Paddling Trips

Colossal waves of blue-green ocean hammer black volcanic rocks with plumes of froth. Above, bald and golden eagles soar. Out at sea, killer whales and orcas rise ever so quietly to the surface before sinking back down into the watery depths. Trees are eerily twisted by the wind and just over the rocks, an ancient rainforest of gigantic thousand-year-old cedars dwarfs anyone who walks beneath them. This is the rugged and wild landscape of Pacific Rim National Park on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Join your fellow feisty co-adventurists for a powerfully fun-fueled week of discovery before the park’s busy summer season begins.

Starting in the folksy fishing village of Ucluelet—an ancient settlement which takes its name from the Nuu-chah-nulth phrase, “the people with a good landing place for canoes”—we’ll stay in ocean-view cabins before hiking the Wild Pacific Trail. This new trail offers spectacular panoramas as it winds through old-growth lush-green rainforests and skirts the rugged rocky shoreline alongside sandy coves of tide pools, bone-white driftwood and the blue Pacific.

At Long Beach we’ll explore inter-tidal life on the famed beach’s miles of white sand, rocky headlands and secret coves, before we disappear once again into the mystical thick and mossy rainforest. After all that hiking it’ll be time for our three-day kayaking adventure in the Broken Islands Group with certified female sea-kayaking guides. Accessible only by boat, the Broken Islands Group is a magical paradise for kayakers. This wild and lush chain of islands, made up of over 100 small islands and islets in Barkley Sound, contains hundreds of hidden coves, isolated bays to explore, stone fish traps and other artifacts of aboriginal habitation. Here we’re likely to spot whales, seals, sea lions and porpoises. We’ll camp on sandy beaches beneath the stars and other nights, beneath towering red cedars and sitka spruces.

During the day we’ll paddle through the protected passages, warm lagoons, narrow channels, and out to the open coast. Finally, we’ll hang out in funky Tofino, the eccentric hippie haven full of fascinating community-minded folk, where we’ll stay at comfy seaside accommodations above a hip bookstore and cappuccino bar and with one jaw-dropping view of Tofino’s harbour. But still there’s more to this action-packed week. Have you always wanted to learn to surf? Here’s your chance. Women from an all-women surfing school will show you how. We’ll also get a final day in Tofino to relax—ride a bike, beach comb, go gallery hopping—and at night, we’ll eat together at a swanky upscale bistro. Talk about adventure!

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Lake Huron’s greatest treasure is its North Channel, the home of hundreds of uninhabited small islands nestled in a passageway in the northern part of Lake Huron. Boat lovers speak of this untouched wild landscape in the same breath as the Greek islands. You can dip your cup over the side of your boat and drink the water straight while gazing down twenty feet or more to the bottom. Lying north of Manitoulin Island—as well as more remote islands to the west—the North Channel stretches from Sault Ste. Marie to Killarney.The water is deep, dark blue and tantalizingly clear. Steep granite ledges of white and pink can rise to within a few feet of the surface from depths of 100 feet. The vast coastlines and shimmering clear waters of the North Channel mesmerize any adventurer lucky enough to experience this rugged landscape. Paddle through crystal green waters to gorgeous secret islands and pristine beaches with views of the La Cloche mountains to the north. Given adequate group sizes we’ll split paddlers into two groups – those seeking more challenge and those challenged enough already. Come join your fellow female adventurers in this sea kayaking haven!We’ll start the trip off with kayaking lessons and a yummy scrumptious dinner, then get to know each other and our WWE guide at a fun orientation to wilderness camping Wild Women Style! We’ll top the night off in our Finnish wood burning sauna after a plunge into the refreshing waters of the Spanish River. All around us will be thousands of undisturbed wild hectares of boreal forest so we’ll make sure we breathe in the air deeply! We’ll be awakened to a hearty breakfast made by our lovely base camp goddesses before setting off to the stunning North Channel.

Some of the treasures we’ll encounter in the North Channel include: the Whalesback Channel with its ancient sepia rock, secluded beach campsites, sheltered passages and smoothly carved granite islands; Fox Island and Benjamin Island with their massive rock campsites—great for jumping into the water!—incredible vistas and outrageous sunsets; and the La Cloche section with its hiking trails and its mysteries of ancient white quartzite and glacial lakes. The allure of our 5-night North Channel kayaking adventure is that you get to experience the very best of so many gorgeous and varied landscapes. We won’t be paddling all the time—although some consider paddling through still blue waters in breathtaking scenery to be heaven itself—we’ll a also have time to relax by the campfire, swim, explore wacky rock formations, hike to mountain vistas, and find hidden beaches.
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Steeped in history, the former French colony that is Québec isn’t only rich in culture with its traditional French lifestyle and unique cuisine, it’s also bursting with scenic wonders—from the fjords of the Saguenay with its beluga whales, to the mighty and awe-inspiring Saint Lawrence River, to the vineyards of the lovely Charlevoix region, to the snow-peaked mountains of the north. Join your fellow female adventurers for an exhilarating, fun, and culturally-stimulating adventure in the province of Quebec.

We’ll start by exploring Quebec City. Wandering around the 400-year-old city feels like an amble through old Europe. Once the centre of New France, Quebec City’s stone houses line its narrow winding streets while church spires in almost every direction call to mind 17th century France. The city’s historical and architectural wealth are so rich that the city and its surroundings were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 80s, the first such designation on the continent. We’ll go on a fascinating walking tour in the Old City and will be staying near the Plains of Abraham, high up on the famous cliff that swoops down to the Saint Lawrence River.

Next we’ll visit the green and scenically sublime Charlevoix region—think sweeping green meadows overlooking an immense right blue river. In Charlevois we’ll stay for three nights in private chalets. Our first day in Charlevoix we’ll go sea kayaking along the Saint Lawrence, paddling to Baie-St Paul. Baie-St Paul is the village where the original Cirque du Soleil troupe began and you’ll see why. This historic village high on a cliff overlooking the Saint Lawrence is full of art galleries, funky cafes, and brightly-painted centuries-old homes converted into eclectic restaurants and artist studios. A very artsy town!

The next day we’ll hike in the magnificent park Sentier des Caps on a trail through old-growth forest and leading to magnificent views of the Saint Lawrence. The park is also home to ancient giant yellow birch and since it’s located in the heart of a massive geological fault, its landscape is dramatic and dizzying. Then it’s on to another wildness adventure further down the river, exploring Hautes-Gorges-de-la-Riviere-Malbaie, which translated means “the Great Gorges”. This park is known for its breathtaking scenery, extensive trails system, and its dozens of hanging waterfalls plunging hundreds of feet into Canada’s largest canyon east of the Rockies. A true ecological gem, the park sits in the heart of the Charlevois World Biosphere Reserve.

That evening we’ll dine at our inn further down the river, in the historic village of Tadoussac, sitting on what has been named one of the ten most beautiful bays in the world. For many visitors to the province, this is the village they like most outside of Quebec City and Montreal. Why? It’s the whales. Tadoussac sits at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River and the Saguenay River, at the mouth of the stunning Saguenay Fjord, and the entire area is teeming with belugas, minkes, humpbacks, and sometimes, the largest mammals on the planet, blue whales. We’ll take a zodiac ride along the Saguenay looking for these magnificent creatures who feed in the river every summer. We’ll also take the opportunity to visit the superb interpretation centre of marine animals known as CIMM.

Finally we’ll visit one of the most well-known islands in all of Quebec, Île d’Orléans, one of the first regions of the province to be colonized by the French. The lushly green pastoral island is made up of six centuries-old villages, all unique and all replete with red-roofed ancient homes.

Join us for our Quebec adventure, each day offering action, fun, inspiration, wild scenery and delicious cuisine.
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Join your fellow wild women adventurists for six days of Maritime inspiration and adventure. We’ll cycle along the stunning coastline trails of the eastern shores of Prince Edward Island. We’ll sleep in ecolodge style yurts on the far-off Magdalene Islands. We’ll hike along the magnificent red coastal Magdalene Island cliffs. We’ll spend two days playing in our kayaks, exploring rock pools and caves and discovering the Magdalene Islands’ famously weird red rock formations carved by centuries of wind and sea. We might even join the locals in their boisterous Acadian sing-a-longs, or take a solitary walk along a white sand beach where the birds are our only companions.
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The ragged shoreline of Atlantic Canada is a diverse collage of rocky harbours, soft beaches, tranquil salt marshes and especially the offshore islands. During this five day tour we explore the nooks and crannies of this scenic archipelago far from the summer bustle of the mainland. Our meandering journey will take us to the sea bird and seal colonies, over thick kelp beds and into idyllic hidden coves where few other vessels dare to venture. We will also uncover the vanishing signs of our own transient history when the early Europeans settled on these remote outposts, as close to the water as possible. Nature has reclaimed what is rightly hers in a juxtaposition of natural and human history, past and present, that forms a compelling mix-an ideal sea kayaking tour for both beginners as well as the inquisitive expert.
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One of the crown jewels of the north, Killarney’s mountain wilderness of deep sapphire lakes, white rocky outcrops and towering jack pines so mesmerized artists—especially the Group of Seven’s A.Y. Jackson—that the area was thankfully preserved and today is the strikingly beautiful Killarney Park. Once higher than the Rockies, La Cloche mountain range and its white quartzite cliffs shimmer like snowy peaks, its vast wilderness graced with clear cobalt lakes and ancient pines. Hiking up a rocky ridge and gazing down at the view below will show us why native people considered this a land of spirits and why A.Y. Jackson wanted to paint this land over and over. On our Killarney Park Canoe Trip, we’ll travel through a circuit of exquisitely clear lakes joined by challenging portages. After each portage, we’ll immerse ourselves into a turquoise lake nestled among the white hills of La Cloche. Serenity and adventure, here we come!

Located in the heart of the La Cloche Mountain range in northern Ontario, Killarney’s ancient quartzite hills, wild rugged landscapes and crystal clear lakes provide the perfect setting for a canoe trip with your fellow female adventurists.

We’ll begin by getting to know each other at our base camp on the Spanish River where we’ll look out over thousands of undisturbed hectares of boreal forest, topping the first evening off in a Finnish wood burning sauna after plunging into the refreshing river. Next morning, our lovely base camp goddesses will serve us a hearty breakfast before we head off to the most remote part of Killarney Park, the northwest section, considered by Killarney aficionados to be the most scenic section of the entire park. Then we’re off in our canoes into a quiet lush creek filled with water lilies, herons, and painted turtles. The creek gives way to a large glistening lake of sheltered bays, rocky green islands, and rocky outcrops. Here we’ll get our first glimpse of the white quartzite rock and pink granite that so dramatically dominates the region. We’ll paddle alongside the ridge of the La Cloche mountains into lakes accessible only by canoes and portage. Along our way, we’ll be able to rejuvenate, relax, and swim. We’ll portage over an ancient trail to a lush green lake surrounded by white quartzite hills. At our campsite we’ll swim, explore and enjoy delicious well-deserved feasts cooked over a campfire. At night, we’ll listen to the call of loons under a sky filled with stars that look close enough to touch. We’ll also have time to relax in front of the fire, explore and paddle on our own, and hike up to dazzling lookout points. Some lakes have exquisitely clear turquoise water—perfect for swimming—while others are teeming with wildlife. All of them are remote, all sublime.

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Lake Huron’s greatest treasure is its North Channel, the home of hundreds of uninhabited small islands nestled in a passageway in the northern part of Lake Huron. Boat lovers speak of this untouched wild landscape in the same breath as the Greek islands. You can dip your cup over the side of your boat and drink the water straight while gazing down twenty feet or more to the bottom. Lying north of Manitoulin Island—as well as more remote islands to the west—the North Channel stretches from Sault Ste. Marie to Killarney.

The water is deep, dark blue and tantalizingly clear. Steep granite ledges of white and pink can rise to within a few feet of the surface from depths of 100 feet. The vast coastlines and shimmering clear waters of the North Channel mesmerize any adventurer lucky enough to experience this rugged landscape. Paddle through crystal green waters to gorgeous secret islands and pristine beaches with views of the La Cloche mountains to the north. Come join your fellow female adventurers in this paddling haven!

We’ll start the trip off with a scrumptious dinner, then get to know each other and our WWE guide at a fun orientation to wilderness camping Wild Women Style! We’ll top the night off in our Finnish wood burning sauna after a plunge into the refreshing waters of the Spanish River. All around us will be thousands of undisturbed wild hectares of boreal forest so we’ll make sure we breathe in the air deeply! We’ll be awakened to a hearty breakfast made by our lovely base camp goddesses before setting off to the stunning North Channel.

Some of the treasures we’ll encounter in the North Channel include: the Whalesback Channel with its ancient sepia rock, secluded beach campsites, sheltered passages and smoothly carved granite islands; Fox Island and Benjamin Island with their massive rock campsites—great for jumping into the water!—incredible vistas and outrageous sunsets; and the La Cloche section with its hiking trails and its mysteries of ancient white quartzite and glacial lakes. The allure of our North Channel canoe adventure is that you get to experience the very best of so many gorgeous and varied landscapes. We won’t be paddling all the time—although some consider paddling through still blue waters in breathtaking scenery to be heaven itself—we’ll a also have time to relax by the campfire, swim, explore wacky rock formations, hike to mountain vistas, and find hidden beaches. What a fun-filled glorious week!
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Imagine paddling over crystal smooth blue waters alongside undisturbed forests of red and white pine( OMIT:s), tracing a route established by native peoples over thousands of years. Imagine paddling through one of the northern hemisphere’s most pristine wilderness areas and one of Canada’s most coveted canoe trip destinations. Imagine hiking up rocky ridges) to some of the province’s highest terrain, stopping off at archeological sites, rock paintings and cascading waterfalls. Imagine, at the end of your paddling day, plunging into a cobalt blue lake with your new friends.

Join your sister canoe trippers in the rugged solitude of Temagami for a truly sublime backwoods adventure.

Located in the wilds of northern Ontario, Temagami is steeped in history with some of the world’s oldest rock surfacing here, scraped smooth by thousands of years of glacier activity. Stone drawings and artifacts dating as far back as 6000 B.C. have been discovered around Temagami and this is also the land where Grey Owl, the English-born naturalist, transformed himself into the mysterious conservationist with the native name.

On the first night of our trip, after getting to know each other, we’ll experience the rejuvenation of a classic Finnish wood burning sauna after a swim in the Spanish River. In the morning, after our canoe goddess ensures we eat a hearty breakfast, we’ll set off along the shore of a long tranquil lake. Along the way, we’ll watch for moose, eagles and hawks, stopping often to swim and relax under the shade of typical boreal forest. We’ll portage over ancient trails and one day and if you’re lucky your guide may share a secret lagoon with you… At our campsites we’ll indulge in scrumptious well-deserved feasts cooked over a campfire. When it’s dark we’ll gaze up at the net of stars, listening for the eerie call of loons on the lake. Other days, we’ll have time to rejuvenate and relax around the campsite, climb up mountains to lookout points, paddle around on our own to explore hidden waterways and secret waterfalls, and paddle to a 500-year-old Native pictograph.
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Take your daughter, niece or a special young girl in your life on a special bonding experience – a wilderness canoe trip with fun girl-friendly guides, other women with girls and all the details taken care of to enjoy the wonders of this amazing Canadian experience. Designed for budding wild girls age 8-14, with awesome mums, fab aunts, cool grannies, etc!

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WWE is teaming up with a fantastic local outfitter (Blackfeather) to bring you the mother of all canoe trips, our Grandest Adventure Of All—Wild Women rockin’ the Nahanni River!

The South Nahanni River is the premier wilderness river in Canada and has been called the most visually diverse river on the planet. Located in the North West Territories—one of the most sparsely populated places on earth—the Nahanni River is legendary. Bill Mason, naturalist, film maker and environmentalist called it the “Greatest river trip in the world” and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau echoed that sentiment when he famously canoed the Nahanni in 1970. Containing Canada’s deepest river valleys, its greatest waterfalls, massive rugged mountains, a vast wilderness of wildlife, deep forests, and legends of headless prospectors and lost adventurers, it’s no wonder this is the world’s very first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Join your fellow female adventurists for an 11-day paddling trip of a lifetime. From beautiful dark-green boreal forest in the valley bottoms to open alpine tundra in the mountains, we’ll canoe through spectacular landscapes replete with caves, hot springs, tufa mounds, sand blowouts, plateaux, and fossils. We’ll be paddling through the habitat of moose, beaver, woodland caribou, Dall sheep, deer, black bear (grizzlies aren’t common here), and over 170 species of birds including trumpeter swan, bald and golden eagle, gyr and peregrine falcon. Aside from the wildlife riches, the river is steeped in a unique and mysterious human history—you can tell by the names: Deadmen’s Valley, Funeral Range, Headless Creek, Burial Range, Painted Canyon and Hells Gate.

Our trip begins at Virginia Falls, where, at twice the height of Niagara, the river plummets down a cliff forming North America’s most sensational undeveloped waterfall. From the Falls, we’ll paddle 250 km to Blackstone Landing.

At Virginia Falls, we’ll have the chance to explore, warm-up our canoe skills, and do a day hike up to Sunblood Mountain. Immediately below the Falls, the river current becomes more powerful as it’s squeezed into steep-walled canyons reaching up to 1200 metres and known as Nahanni’s ‘Grand Canyons’. This stretch of the river’s nearly continuous rapids and standing waves are truly thrilling. We’ll paddle through Fourth Canyon (aka Painted Canyon), Hell’s Gate into Third Canyon with its ‘Pulpit Rock’, then through Second and First Canyons.

On the whole, the river is surprisingly smooth and swift, interrupted occasionally by short sections of more technical whitewater. The hiking in this stretch of the river is fantastic. We’ll find Kraus’ Hotsprings where we’ll soak in the natural springs right on the edge of the river, then paddle through ‘the Splits’ in the Mackenzie Valley Lowlands and see our topography change dramatically. Here the current slows and the lovely river meanders toward Nahanni Butte, a large ‘hill’ marking the confluence of the Nahanni and Liard Rivers. We’ll paddle down the Liard to Lindberg’s Homestead and finally, Blackstone Landing and the end of our canoe trip. This promises to be a remote wilderness extravaganza like you’ve never seen.

Click here to read a participant story from the Nahanni 2011 adventure!

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