I love paddling, I love backcountry camping, I love fishing, and I love rivers with rapids. Combine all of these things, and in my opinion, you have the ultimate outdoor adventure. That’s exactly why I embarked on a 5-day mission down the Petawawa River with two of my best friends, Brendan Mark and James McBeath.
Ontario’s Petawawa River is recognized as one of the top multi-day canoe trips in eastern North America. While canoes are a great way to navigate the river, we opted for a different approach. We swapped the canoes for fishing kayaks, and we brought a raft with a center-mounted oar rig that could be rowed by a single person, while hauling an extraordinary amount of gear. We chose to bring the fishing kayaks versus canoes, because the Petawawa River is not just a world class backcountry trip, but a world class musky fishery.
I’m not going to spoil the story before you get to watch the video. What I can tell you is that the trip lived up to our high expectations. The Petawawa is truly a world class backcountry river trip, and something that any experienced backcountry paddler should put on their bucket list.
If after watching the episode, you’re interested in doing a trip down the Petawawa, then check out our Petawawa Paddling Guide video releasing soon on PaddleTV. The Petawawa River Paddling Guide offers a lot of valuable information about what to expect, how to prepare, and a lot of other things you should know before heading out, so be sure to check it out!
Check Out Paddle Tales
Paddle Tales follows World Champion kayaker, Ken Whiting, around North America as he explores the continent by sea kayak, whitewater kayak, canoe, and stand up paddleboard, while telling the stories of the unique people and places that he encounters.
Made in Partnership With:
Special thanks to:
Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Algonquin Provincial Park
