Get on the water.

Canoe route · Canyon Country · UT

River miles: 68 from Green River State Park; 45 from Ruby Ranch · Mar – Oct

$45 canoe/day

Canoe route · Cariboo Mountains · BC

Circuit: 116 km, 10 lakes · May – Sep (off season)

C$170 canoe, West Side trip

Lake · Lake Champlain · VT

Island park: 253 acres, no cars · May – Sep (off season)

Sea kayaking · Sunshine Coast · BC

Shoreline: 60+ km of islands and coves · May – Sep (off season)

C$75 single kayak, 3–8 hr

Lake · Lake Tahoe · CA

Classic paddle: Baldwin Beach to Emerald Bay, about 2 mi each way · Jun – Sep (off season)

$40 single kayak, 1 hr

Lake · Flathead Valley · MT

Size: 191 sq mi, about 160 mi of shoreline · May – Oct

$130 guided tour, 2 hr

Lake · Lake George · NY

Lake: 32 miles long, 170+ islands · May – Oct

$35 kayak, 1 hr

Lake · Glacier National Park · MT

Lake McDonald: About 10 mi long, 472 ft deep · May – Oct

$39 kayak, 2 hr

Sea kayaking · Saguenay Fjord · QC

Kayak-camping: 13 primitive sites on both shores · May – Oct

C$82 guided tour, 3 hr

Lake · Lake Tahoe · CA

Water trail segment: Sand Harbor route, 15.9 mi of rocky shore · May – Oct

$38 single kayak, 1 hr

Sea kayaking · Channel Islands · CA

Getting there: Island Packers ferry from Ventura Harbor, about 1 hr · Year-round

$159 guided tour, 2.5 hr

Whitewater · Laurel Highlands · PA

Lower Yough: 7 miles, Class III–IV, Ohiopyle to Bruner Run · Apr – Oct

$87 guided Lower Yough raft trip, weekday

River · Lake Mead National Recreation Area · AZ

Length: 30 mi, Hoover Dam to Eldorado Canyon · Oct – Apr

$140 guided Emerald Cave tour, 4 hr

River · Poconos · PA

River: 40 miles inside the park · May – Oct

$53 canoe, per person, 1 day

Sea kayaking · Monterey Bay · CA

Launches: Moss Landing North Harbor or Kirby Park · Year-round

$45 double kayak, per person, up to 4 hr

River · Glen Canyon · AZ

Run: 15 mi, Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry · Mar – Nov

$80 backhaul, 1 person + own boat

Sea kayaking · North Vancouver Island · BC

Orca sanctuary: Robson Bight, 10 km southeast of Telegraph Cove; boats stay out · Jun – Sep (off season)

C$550 guided orca day trip

Canoe route · Adirondacks · NY

Protected area: 18,400 acres · May – Oct

$56 kayak, 1 day

Sea kayaking · Point Reyes · CA

Size: 15 mi long, 6,780 acres · Year-round

$35 kayak, 1 hr

Canoe route · Missouri Breaks · MT

Monument river miles: 149, Fort Benton to James Kipp · May – Sep (off season)

$5 river-use fee, person/day

Whitewater · Upper Arkansas Valley · CO

Rapids: Class III (III–IV at high water) · May – Sep (off season)

$94 half-day raft trip

River · Mount Washington Valley · NH

Water: Calm, easy current; good for first-timers · May – Oct

$60 canoe or kayak, 1 day

Reservoir · Lake Powell · AZ

Launch: Antelope Point public ramp, paddlecraft only · Apr – Oct

$60 single kayak, per day

Reservoir · Lake Powell · UT

Lake level: 3,518 ft on Sep 30, 2026 (very low) · Apr – Oct

$50 kayak/day

Sea kayaking · Pacific Rim · BC

Camping islands: Hand, Turret, Gibraltar, Dodd, Clarke, Gilbert · May – Sep (off season)

C$75 single kayak, per day

Sea kayaking · Pacific Rim · BC

First paddle: 2.5 hr guided harbour tour · May – Oct

C$60 single kayak, half day

Canoe route · Adirondacks · NY

Lakes: 8, First through Eighth Lake · May – Oct

Lake · Mauricie · QC

Lakes: About 150; some 30 reachable by road or canoe trail · May – Oct

C$19 canoe, 1 hr

Whitewater · Missoula · MT

Run: Cyr to Tarkio, about 10 mi · Jun – Sep (off season)

$65 guided raft trip

Reservoir · Summit County · CO

Surface: 3,233 acres · Jun – Sep (off season)

$57 kayak, 2 hr

River · Flaming Gorge · UT

Classic float: Dam to Little Hole, 7 mi · May – Sep (off season)

$59 inflatable kayak rental

Reservoir · Lamoille Valley · VT

Water: 653 acres, about 19 miles of wild shoreline · May – Oct

$29 boat rental, 1 day

Sea kayaking · San Diego · CA

Launch: La Jolla Shores beach, Avenida de la Playa · Year-round

$35 single kayak, 1.5 hr

Lake · Great North Woods · NH

Lake: 7,850 acres, about 10 miles long · May – Oct

$20 canoe or kayak, 1 hr

Lake · Northeast Kingdom · VT

Lake: 1,653 acres, about 5 miles long · Jun – Sep (off season)

$35 single kayak, 1 day

Whitewater · Poconos · PA

Rapids: Class II–III · Apr – Oct

$59 guided raft trip, weekday

Sea kayaking · Lower St. Lawrence · QC

Guided outing: 3 hr, with 2+ hr on the water · May – Sep (off season)

C$79 guided tour, 3 hr

Lake · Finger Lakes · NY

Lake: 38 miles long, the longest Finger Lake · May – Oct

River · Laurentians · QC

Park: 1,510 km², created 1895 · May – Oct

C$18 solo kayak, 1 hr

Reservoir · Tonto National Forest · AZ

Shoreline: 22 mi · Oct – May

$120 guided kayak tour, per person (4+)

Lake · Lakes Region · NH

Lake: 6,791 acres, 28 named islands · May – Oct

$15 canoe or kayak, 1 hr

River · Moab · UT

Classic run: Hittle Bottom to Take-Out Beach, about 14 mi · Mar – Oct

$94 half-day raft trip

Lake · Eastern Sierra · CA

Size: About 60 sq mi (13 by 8 mi) · Jun – Sep (off season)

$35 canoe tour, per adult

River · Lake Havasu · AZ

Classic run: 14 mi, Topock Marina to Castle Rock · Oct – May

$45 kayak, all day

River · Upper Colorado River · CO

Classic float: Pumphouse to Radium, 5 mi, Class II · May – Sep (off season)

$84 half-day float trip

Lake · Grand County · CO

Size: 500+ acres, Colorado’s largest natural lake · Jun – Sep (off season)

Whitewater · Lower Laurentians · QC

River: 185 km from Lac Rouge to the Ottawa River · Apr – Oct

C$89 half-day raft trip

Sea kayaking · North Shore · BC

Fjord: 18 km north from Burrard Inlet · Apr – Oct

C$49 single kayak, 2 hr

Lake · Central New York · NY

Lake: 21 miles long, about 80 sq mi, shallow · May – Oct

$25 kayak, 1 hr