CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE. PHOTO: JOHN HYDE
ROSSPORT INN. PHOTO: VIRGINIA MARSHALL
to some of the best bear-watching on the planet.
Take the ferry to Skagway and drive the Klondike Highway into British Colum- bia. Cross into Canada and take your pick of the many deserted alpine lakes, including Summit, Bernard and Tutshi. The largest, Taigish Lake, straddles the Yukon border. At the village of Taigish, make a side trip to spectacular Atlin Lake, a B.C. provincial park.
After overnighting in Whitehorse, take the Alaska Highway to Haines Junction and Kluane National Park. With its surround- ing glaciers and endless possibilities for hiking, you could spend a week explor- ing the emerald waters of Kluane Lake.
BEST DIGS: You can paddle to the toe of a glacier on a freshwater lake from the U.S. Forest Service’s Mendenhall Campground in Juneau. Bonus: hot showers, flush toilets and RV hook-ups.
BUDGET TIP: The Alaskan ferry service is called the Marine Highway for a reason: It’s the best way to get around the panhandle and will take you to all the prime coastal paddling destina- tions. Save money by parking your car in Seattle, Vancouver or Prince Rupert. Walk on the ferry with your kayak and make it a “road” trip Alaska style. —Conor Mihell
3.
LUXURY
Luxury Road Trips are about delight- ful days and decadent nights…and yes, throwing around a bit of cash. But you don’t need to charter an Antarctic research vessel or go guided on Baffin Island to enjoy a luxury trip. Go lodge- to-lodge and say goodbye to soggy tents and pasta dinners.
SAMPLE TRIP: LAKE SUPERIOR CIRCLE TOUR
TRAVEL: 7 days MILEAGE: 990 miles (1,600 kilometers)
HIGHLIGHTS: Exposed coastline at Michipicoten Bay; quaint accommoda- tions and fine dining in Rossport; funky folk art in Grand Marais, Minnesota; island-hopping in Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands; stunning cliffs and rock arches at Michigan’s Pictured Rocks; and world-renowned birding at Whitefish Point.
STOP-OFFS & DETOURS: The 230-kilometer drive between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa has some of the best scenery on the entire Trans-Canada Highway. Get a better view of a classic roadside attraction by stopping at picturesque Sinclair Cove and paddling
30 minutes south to see the 400-year- old Agawa Rock pictographs from the water.
After a day exploring the Rossport Islands (our favorite day trip is a 24-ki- lometer circumnavigation of Wilson Is- land, a 4,700-acre wilderness managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada), enjoy fresh lake trout at the Serendipity Café and spend the night at The Wil- lows Bed and Breakfast or the historic Rossport Inn.
The 10-mile out-and-back day trip from Miners Beach to Spray Falls captures the best of the Pictured Rocks: tech- nicolor cliffs, sea arches and turquoise water. Finish your day with a pint (or two) of locally brewed beer at the Dunes Saloon in Grand Marais.
BEST DIGS: Michipicoten’s Rock Island Lodge near Wawa, Ontario, is a pad- dler’s paradise. There are no televisions or phones in the four cozy rooms, but every bed has a goose-down duvet and every window a sublime lake view. At Whitefish Point, stay in reclaimed Coast Guard quarters at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.
LUXURY TIP: Seek out small, family-run lodging and dining for local flair and knowledge. —Conor Mihell
www.adventurekayakmag.com 65
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