Guides’ Favourite: Pukaskwa Coast

No other sea kayak trip stirs more excitement in Naturally Superior Adventures guides than the seven-day trip on the rugged coastline of Pukaskwa National Park. That’s because no other Lake Superior sea kayak adventure has more to offer than Pukaskwa: It’s remote and wild, diverse in its mixture of sand and cobblestone beaches and sheer cliffs, and iconic for its rich cultural history of First Nations, trappers, loggers, lighthouse keepers and fishermen. Paddle it back to back with the seven-day Lake Superior Highlands trip and you have the planet’s ultimate freshwater kayaking experience.

On our fully guided Pukaskwa sea kayak trip you’ll see why the park’s mantra is “the Wild Shore of an Inland Sea.” Spectacular scenery begins the moment you leave national park visitor centre at Hattie Cove. We round stalwart Campbell Point and catch a long look at some of Ontario’s last remaining wilderness—a roadless coastline stretching to the horizon. We camp at awe-inspiring places like Fish Harbour, a sweeping crescent of sand that rivals the Caribbean, and Cascade Falls, a 10-metre natural shower dropping straight into Lake Superior’s clear waters. Pukaskwa is also home to a remnant herd of endangered woodland caribou and it remains the best place on Lake Superior to view rare arctic disjunctive plants like encrusted saxifrage and butterwort—hardy throwbacks to the Ice Age.

A stopover at Otter Island reveals a quintessential lighthouse and mysterious Richardson’s Harbour is home to ancient aboriginal rock structures known as Pukaskwa Pits. Finally, the trip ends at the ghost town of Pukaskwa Depot, which was abandoned by loggers in 1930. For those lucky enough to continue, the Superior Highlands are replete with the same wilderness appeal.