Best Places to Canoe with Your Dog in Ontario

As paddling pet owners know, not every destination is suitable for Fido. That’s why we came up with this list of our favourite places in Ontario where your pooch can share the adventure with you.

If you are planning a trip to an Ontario Provincial Park, please learn about the important do’s and don’t and what dog-friendly activities and accommodations are available at a given park before you go.  

Read on to find out the best places to canoe with a dog in Ontario.

Best Places to Canoe with a Dog

Paddle and Portage Lake Temagami

Temagami’s rich mosaic of crown, conservation, provincial parks and public lands means this vast region of sublime lakes and old-growth forest offers something for everyone—including avid canoe dogs. For an introductory, three-day trip with easy logistics, leave your vehicle at the Central Lake Temagami access point (the turn-off is just south of the village of Temagami), and paddle north for a scenic circuit through Kokoko Lake and Lake Temagami’s North Arm. Island campsites in quiet Kokoko Lake are especially lovely (and ensure your pup can’t wander too far from camp), and a smattering of short portages are perfect for stretching legs.

On your second day, circle up through the North Arm and Ferguson Bay, crossing a 400-metre portage, and camp on either shore of Lake Temagami. On day three, look for pictographs on the lake’s rocky cliffs as you paddle south back to your vehicle. Local outfitters can assist with trip planning, rentals, meals and more.

Read our Ultimate Guide to Canoe Tripping in Temagami to plan your trip.

Basecamp at Lake Superior’s Agawa Bay

If you and your loyal companion haven’t spent the night in spectacular Lake Superior Provincial Park, you’re both missing out. Basecamp beach-side at pet-friendly Agawa Bay Campground and watch jawdropping sunsets right from your campsite.

On a calm day, launch your canoe or kayak from the expansive three-kilometre sweep of pebbles and cruise along the shore, marvelling at the clarity of the aquamarine water. If the big lake is rough (as it often is, especially in late summer), stroll Agawa’s off-leash beach or enjoy a day trip paddle on one of the Park’s peaceful inland lakes—we recommend nearby Crescent Lake, scenic Fenton-Treeby Lake or sprawling Lake Mijinemungshing.

Read our Guide to Canoe Tripping in Lake Superior Provincial Park and learn about the 10 Best Things to Do in Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Canoe and Hike Killarney’s Silver Peak

This adventurous trip to the highest point in Killarney Provincial Park is the stuff dog-dreams and Instagram daydreams are made of: sparkling blue lakes, the quiet glide of a canoe, the smell of pine and a scenic hike with panoramic views. From the summit of 539-metre-high Silver Peak, you can gaze across the Park’s distinctive white quartzite mountains to the distant shores of Georgian Bay.

Although it’s possible to complete the paddle-and-hike round-trip in a single day, it is more enjoyable as an overnight or even as part of a longer, multiday canoe trip. The steep, rocky trail to the summit can be accessed from either Boundary, David, Clearsilver (via Johnnie) or Bell lakes. Put-in at Bell Lake access point for a three-kilometre paddle and 5.5-kilometre hike (each way), or Johnnie Lake access for a 7.5-kilometre paddle (plus 800-metre portage) and four-kilometre hike (each way).

Backcountry campsites on all of these lakes allow for an overnight stay, or spend a week looping north from here through David, Balsam and Three Mile lakes.

Read our Guide to Canoe Tripping in Killarney Provincial Park to get planning.

Test the Waters at Halfway Lake

Less than an hour from Sudbury and with a spacious, pet-friendly campground and beach, Halfway Lake Provincial Park makes a perfect destination for first-time doggy paddlers. Putter around the Park’s namesake lake, then tackle one of the four scenic hiking trails—the six-kilometre Osprey Heights Trail is especially rewarding, with mossy clearings, forests and clifftop views from 50 metres above Antrim Lake. This narrow lake at the north end of the Park also makes an ideal canoe or kayak day trip; kids and canines love swimming and picnicking on the sandy beaches. 

Think you’re pup is ready for a longer trip? Paddle and portage south from Halfway Lake on the Two Narrows Canoe Route and stay overnight at a backcountry site in the heart of the Park, where you can spot nesting bald eagles and great blue herons.

Go Under-the-Radar at Restoule

Southwest of North Bay is Restoule Provincial Park, a relatively unknown gem with beautiful lakes rimmed in cliffs, swimming rocks and scenic paddle-in campsites. There’s also a pet-friendly beach and exercise area, so your four-legged companion can feel as at-home in this Park as you do. On-site rentals of canoes, kayaks or standup paddleboards make it easy to get on the water. Paddle beneath the 100-metre-high cliffs and ancient cedars at Stormy Lake Bluff, or explore the winding Restoule River, secluded Clear Lake and island-studded Restoule Lake.

Easy-access backcountry sites are perfect for first-time campers, while more experienced paddlers and pups can complete a five-day loop that heads out of Restoule on the French River, then north to Lake Nipissing, and back to the Park via Shoal and Bass lakes.

Read our Guide to Restoule Provincial Park to start planning your trip.

Tips for Canoeing with your Dog

Outdoorsman Shawn James details how he trained his dog Cali to be a calm, cool and collected canoe companion. You can find out more about his life outdoors at My Self Reliance.

1. Make sure your dog knows and obeys the basic commands of sit, stay, come, lay down and go to bed. These commands will help calm and control your dog in the canoe. Be sure to bring her favourite treats as a reward for good behaviour.
2. Introduce her to the canoe in a place that she is familiar with and that is free of stress.
3. Now is not the time to use that sleek, narrow, solo boat. I recommend a wide, stable canoe for this training period.
4. Place her pad or bed in the bottom of the canoe and give the instruction to “go to bed.”  A waterproof or easy-to-clean bed works best (a closed-cell yoga mat is ideal). Give her a favourite toy or bone and encourage her to stay there, but let her explore the canoe, allowing it to rock gently side to side as she moves.
5. Take a break. Return the following day and follow the same procedure. This time, get in and sit in your usual seating positions and wait for her to unwind if she gets excited. Reward her for staying calm.
6. Introduce your dog to water, ideally a shallow, calm, and private location where she can frolic without interruption. This is not the time for a canoe ride; it is merely a fun introduction to a lake or river.
7. Take her on her first trip in the canoe, which should be short, relaxed and in shallow and calm water, free from distractions. Cali’s first canoe trip was no longer than 15 minutes.
8. Continue taking her on short canoe trips until she is completely under control. Only then should you embark on a more challenging voyage, where the added stress can undo all of your training if she is not ready for it.
9. Approaching shore for disembarking can be the most difficult part of the journey. Ensure that she stays in the canoe until you give her the command to disembark. Ideally, you should be out of the canoe first in order to put her on leash if there are other people or hazards to avoid.
10. Always wear a life preserver when you are paddling, especially with a pooch on board. Regardless of how well your dog can swim, it is a good idea that she wears one too.

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