europe during the Yukon River races. Instead of flying from closer Syracuse, I several times had found it much easier and more direct to drive to Ottawa to catch a flight to Whitehorse, with maybe only one change in Calgary. Easier and faster to cross the border by car than to go through cattle call customs checks in Toronto, then the hassle of on to Calgary and/or Vancouver for flight changes.

The Adirondack 90 mile race and other north country races, such as the ones in Canton,usually attracts a number of Canadians each year, more often from Quebec than Ontario.
 
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