17 Stunning Photos That Will Make You Want to Canoe in Ontario

Whether you’re paddling in Temagami, Algonquin, Quetico, or the French River, the province of Ontario is a paddler’s oasis. From rivers that wind through wilderness regions free of motors to lake water so clear you can spot fish darting through the shallows, there are so many reasons to plan summer adventures by canoe.

Here are 17 photos to help fuel your dream getaway.

1. Stillwater Revival

Life is busy, but the stillness of a lake in the moments before dawn and during dusk is a kind of magic that needs no magician to be conjured. The glassy waters coupled with the sounds of distant bird choruses and droplets from your paddle hitting the water are soothing beyond words. There are places where you can experience this connection without having to venture far from roads.

• Find crown land camping across Ontario.
• Stay at the Ojibwa Cabin in Quetico Provincial Park.
• Explore Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park with a self-guided canoe trip from Temagami Outfitting Co.
• Journey down the historic Mattawa River with Algonquin North Wilderness Outfitter.

2. Everything You Need

Canoe trips, be it for a day or a week, are the greenest, most fuel-efficient means of travel we are afforded today. When we pack our food and supplies into packs and place them in our boat, we need not worry about gas stations or oil changes, as food is our fuel and lakes are our highways.

These five outfitters can get you on the water and ready for your green escape wherever you dare to dream.

• Killarney Outfitters services Killarney Provincial Park
• Algonquin Outfitters services Algonquin Provincial Park
• Wabakimi Canoe Outfitters services Wabakimi Provincial Park
• Goldseekers Outfitting services Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
• MHO Adventures services the Missinaibi River

3. Campfire Meditation

Considering the volume of lakes, streams, and rivers in Ontario, it’s not always easy to pick where your paddling adventure should begin. Of greater importance, though, is that regardless of where you end your day of paddling, you spend time with your toes by the fire, listening to the crackle of coals, and watching sparks rising to the sky. Namely, that you soak up those important hours of daily campfire meditation.

• Find route ideas: 10 Once-in-a-Lifetime Paddling Adventures for Your Bucket List 

4. Drift Away

One of the finest views, and one synonymous with the myriad lakes in Ontario, is that of a setting sun and an idle canoe framed by the door of your tent. Add in the sounds of the forest and murmurs of the water and you have a complete picture of paradise.

• Find views like these on the French River with Black Feather.
• Stay in the wilderness with Voyageur Wilderness.

5. Closer to Connection

The rivers, lakes, streams, and portage trails of Ontario are the ancestral highways of the First Nations people, many having been in use for over 8,000 years. Along the routes often travelled, paddlers will come upon rock faces painted with stories of spirits and travellers. While some of these sacred places may be reached on foot, making the journey by paddle and boat is a way to connect more deeply with legends of the north.

There are various Indigenous-owned guiding services and lodges in the province of Ontario. Connect with them and you will find a way to experience deeper stories of the land and its people.

• Book a stay at the Lodge on the Point.
• Check into the Mahkwa Lodge.
• Take guided tours and find comfortable accommodations at Cree Village Ecolodge.
• Go canoeing with the help of Thrive Tours.

6. Life Below

On our crystal-clear lakes, it’s like paddling above a crystal ball. Paddlers can easily view the watery underworld teeming with hungry fish and other marine life.

• Base your stay at or rent camping gear from the Seine River Lodge and enjoy the plentiful fishing in Quetico Provincial Park.

7. Swimmer’s Oasis

A swim at the end of a day spent paddling is the best way to ready yourself for camp. The lakes and regions best known for excellent swimming are those with clear, warm water.

• The waters don’t get any clearer than the lakes in Killarney Provincial Park. Take a guided hiking and canoe trip with Overhang Adventures.
• Lake Superior is famous for the clarity of its water—find out for yourself with a guided interpretive canoe tour from Forest the Canoe.

8. Shore Lunch

Don’t associate a shore lunch with just fish fries, though those are delicious too, as so many Ontario shores are filled with juicy blueberries in the late summer. That’s a feast worth not missing.

• Get outfitted for your quest to find wild blueberries growing in the Temagami region with Smoothwater Outfitters.
• Go gourmet at The Boathouse on Lake of the Woods.
• Paddle and dine at Bight in the Thunder Bay Marina.
• Dine in style at the Killarney Mountain Lodge.

9. Dog Days

Canoe trips are a great way to travel with your furry friend and most parks are welcoming to pets.

• Find out more about dogs at Ontario Parks.
• Discover the 5 Best Places to Take Your Dog Canoeing.
• Learn How to Teach Your Dog to Be a Perfect Canoeing Companion.
• Cat lover? Cats love to canoe, too. Learn more about canoeing with cats. 

10. Evenings to Remember

The crackle of a fire, fish freshly cleaned for dinner, a dog sniffing the sweet smells of summer—these are nights at camp to remember. Following are areas known for their sunsets, regions where the Group of Seven painted, and places where today’s campers find their muse. In short, these are the spots where you can enjoy evenings by the fire with friends and family.

• Create a bucket list of 10 Spots to Watch the Sunset at Ontario Parks.
• Embark on 7 Group of Seven Inspired Paddling Trips.
• Choose from among the Best Canoe Tripping Rivers in Ontario.
• Sleep and eat like a voyageur on Lake Superior at Voyageurs’ Lodge & Cookhouse.

11. Out with the Stars

Quetico Provincial Park was recently named a dark sky preserve, and for good reason. The region south of Atikokan, Ontario is a wilderness paradise of very little, or almost no, light pollution. The best thing to do on your trip is to stay up late by the fire, tell stories, and look up.

• Find out more about Quetico: An International Dark Sky Park.
• To truly get away from the city lights, go on a fly-in guided canoe trip in Quetico with Canoe Canada Outfitters.
• Learn more about Ontario's Dark Sky Preserves.

Finding home for the evening. | Photo: David Jackson

12. Experience Wild

Not all campsites have a sign marking them—they are places uncovered with a little creativity and a vision for what makes a special campsite. Many parks—such as Algonquin, Killarney, and Pukaskwa—require you to book a permit, either by lake or specific site, for where you camp each night. But there are regions in Ontario that allow you the freedom of choice in campsites, adding a sense of wildness to your trip as you come across well-situated, established sites that are left unmarked, letting you discover your home for the evening when you’re ready for camp.

• Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park
• Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
• Wabakimi Provincial Park
• Quetico Provincial Park
• French River Provincial Park

13. Double Headers

You will likely never experience fishing as good as in Northern Ontario, especially for walleye, which the rivers and lakes are full of. Some places to try for a double header with a friend are:

• Fly into the Nagamasiss Wilderness with White River Air.
• Paddle the Agawa River with a rental from Naturally Superior Adventures.
• Paddle and fish the Spanish River with Spanish River Outfitters.

14. Bedrock Dreams

What Ontario is perhaps best known for is its abundance of bedrock, which lends perfectly to a campsite you’ll never forget. Regions of expansive bedrock lie in  Northwestern Ontario near Kenora. Following are some trips where you can take advantage of tall white pines and sweeping rocks to call home for a night.

One of the least-known and best canoe routes in Ontario is a segment of the Trans Canada Trail called the Path of the Paddle, a 1,100-km canoe route through the best countryside that Northwestern Ontario has to offer. Learn more about the Path of the Paddle route. 

• Explore the Kenora region with a canoe rental from Green Adventures.
• Rent a canoe and set out from Blue Lake Provincial Park on a 97-km, little-known loop.
• Take it easy at a car camping site and rent a canoe to explore the quiet waters of Caliper Lake Provincial Park.

15. Loon’s Call

Photographing and viewing wildlife is a staple experience when canoeing in Ontario. You won’t find anywhere else with such easy access to paddling trips that showcase an abundance of wildlife.

• Learn How to Take Stunning Photos From Your Canoe.
• Rent a canoe and go for a paddle along the Ivanhoe River for chances of seeing an all-white “Spirit Moose” at Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park.
• Disappear into the La Cloche Mountains with a rental canoe from Killarney Kanoes to hear wolves howling at night.

16. Misty Mornings

The fog that rises from backcountry lakes in the summer is an experience akin to magic, and the best way to experience this surreal effect on the landscape is by travelling in a canoe. Whether preparing to leave camp or readying for a portage, the morning fog is a reason to be up early.

• Rent a canoe from Timmins Adventure Tours for a trip on one of the area’s many lakes and rivers.
• Get fully outfitted for an adventure on one of the many backcountry lakes in Lake Superior Provincial Park with Forest the Canoe.

17. Finding Your Path

There is a lot to be said about the independence and self-reliance we experience on a canoe trip. Where you go, what maps you study, and which route you pick are all decisions made by you or your team. The places you will go on a canoe trip can’t be duplicated anywhere else in the world once you realize the interconnectivity of waterways in Ontario.

• Use this Guide to the Best Canoe Maps in Ontario to plan your next trip.
• Get started with 10 Easy Canoe Trips in Ontario.

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