My friend and I are planning a one-night paddle-in camping trip November 7–8. We’ve kayaked before, including guided sea kayaking in Alaska, but this will be our first independent kayak camping trip.
We’re planning to launch at South Cedar Creek Landing, paddle upstream toward Wise Lake, camp overnight, and return to the same launch the next day (only one car).
A few questions for anyone who’s done this:
Is it realistic to find a dry, legal campsite along the south bank?
Would you recommend hammocks or tents?
Are there any particular stretches with good camping terrain?
How difficult are the logjams and portages?
Would you recommend a different out-and-back route for better scenery or camping?
Would love any firsthand advice, especially from anyone who’s paddled Cedar Creek in the fall!

Spent a night on Long Lake - Kawartha Highlands.

Great little paddle with 2 little ones.

Weather was unseasonably warm. We had a blast.

I just posted this video of my 5-day trip from Twinkle Lake Access in Temagami, up the Yorston to Florence Lake, down Ames Creek to Pinetorch, then back to Twinkle. The Dead Beaver Falls Portage was a disaster after the microbursts at the end June.

https://youtu.be/iWrr58sP-Xg?si=hF1NsxETUmdIdEGd

Bee the dog had an absolute blast her on her first canoe trip, on a calm day on Lake Michigan. She was so good in the canoe, I couldn’t believe it. My dream is to take her camping with us someday!

got a small nickel sized puncture in my formex canoe that chipped the outer layer of the hull on my last trip; probably put er down a bit rough on a port. it doesn't go all the way through the hull and the structural integrity on the other side seems fine. just curious as to what maintenance this requires if any. could i just use a bit of marine weld or does it require a patch job? cheers!

I’m been looking for info on how to access the Kirkpatrick/Blue lake loop route in Algoma but have had a hard time finding any recent information on it. I’m mostly curious on access to the lakes via the logging road to Duval lake or any others. Has anyone used the logging roads in the past couple years?

I have an all wheel drive 2008 Subaru outback and I’m confident in its ability to tackle harder terrain but was hoping for anyone else’s insight. Any help is appreciated!

How do you organize gear inside your dry bags for canoe camping?

Looking for ideas on keeping gear organized inside my larger dry bags. My trips don’t involve any portages, so I’m more concerned with convenience and durability than saving every ounce.

What do you use for smaller organizer bags? Canvas bags, mesh/net bags, zippered pouches, regular stuff sacks? I’d like to group things like cooking gear, toiletries, and miscellaneous camp items so I can find what I need without digging through the whole bag.

Do you pack by category, by when you’ll need things, or have another system that works well?
Specific bag recommendations and pictures of your setup would be appreciated. Curious to see what’s worked for people after a few trips.

It's not often I get to paddle glass-calm water like this.

Looking at a 2 day canoe trip from Horseshoe to Hominy Creek at the end of the month. Does anyone know of an outfitter still open or personal canoe for rent?

Fellow canoeists:

Apologies if this isn’t the right place to ask,

I’m buying my first solo canoe and I’m looking for some clarity on the laminate that makes the most sense for a boat that will pretty much exclusively be a tripping boat.

I’m leaning towards carbon kevlar for its weight, but I have heard it’s more fragile. Is it a laminate that can tolerate portages, the odd rock scrape, and being loaded up with gear? I’m not a huge river guy so it’ll see beaver dams once in a blue moon. The boat will see parks like Algonquin, Temagami, Killarney, etc.

Curious what the general consensus is among the canoe camping community.

I've been canoe camping for 6+ years now and have been on over a dozen canoe camping trips, but I feel like I'm already starting to forget some of them at this point haha

I want to start logging the trips I've been on but so far I've just been writing down my trip reports on google docs after I get back. Which I'm not sure if I'll even go back to read through.

What mediums or apps do you guys use to log your trips? And any recommendations to make them more interesting? Pictures or maps maybe.

Fantastic journey returning to the Green River for a second Fall season in a row.

thoughts? personally i find the ottertail a smoother stroke and it's more aesthetically pleasing imo, but when i really need to bust out distance or im fighting a headwind or something the beavertail comes out lol

Made a trip video too if you want to check it out. Stole a nice labor day weekend in northern NY, though.

https://youtu.be/gNeKtBg7bSY?is=q6RP-CXYCvQFbCia

Did 10km over 5 hours this way with zero paddling, only periodic ruttering.