Algonquin, Ontario, Canada

“When asked what my favourite route is, I’ve always replied that its the next one I’m going on. I’ve written several paddling guide books, and trekked across countless lakes and river (and portages), mostly in Ontario, Canada.

“Queitco Park is made for the canoeists. Killarney is the most scenic, Lake Superior is the most mystic, Temagami has a network of ancient waterway trails that need to be explored. But Algonquin is the most familiar to me.

“There’s something to be said about the familiar. A few years back, when turning 50, I embarked on the epic Meanest Link – a 420km canoe route, complete with 102 portages that add up to 68km. It was so epic I wrote a book about it – Once Around Algonquin: An Epic Canoe Journey.

“It’s made up of tales: stolen whisky, bloodthirsty mosquitoes, and an unexpected paddle through the middle of Huntsville’s famed bathtub race. Throughout the (mis)adventure, I share some of the rich history of Ontario’s oldest park and my aspirations for its future. I guess it’s kind of like Bill Bryson’s Walk in the Woods, with a dash of Bill Mason’s Song of the Paddle and a pinch of Sigurd F. Olson’s Lonely Land.”

Kevin in the rain

Dordogne, France

“I’ve paddled all over and so many rivers or sections spring to mind as favourites. It was a determination of mine to paddle the upper section of the Allier, having paddled most of the interesting sections below, of course we canoeists all love to visit the Dart Loop but that has become passé.

“As a choice, plenty of people will have visited the Drome and enjoyed that and I’m sure you will get someone else offering the Soča in Slovenia and the Ottawa was glorious. I might have plumped for the Tarn Gorge, the Herault, the Eden or the Spey.

“However, the rivers we remember most are so often where we enjoy the company of those we are paddling with. When my wife wanted to join me on my French holidays we chose all the lower grade rivers in the Massif and the Dordogne is the river we returned to most and so has most memories.

“From Argentat to the confluence with the Vezere, there is 120km of grade 1 and 2 with little much harder, there are villages and chateaux cut into the cliffs and campsites for touring. Our preference is to pick a town like Beaulieu or Souillac and do day trips 25-30km up or down river picnicking on pebble beaches along the way. What could be a better holiday?”

Adrian’s brother-in-law and his daughter and Adrian’s dog, Chalkie

Okavango Delta, Botswana

“When I was an active mountaineer it was said that you were only as good as your last climb. The same could be applied to canoeists and if so then fortunately my favourite place to canoe is the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana.

“The Okavango Delta is the world’s largest inland delta and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is what remains of a lake that dried up ten-thousand years ago and is where the Okavango River meets the Kalahari Desert. It is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

“Our dug-out canoes were poled out to remote islands in the delta where we camped overnight. At dusk and dawn we walked across the low-lying scrub, breathing drifting clouds of back-lit dust from herds of zebras, watching the stretching necks of giraffes and hearing the muffled baritone roar of lions. One evening a large bull elephant came close to our camp, threatening to trample our tents and forcing the guides to throw a burning branch from the camp-fire at him. It bounced off his back in a blaze of sparks and frightened him away.

“Trying to pole the dugout canoes was like balancing on a slackline for the first time. We were learning to canoe all over again. Capsizing is undesirable as both hippos and crocodiles patrol these waters. “Time spent with the gentle people of the delta was very special. Our guides are not instructors or coaches, they don’t even wear PFDs. They wear ordinary clothes and use canoes as a means to an end rather than an end in itself – as did the First Nations people and the French-Canadian voyageurs. Many are middle-aged women, with families, who pole the canoes with energy and style.

“For this time in our lives we touched the Earth and shared this magical, wild place with the local people and all the animals who make it their home.”

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Loch Veyatie and Fionn Loch, Scotland, UK

“For me canoeing is best when I’m travelling through and immersed in somewhere expansive and majestic. Loch Veyatie and Fionn Loch and their iconic wilderness mark as one of my most glorious places to journey a canoe. A place devoid of roads and buildings, the enormity of the landscape around it is rugged to the horizon.

“I relish a journey where I can enjoy the versatility of skilled canoeing through the wilds. Sailing open waters, catching gentle river eddies and returning up river via poling and lining through shallow shingle rapids. This all helps me keep engaged and adapting on my journey.

“It’s such a magnificent place. I’ve heard stags bellowing at dawn in the rutting season, and watched the clouds from the summit of Suilven parting to see our canoes parked on the waters edge below.

“It’s one or those places where you can give yourself permission to just sit and drift in your canoe, and simply savour the moment.”

Adam on Loch Veyatie

Piteälven, Sweden

“Asked to name my favourite colour, I might be able to narrow it down to a choice of three, no make that four. I have the same problem with music, food, authors, films… So the challenge to choose just one lake or river looked tough.

“As it is, thinking about where I’d most like to be dropped right now with a canoe, the choice isn’t difficult at all. That would be the Bidumiedno, or Piteälven. From its birthplace high in the mountains close to the Norwegian border, this mighty watercourse is over 400km long, crossing the Arctic Circle to fall at last into the sea on the Swedish Bothnian coast. Over that impressive course, the Piteälven is extraordinarily varied.

“Vast sky-reflecting lakes are connected by a river that one moment runs broad and gentle, the next raging loud and unpaddlable, at least not by me. Braiding and reuniting, littered with islands, this is still a wild river, its course unrestrained, the pine and birch-strewn banks home to few but the reindeer herders who call this land home.

“Mind you, there would be one minor problem if my wish were granted right now. I’d have to wait a few months for the thaw.”

Photos: Tim and Susannah Gent

Susannah Gent at Piteälven

Bloodvein River, Manitoba, Canada

“A float plane start, pictographs on Artery Lake, stunning scenery and finishing at Lake Winnipeg: it has all the ingredients for a great canoe journey.

“I first paddled the river with my partner Lina and subsequently with customers. There has been the conversations and companionship of the river. We have portaged along the same trails as the Indigenous Peoples and voyagers and paddled the same water as birchbark canoes. It is an historic route. We have scrambled to find a campsite surrounded by lake and marsh as trees exploded into flame as a forest fire reignited in high winds.

“So many of the campsites are stunning, from islands in the midst of waterfalls and rapids to ones high above the river on rocky bluffs. I have sat and watched beaver working away below and been stunned by the majesty of the Aurora Borealis.

“And yes, the number of lessons I have learnt from simply being on this wilderness river as well as the need for caution: I took a massive swim from being overly bold in very high water. Not only has it been a privilege to paddle it four times, but the river has taught me well.”

The Bloodvein

Gorges du Tarn, France

“I have a special affinity for the north country, the wild lochs beneath Scotland’s rugged hills, and the wood-lined lakes of Scandinavia. So for me to choose somewhere warm and southern for my favourite paddling place might seem to be a surprise.

“Yet though the magical highlands are probably my favourite places to spend time, the best actual paddling I have done is undoubtedly that deep in the Gorges du Tarn, France. Beneath towering walls of pastel-coloured limestone, and slopes of fragrant pines, sparkling clear water make their way down the 60km canyon of the main gorge.

“Much of the river is of modest grade, the perfect place to relax and drift as you gaze, awestruck, at the cliffs above you, where huge Griffon vultures wheel, tiny dots in a blue sky. Deep clear pools are separated by rippling little rapids, just enough to keep you interested.

“And there are some sections of simply wonderful grade 2 rapids, touching a higher grade at times, that are amongst the very best trad boat paddles I have done, where every eddy can be hit, every wave train enjoyed, all the time with those immense walls drawing your gaze ever upwards.”

Gorges du Tarn, France

Yukon River, Canada

Canoeing the Mighty Yukon River – Land of the Midnight Sun

It’s the great, big, broad land ’way up yonder,
It’s the forests where silence has lease;
It’s the beauty that thrills me with wonder,
It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.

Robert Service – Spell of the Yukon

“The Yukon River has been my spiritual escape since 2010 when I first stood on its broad banks contemplating a 700-mile canoe journey from Whitehorse to Circle, Alaska. That first trip offered so much with bears, wolves, beavers and a vast wilderness to explore with every paddle stroke. Whilst the exact wildlife on offer can be a lottery, the living history of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 is guaranteed, with old paddle steamers, road houses, dredges.

“Since then I have led various expeditions and trips to the Yukon in winter (exploring in minus 70 below) and paddle trips in early summer with our company Canoe Trail working with local outfitter Up North Adventures. I also took part in the Yukon River Quest in 2016 covering the 440-mile trip in 59 hours; 36 minutes, which was a tough but rewarding challenge.

“Every trip since has given me a greater connection to this mighty river (1,980 miles) and unique wilderness with highlights including 30-mile river (National Heritage River), Hootalinqua shipyard, a wild lynx less than 10 metres away, the iconic Dawson City, (Home to Robert Service and Jack London) and of course the incredible light show of the midnight sun. Don’t be shy get in touch if you want to know more about this bucket list destination.”

Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon

Soča River, Slovenia

“As most people already know I have a soft spot for the Soča River in the Triglavski National Park, Slovenia. Although the Soča is a grade 3 paradise, it attracts paddlers of all abilities due to its sheer beauty.

“An early morning (before the tourists) venture to the source of the Soča, lets you know that this is a really special river. The first time I went there I walked into the water by mistake, it was so clear, I couldn’t see where the air finished and the water started!

“I love the way this river starts off with a low water feel in its upper sections and gradually increases in volume and push as you progress downstream. One of my favourite sections is the Abseilstrekke/Otona section, it has a remote feel with amazing grade 3 paddling with the occasional harder rapid thrown in for good measure.

“On the banks of my favourite river is also my favourite campsite, Kamp Lazar. So here’s a HUGE shout out to Edi and the team for creating the perfect environment for river tales to be told… “See you on the water.”

Soča River by Ali Johnson Photography

Hood River, Nunavut, Canada

“The Hood River is by far my favourite. When our six-man crew canoed it in 1982, tens of thousands of caribou dotted the land. They strolled quietly through our camps (not touching a guyline!), swam beside our canoes, new-born babies in tow. We observed over 500 muskoxen, four grizzly bears, two wolves and one wolverine. It was common for several fish to simultaneously strike one lure!

“A decade later, I canoed the Hood again, this time with a crew of eight men and one woman – Sue Harings, my bride to be. Sue and I were married at the top of Wilberforce Falls on August 12th, 1992. The story is in my book – Canoeing Wild Rivers, 5th edition.

“The Hood is diverse. There are big and small lakes, huge pounding rapids and shallow rock-gardens. Good campsites abound almost everywhere along this tundra river. Paddlers should be competent in Class II+ rapids and have a tough attitude towards bugs and bad weather. Portages are long and tough (three plus miles around Wilberforce Falls) so physical conditioning is a must. Access is by charter float plane from Yellowknife, NWT. It’s a long, expensive flight.

“Wilberforce Falls drop 160 feet through a three-mile canyon. By comparison, the U.S. Niagara Falls drops 160 feet. The view from on top is amazing!”

Getting married at the top of Wilberforce Falls

Loch Lomond, Scotland

“Loch Lomond is not only my favourite place to canoe, it is the reason I canoe. It took a while though. Up till I was 10 years old, we had a caravan at Rowardenen on the banks of Loch Lomond. I remember being in the caravan and seeing a canoe paddled round the point. In it was a man with his dog and his camping gear. I watched as he paddled up the loch and out of sight – it looked like the best thing ever – It still does. I wonder how on earth it took me nearly 30 years to get around to fulfilling this dream.

“Loch Lomond has everything I need in a paddling place. The islands provide remote locations where you can get away from the crowds in no time. You can have the thrills of big waves and wind or the stillness and calm of a clear crisp day. All of this in the majestic scenery of a national park surrounded by mountains.

“With any luck there will be kids seeing me paddle who will follow this path in less time than it took me.”

Loch Lomond

Mountain River, NWT, Canada

“I always love this question of, ‘What’s your favourite river?’ I know one answer is, ‘the last river you paddled’, but that really isn’t true – just imagine if you had a bad swim and lost your boat!. I suggest that it is things like fun, scenery, an element of ‘wilderness’, and for me, I think diversity is important – I hate long, flat, straight, boring rivers!

River Rothay

“I am lucky to live in the Lake District and one of my favourite rivers is the River Rothay. I strongly recommend the full experience of the ‘three lakes mini expedition’, – it’s mainly grade 2 and only 9km long but has lots of interest. Put in just upstream of Grasmere village, bimble down the youthful Rothay into Grasmere Lake, paddle across this, taking in the stunning views of the surrounding mountains. You then have a fun stretch of easy WW river down to Rydal Water. Cross this and continue on down the river, again more WW fun, skirting Ambleside, pause for a quick surf on a super little wave below the weir here, then continue into the River Brathay, past the roman castle, and finally you pop out onto the vast expanse of Windermere and a busy maritime scene of yachts and steamers. Take out here at Waterhead for a trip that has an amazing diversity and is a hugely brilliant paddle! (See Canoe & Kayak Guide to N.W.England for more information).

What’s my favourite longer trip?

“I started paddling some 50 years ago, and soon realised that I loved long multi-day trips. I have since spent a dissolute life, running major rivers around the world. The question is often asked, ‘Pete, of all these amazing rivers – what was your favourite trip?’ Well, it wasn’t some epic Himalayan first descent – my ‘best trip’ has to be an open canoe trip we did down the Mountain River in Canada in 2007. All of our small team voted this our ‘best trip of a lifetime’. Check it out on the internet and put it on your dream bucket list!”

Mountain River

James River, Virginia, USA

“The mighty James River of Virginia is five miles wide and 200 feet deep as she enters Chesapeake Bay on her way to the Atlantic. She spawned a nation from the first settlement at Jamestown Island and now hosts naval shipyards, navy bases, army bases, major cities and charming villages. She has survived naval battles, floods, droughts, pollution and exploitation to become America’s home river. 

“Her beginnings in the Allegheny Highlands in far western Virginia are far more humble. Beginning at a spring fed farm pond she forms a mountain stream barely deep enough for canoeing. As she makes her way to the sea she has something for every level of canoeist. Lovely flat water sections, blue ribbon trout and smallmouth bass fishing, boisterous rapids like Balcony Falls, Choo Choo, Z Dam, Pipeline and the world famous Hollywood before she arrives at the Richmond Falls Line and turns tidal. 

“Only a handful of paddlers have ever paddled all 500 miles to the sea. We treasure the James River and her headwaters rivers Jackson and Cowpasture. Famous tributaries with fantastic canoeing include Craigs Creek, Maury River, Johns Creek, Rockfish River, Hardware River, Slate River. Paddling for everyone.”

Photo used by permission of Cate Clifton, www.RVAPaddlesports.com, Richmond, Virginia, shows Thomas Pollard paddling his Esquif Nitro in Choo Choo Rapid, below the American Coast Railroad bridge over the James River

Great Slave Lake, NWT, Canada

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have been able to paddle some of the most stunning areas of the north. From the Moise and South Nahanni rivers, to the waterways of the Yukon and rivers running into the Arctic Ocean, it’s impossible to say which one is my favourite. They’re all unmatched. How can I claim a favourite? But I do…

“I’ve been to the east arm of the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories twice and both times was overwhelmed by what is surly the most perfect place in the world to put a canoe. Here thousands of islands rise from the deep cold waters.

“Small trees cling to the thin soil and lichen covers the ancient, orange rock. I could spend a perfect summer hopping from one island to another, exploring the bays and rivers that flow into this cold, stony body of water and spend my nights watching the aurora borealis flicker over the water.”

Great Slave Lake, NWT, Canada

Gatineau River, Quebec, Canada

“I get this question a lot. It’s a tough one, especially if you steer clear of trite answers like “my next trip”. As I consider it I find myself thinking about my local watersheds. Which brings me to the river that flows past our house: the Gatineau River, or Te-nagàdino-zìbi in Algonquin

“Initially, perhaps I didn’t appreciate my river enough – after all I was off on exotic paddling adventures. However, slowly over many years she has become part of me. I have paddled many of her tributaries and some, but not all, of her 360km length. Her waters now flow deep within me. I have felt all of her moods, travelled on her in every season and seen many of her charms.

“In my travels I’ve witnessed what is done to rivers in the name of progress. The Gatineau has not escaped this fate; she has been dammed, logged, polluted and abused in innumerable ways. But many that love rivers have stepped forward. These people form groups. These groups take action. This action makes change. This change protects our local rivers. So I urge all paddlers; take a second look at your local waterways, get out there and explore them, enjoy them, and protect them!”

Becky Mason and her husband Reid McLachlan running Cedar Rapids at Gatfest on Upper Gatineau River. Photo: John Foster

Thunderhead Prong of the Upper Treemont, Tennessee, USA

“I’m always experimenting with the transition zone from water to rock. Normally a canoeist would not consider this zone a viable paddling area. However, choose the right shaped rock, a little water, add gradient and all kinds of new lines open up down a rapid.

“That is my recipe for a great day of open boat, low flow creeking. My favourite venue would be the Thunderhead Prong of the Upper Treemont in Tennessee. It’s a walk up and if you walk up too far, it’s even better. Almost no water, rounded rocks, it’s like skiing moguls… but in a canoe.”

Paul ‘Knife Edge’ on the Moose River, NY state. Photo by Alex Guimont

Lake Superior, Canada and USA

“A few years ago, I could have only hemmed and hawed about a favourite amongst the hundreds of lakes and rivers my canoe has floated on over the years. However, after moving to the north shore of Lake Superior in 2018, the answer comes in a heartbeat.

“Azure waters with 30-foot visibility, wild and rugged coastline, innumerable bays, islands, and tributaries to explore and truly world-class trout fishing – the most vast lake in the world is a seemingly never-ending play land for paddlers. 

“Of course, a great lake such as Superior requires extreme caution with its year-round frigid temperatures and wave heights regularly exceeding a metre or more, but, when the waters cooperate, there’s nothing better for me than the big lake.”

Lake Superior

River Soar, Leicestershire, UK

“Well, what a tough choice, of all the wonderful places I have had the privilege to paddle, with some amazing folk. The places and people are hugely important in my recollections of canoeing trips and adventures that I have enjoyed.

“Choosing my favourite has to bring me back home, to my playground as a child, the first place I paddled as a Scout, the river best known in every season and at every level. It is the River Soar, Leicestershire’s finest, paddleable from Jubilee Park in the south and flowing 32 miles north to join the Trent.

“As a canalised navigation, it offers a great variety of paddling loops using the original water cause and sections of ‘navi built’ canal. It has industrial heritage, towns, hamlets and open flood plans, always something of interest. It can be gritty and urban but equally, in the early morning light out towards Coats Mill or Normanton, it can have the tranquil beauty of any river I know. It should be on everyone’s touring wish list along with all the other iconic rivers such as the Wye and Tweed.

“It is a river that I have in my blood, the bacteria probably literally. I have enjoyed working with groups of all ages at the outdoor pursuits centre on its banks. I paddled the Quorn Loop, sometimes, twice daily when I worked at Beaumanor Hall. In partnership with the Canal & River Trust I have enjoyed developing the Soar Tour Trail (www.soartour.org.uk), one of the first projects to benefit from the ‘Friends of the Trust Fund’. As the chair of PaddlePlus Canoe Club, I have introduced hundreds of people to paddling on the Soar, many going on to experience many other rivers but still regard the Soar as their home waters.”

Abbey Park. Photo: Shaun Monkman

Loch Sunart, Lochaber, Scotland

“If I had to choose just one place to paddle for the rest of my life it would be Loch Sunart. Around 19 miles long and off the beaten track it provides peace and tranquillity and a constantly changing, beautiful vista.

“It is coastal and as I paddle blissfully along I’m regularly surprised by glimpses of otters, seals and porpoises breaking nearby or an eagle soaring. Where the loch opens out, I feel a sense of exposure as I’m drawn into this wild landscape. I feel connected to the sea and the possibilities of adventure.”

Loch Sunart looking towards Beinn Resipol

Carinthia, Austria

“A road trip to Kärnten (Carinthia) should perhaps be on everyone’s bucket list. One route enters through the incredible Lienz Dolomites following a road trip up the legendary Ötztaler Ache (site of Sickline).

“Another takes in the Großglockner High Alpine Road (beneath the highest mountain in Austria) and allows a detour to the Pasterze Glacier: the longest in the Eastern Alps. Alternatives include approaching through Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites or even Kranjska Gora in the Julian Alps of Slovenia. 

“Carinthia nestles between all of the above. It stretches either side of the mighty River Drau (Drava) and its mightiest tributary, the Gail (Zilja) along the border separating Austria from Italy and Slovenia. The most spectacular jewel of this Austria wonderland is Weißensee: a seven-mile long glacial lake perched high in the mountains. This is ‘the white lake’ – so named for the colour of the water, which comes from the chalk in the surrounding limestone alps.

“Weißensee remains our favourite spot, but elsewhere in Carinthia, we find literally thousands of lakes. Our favourites include Faaker See, Packer Stausee and Längsee. It’s not ‘canoe country’ for hard-as-nails expeditions, but the whole region has got a magic which keeps drawing us back!”

River Drau, Carinthia

Yukon River, Canada & USA

“From May 19th to July 27th 2016 (70 days), i was part of the Pull of the North expedition. We paddled the mighty Yukon River (3,200 kilometres – 2,000 miles) from Lake Bennett (British-Columbia, Canada) to its mouth in the Bering Sea (Alaska, USA).

“The team was documenting the story of the many native communities that still live along the river and how the modern world and shifting environment were changing their traditional ways of living on the river.

“The Yukon River provided majestic scenery and landscapes of great beauty. The snow-capped mountains, the clear water, lush fauna and flora have made me experience strong emotions. What we saw after each bend was always a surprise and wonderful. I loved the sense of freedom of being out there in the wilderness in a very remote place. Life on the Yukon River was so easy and I miss it.

“The glorious midnight sun allowed us to travel any time of the day. We were never stressed to find a camping spot before night falls. There were lots of grizzly bears and the most vicious mosquitoes and black flies but we got used to it.”

Photos: Jay Kolsch

Martin on the Yukon

Loch Moidart, Highland, Scotland

“Loch Moidart is a wonderful place and holds very special memories for me. At the end of the River Shiel, Loch Moidart can be accessed by either lining the canoes down the tidal drop or by paddling straight onto the Loch, depending on the tide.

“Being able to travel effortlessly from fresh water onto sea water at high tide meant that we soon accessed the south channel and as darkness was falling, found a perfect location on the shores of Faodhail Dubh to set up our tipi base camp. The following day, we were greeted by clear blue skies and glassy calm waters.

“Cruising along in the warm spring sunshine, we were afforded stunning views across to the snow-capped islands of Port Mor, Eigg and Rhum. At one point, we were followed by a solitary inquisitive seal as we journeyed towards the ruins of Castle Tioram, which was the highlight of a perfect day.

“I think that’s one of the wonders of coastal paddling. There’s very much a feeling of the sea being a dynamic life force. The scenery changes with the ebb and flow of the tides and there is the surreal opportunity to walk on seaweed-strewn land when the seabed meets the sky. “This is the magic of Moidart.”

Angela on Loch Moidart. Photo : Adam Evans

Scottish Highlands

“My favourite waters are those small streams that permeate the Scottish Highlands and provide vital links between larger waterways for the enthusiastic canoe tripper. They make possible some spectacular and challenging canoe routes, and give access to some of the more widely spaced and ruggedly beautiful lochs. There is a thrill in bringing a canoe route into existence from a first tentative look at the tiny blue lines, gradients and contours on the map.

“Often you have to trust your imagination to bridge the gaps where the blue lines end. Such routes provide a sense of adventure that I simply do not get from paddling on lochs or rivers alone. Following these linking streams is constantly interesting; sometimes wading, sometimes straddling your boat, lining, punting, reading the stream’s intricacies in order to get through once more to open water. They lead you to hidden, secret places far from the crowds, and foster a subtle and intimate appreciation of the wild.

“They show that bigger is not necessarily better. My most memorable link-up was down the Gleannan Salach stream, which with just inches of water floated us a full mile on the journey from Inchnadamph to Clashnessie and the sea.”

Andrew Birdsall in the Highlands

Bloodvein River, Manitoba, Canada

“After paddling and charting over 100 great Canadian rivers, this is a most difficult choice for me. Many of these rivers I’ve paddled multiple times; the Lady Evelyn in Temagami, where our Ecolodge is located, I’ve probably paddled more than 200 times, both directions and never tired of its magnificence.

“There are wonderful whitewater rivers, like the Coppermine in NWT or the Pigeon in Manitoba but… if I were add up all the nuances that make a river rise above the current, it has to have the following attributes: 

1. Challenging whitewater in all three seasons; 
2. A rich First Nations cultural contribution; 
3. Fabulous campsites that offer good fishing, easy access, fun rapid play-time, level tent-sites and available firewood; 
4. Remoteness and moderately low traffic;
5. A viable provincial duty-of-care stewardship; 
6. Unparalleled aesthetics. 

“Not many rivers, even in Canada, can offer all of these in one package; some rivers come very close mind you, but the one that stands out for me is the Bloodvein River in north-central Manitoba. It drops 350 feet from the highlands of Ontario, flowing 225 kilometres into Lake Winnipeg. 

“That translates into more than 80, ‘pool-and-drop’ rapids. You can access the headwaters from distant points, but most people opt to fly in from the village of Bisset. It’s one river of many great rivers that flow into the east side of Lake Winnipeg.”

Hap on the Bloodvein