Paddling Magazine

4 days ago | paddlingmag.com | Maddy Marquardt

Michigan is home to crystal-clear blue waters, sandy beaches and wild rivers making it the perfect place to kayak for everything from a casual float to overnight wilderness trips. Whether you’re looking for a long-haul kayaking adventure on a river or a scenic day trip, here are some of the best rivers to kayak and canoe in Michigan. Michigan rivers are on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Potowatami, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes of the Algonquin Nation.

4 days ago | paddlingmag.com | Maddy Marquardt

Florida woman Cynthia Diekema, 61, was killed by an alligator on a canoe trip on Lake Kissimmee on May 6, 2025. While out canoeing near Tiger Creek with her husband, the couple drifted over an alligator. Paddling in about 2.5 feet of water the couple likely startled the large alligator who then capsized the canoe, sending both paddlers into the water. An eyewitness account states that Diemekma landed on top of the alligator; Diekema’s husband attempted, unsuccessfully, to fight it off.

5 days ago | paddlingmag.com | Joe Potoczak

What makes for a best-selling recreational kayak? To answer the question, consider the Santee 116 Sport from Hurricane Kayaks. This kayak is a perennial favorite among paddlers seeking a boat for day trips on their local waterways and road trip destinations. It is lightweight, comfortable, and has a stable shape, yet it glides through the water with ease.

1 week ago | paddlingmag.com | Maddy Marquardt

At Peak Wildlife Park in the United Kingdom, two polar bears brushed up on their kayak-crushing skills, presumably in solidarity with their Arctic-resident cousins training for the arrival of the 2025 class of Arctic paddlers. In the viral video, the bears tested the kayak’s performance in categories such as tossibility, surfability, and of course resistance to repeated bouncing upon through the classic CPR-like approach.

1 week ago | paddlingmag.com | Brenna Kelly |Maddy Marquardt

When Chuck Lee’s ten-year-old son told him whitewater kayaking is for old people, Lee set out to find small boats and equipment to bring more kids into the sport, starting close to home in PincherCreek, Alberta. From a no-show first year to now entering its 25th year, today Lee’s 3 Rivers Rendezvous remains a family-friendly event at heart. From zero to 300: behind the scenes of the 3 Rivers RendezvousWhen Lee moved to the Pincher Creek area in 1993 he began paddling with his kids.