• Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota

With a total area covering over 1 million acres, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is a wilderness gem tucked up in northeastern Minnesota. With the perfect blend of north woods and glacial lakes and streams, this area is a must visit for your next canoe trip. The full preservation of this area is fairly new, only going into effect in 1978.

It’s hard to give exact areas to check out since this area is so large, there’s right around 1200 miles of canoe river available. But since the glaciers left behind rugged, jarring cliffs and crags, soft hills, sandy beaches and thousands of lakes it’s hard to go wrong with wherever you decide to explore. This area is perfect for anyone aiming for solitude within nature. The streams are rather calm within much of the park and it shouldn’t be quite hard to find your own little area with the 1 million acres that are available to explore.

  •  Green River, Utah

If you’re looking for a bit more of a unique canoe trip with some historic sites mixed in, Green River, Utah is the perfect place for you. With over 120 miles of river, the area around Still Water and Labyrinth is one of the best flat-water paddles in the entire country. As you cut deeper and deeper into the canyons south of the town of Green River, the beauty will truly start to hit you. This is when the Entrada and Navajo sandstone really starts to show. The red and orange hues of the rock will make you think that you’re on another planet, as you flow seamlessly down the river.

 As you flow farther and farther down the river you’ll enter in Labyrinth, which is one of our favorite spots in the country. With the Chinle and Moenkopi Rock towering well over 1000 feet above you, it’ll truly help you get to a place of serenity. At https://www.theriverspath.org/utah-river-retreats/ you can read more about the week long retreats that we will offer on this section in October. We will have a women’s retreat September 30 – October 8 and a photography retreat October 21-29.

 

  • Juniper Run, Ocala National Forest, Florida

The 7-mile paddle trail from Juniper Springs Recreation Area to Juniper Springs Wayside Park is set under the canopy of the old-growth forest in true Florida culture. This unique canoe run is a bit more difficult than the other two runs and it is encouraged that intermediate to advanced paddlers uses this run. They do have canoes for rent in the recreation area though so anyone may paddle.

The first 1.5 miles is the prettiest. With a thin stream and winding turns, your canoe will glide over the crystal clear water with ease before approaching the faster and stronger currents further down. The middle of this path is a combination of wider, more aggressive rapids and the more narrow and windy runs. The end is a great surprise though as it opens up into a wide wetlands area.