2024 Canoeing Photo Contest
And that’s a wrap… once again I can’t thank each and every one of you that entered our contest. Browsing all of the stunning photos and paddling locations always fills me with positivity for the wonders we witness while canoeing. A HUGE thank-you goes to Recreational Barrel Works and MEC for supplying the prizes. If you haven’t already done so, please give them a visit for all of your holiday shopping (or gear shopping for next year’s adventures). And finally… don’t forget to start snapping photos in the new year for next year’s contest.
1st Place - Cass Pellerin
Aerial photos are a dime a dozen these days, but I couldn’t look away from this one. I think it encapsulates exactly what you want out of a canoeing photo… one that draws you in and makes you envision paddling in that exact spot. Congratulations Cass!
2nd Place - Taylor Bachrach
Load up the canoe and head out into the lush mountainous backcountry. It looks amazing.
3rd Place - Ted Heagle
Inspiring a new generation to forge out in to the wilderness. I hope they soaked up every second of it.
As the 2024 Canoeing season starts to wind down we look back fondly through the trips we've taken... which means it's time for our yearly photo contest!
The rules are simple...
The contest is open to Canadian residents only (I’m terribly sorry to our U.S. and international readers, it’s not always easy for us to ship prizes out to you and there are some sticky legalities behind it as well.).
The photo must have been taken in 2024.
There are no specifics as to what you have to submit. Send us your best photo of you or your family in a canoe, what you spotted while in your canoe, or even a snapshot of you portaging. What ever you like! Be sure to include where you were too.
We know from experience, it’s always hard to choose… but send us only one photo.
Contest ends November 30th, 2024. We'll pick three lucky people as 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. The 1st place winner will get to choose a single item from the prizes below, followed by 2nd place and 3rd place winners.
You’ll have to the end of the year to claim your prize (we’ll contact you). In the rare chance prizes go unclaimed, they will be entered back into our prize pool.
How do you enter?
Easy! E-mail us a photo, or send it to us on Facebook or Twitter or tag us on Instagram (and give us a like or follow while you're there!)
The Prizes to choose from…
Recreational Barrel Works Inc. - PADDLER Canoe Pack & Waterproof Dry Bag Liner Package
A single bag to take care of all of your canoeing needs, the PADDLER canoe pack is a 70 Litre bag that can be expanded upon to carry even more. It also features a full length foam pad in the back panel (to help cushion your load), padded shoulder and hip straps (with adjustment straps!) and oodles of handles. To top if off, Recreational Barrel Works is even throwing in a bag liner to waterproof the contents and give you that piece of mind while out tripping.
Mountain Equipment Company - TWO MEC x AQUANATOR Rain Jackets
MEC was kind enough to donate TWO Aquanator rain jackets as prizes this year! One for you and one for your paddling partner, this jacket is made of 100% recycled, Japanese-milled 50-denier ripstop polyester in a 2.5-layer waterproof-breathable construction with fully taped seams.
Recreational Barrel Works Inc. - Paddler's Map Case
A completely waterproof 47cm by 42cm map case with a waterproof zipper, perfect to bring along a topo map of your next adventure.
The entries so far…
Nick Dibdin - Big Gull Lake in Ontario
Nick A - Big Crow Lake (Algonquin)
William Malyon - Manitou Lake, Algonquin Park
Chris Sinclair: Dunlop/Mace Lake Loop, on Upper Mace Lake, Blind River Provincial Park
John Roberts: Taken on an outing with the Probus Club of North Bay & District. This is a social club for seniors in and around North Bay. The club's Outdoor group paddles every Thursday in season. This picture was taken on the Mattawa River, at a place known locally as "The Gut" which is a bit downriver from a put-in at Campion Rapids in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. Ironically we paddled into the wind on the way there, and into the wind blowing the other way on the way back, but it was quite calm when we stopped for a shore lunch.
Lindsay Dyrdski: Clear Lake, Haliburton Highlands
Carly Fairley: Her first overnight trip out of Tim River. 3 months old.
Patrick Tucker: Canoe camping at Algonquin Park.
Jessica Barlow: Massassauga Provincial Park
Alain Blanchard-Séguin: Isaac Lake (part of the Bowron Lake canoe circuit in BC)
Dan Dechaine: a picture I took in September of this year on Dougherty Lake, north of Sudbury Ontario, while out canoeing camping.
Marie-Hélène Lecault: Center Fall, Temagami
Dawn Langtry: This picture was taken during a break on Bridal Veil Falls portage on Lady Evelyn River within the Temagami Provincial Parks Cluster.
Bill Poort: Campsite on Greenbush lake near Pickle lake
Wayne Gilbert: Gotcha Day at Swift Canoe & Kayak
Fiona Burdon: June 9, 2024 at Massasauga Provincial Park, in Blackstone Harbour. It had been a very windy, cold and cloudy 3 days. Coming back into the Harbour to camp on our final night near the takeout, the sunset was brilliant.
Will Minnery: Solo trip through Lady Evelyn River. Temagami Maple Mountain sunset .
Marc LeRiche: Phillip Edward Island
Daniel LeBlanc: a picture from a weekend outing in Algonquin this past August. My brother and I got away from the city with Herkimer (my canoe, who doesn't name their canoe). This picture is on Mink Lake where we were treated with a great end of August sunset.
Jason Pynenburg: We spotted this canoe out to get a drink in the lake. Very rare sighting in Algonquin Park Clydegale Lake
Greg Gungner: Backcountry paddle is Quetico Provincial Park. with my favourite tripping crew.
M. Amaral: Avoiding disaster on the Bird River in Manitoba
Angela Rowan: Sisseney Lake, Ontario
Meghan Allum: Dagger Lake in Dividing Lake Provincial Park
Steve Bobrowicz: a foggy morning at the Dog Lake Scout Cabin near Thunder Bay. We took our Scout Troop out to our water access cabin at the end of September; we never figured that the first weekend of fall would end up being the best weekend of the summer!
Dustin Carey: My brother and I running a large ledge on the Lower Madawaska during high water. Big waves, big fun!
Kiley Elmer: Kingsmere Lake in Prince Albert National Park
LamLam Cheung: 2024 Canada Day long weekend tripping in South Saskatchewan river. Borden Bridge to Fort Carlton Provincial Park. 3 days, 2 nights.
Karen Cook: our canoe sitting on our favourite spot/beach in Kejimkujik National Park
Stephanie Kolody: An evening fishing on the Lily-Bagwa canoe route in Prince Albert National Park. One word… Paradise.
Stefan Amaral: This photo was taken during a 6 day trip in the back country of North West Ontario, near the Manitoba border, in an unnamed lake.
After 4 days of canoeing and portaging, we found ourselves at an impassible portage, so we pulled over to check our maps for alternate route.
The surroundings were completely still and the feeling peaceful. The fallen deadwood's and Canadian shield created for an ominous underwater scene.
Steve P: My father and I warming our feet by the fire under the tarp in the rain at dusk. Chute à l' Ours on the Coulonge River, PQ. Late August.
Marianne Balkwill: Big Trout Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park
Kennedy Beaulac: Tatham Lake, Saskatchewan
Greg Thomas: Golden-hour shot of my daughter Magdalen on a Nemeiben Lake Island
Ben Sanford: Peskawa lake portage site and site 32 beach in Kejimkujik Backcountry
Sue Sheppard: If you haven't tried a hot tent canoe trip, here's your sign to go try it. Waking up on a cool frosty morning with the stove going in the tent is just an amazing feeling, plus we had the entire lake to ourselves. 🛶😍
Cass Pellerin: Paddling the Black River within Ron Reid Nature Reserve in Kawartha Lakes
Audrée Knudsen:
Powell Jones: Taken on Upper Waterfowl Lake Alberta
Debrah Shiozaki: Twin Lakes, AB
Jim Durnford: Taken on Ghost Lake accessed from lake Minnewanka Aug
Greg McGlone: Mountain River NWT. In photo 1422 the canyon height (canyon #5) is depicted as a tandem canoe is entering at its base. It was the only way to try to show the magnitude of the canyons!
@Atlantic Outdoors on Facebook: Kinsac Lake, Nova Scotia
Eugene Ulmer: Approaching Battleship Rock Canyon on the Mountain River NWT
Laura MacKay: Yukon River
Linda Tobler:
Canoe Head: So many favorites this year but I had to go with the full double rainbow from LaCloche Lake. So xrare and spectacular
Chelsea LeBlanc: Wicksteed Lake, Marten River ON
James Jin: taken on June 18th. It is a still morning on Burnt Island Lake in Algonquin Park.
Bob Jackson: the campsite at Rainbow Falls on Azure Lake in Wells Gray Park
Sandra Smith: Bowron Lakes, B.C.
Peter Albano: a photo of my son carrying all our gear for a portage. This was taken at Champion Lakes Park in BC. I call him the "Portage Ninja!".
Taylor Bachrach: an overnight my wife Michelle and I did on the Kasiks River, a tributary of the lower Skeena between Terrace and Prince Rupert.
JT Flegg: picture of my wife paddling at Nahatlatch lake in BC
Jo.Explore on Instagram: Canot-camping in the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, Quebec. Reaching our final destination after three portages.
Ericfwoodley on Instagram: Not a top of the line brand or material, small and covered in scratches but this little marketplace buy has gotten me to some cool places this year.
Watercraft open up a whole different world of exploring with the added comfort of carrying a few more luxuries that otherwise would be a nightmare to hike in.
Tony Devlin: we took a group of youth on a 5-day voyageur canoe trip on the mighty Mackenzie River from Tsiigehtchic to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories. Most were first-time paddlers.
Eric Boymans: Jordan's Lake in Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park
Lori Waldbrook: Taken on Cox Creek in Kawartha Highlands! Says it all about packboats- big smile and easy up and over the beaver dams!
Amber Coldwell: Paddling Lillooet Lake in July 2024 with our pug, Dolly
Philip Boymans: This was 3 person, 4 day portage trip in Jordan’s lake in the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands.
Jackie Bland: Enderby Cliffs overlooking the Shuswap River near Enderby BC on a solo paddle.
Luca: Full sail on a windy afternoon in la Verendrye, September
Cindy Bartoli: I can't decide whether to call this "Island in the Sky" or "Days Like This". This perfect island reflection - with the photobombing nose of my Swift Pack 12.6 - was taken on Long Lake in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park on an absolutely perfect paddling day.
Canoe_Ideas on Twitter: Secret fishing spot, Algonquin Park. I could tell you but... @girlwhopaddles actually had two bass on at the same time. There is video evidence.
Simone Chen: a trip at grand lac Victoria this summer, entitled Fishing at sunset on the catamaran. (we rigged up our two canoes together).
Ryan Woodsworth: This photo was taken by my wife (Jessica) of my son (James) and I (Ryan) on our first little father son paddle. It was taken on Big Dam Lake in Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia while we were on our first family backcountry camping trip this September.
Tina McAuley: Algonquin on the Pen Lake portage off of Rock Lake
Erika Momeyer: Paddling trip during the Aurora Arrow Lake, British Columbia.
Britt Rosin: Clearwater Lake in Wells Gray Provincial Park, August. It was fantastic to be back on the water after a few years away.
Evangeline Mumford: Deer Lake, I love going for a morning paddle. It’s the prettiest spot around.
Sarah Kotsopoulos: Great weekend on Opeongo Lake!
John Mumford: This is a picture of my outdoorsy 14 year old daughter and I out enjoying the calm water and beautiful sky on Jordan lake in Highlands East this past August.
Doug Roberts: First solo trip, Taking a much needed break on Pardee Lake in Algonquin Park. So peaceful...
Stephanie Rider: Islet Lake, Algonquin. This summer I got the chance to take my parents into the backcountry of Algonquin. The last time they were in the backcountry was 30 years ago! Pictured is our campfire on the second night as my parents reminisced about their adventures before I was born and enjoyed some more modern camping gear. A trip that will be talked about for years to come.
Erica Philip: canoeing along the Madawaska River in Ontario
Sara Mills: taken on a beautiful calm morning on Rock Lake earlier this fall.
Luz Meyer: beautiful Clearwater Lake in may. Early season lovely-ness!
Kathy Turner: a group trip on the Wind River, Yukon, August 2024. We were dropped off by a float plane for 17 days and 16 nights and then picked up by Float Plane once we got to our destination on the Peel River. So many pictures to choose from!
Doug Doyle: This is Lanezi lake. One of the Bowron lakes canoe circuit. We live in Quesnel, BC so we are blessed with this world renowned chain of lakes right in our back yard!
Megan Doyle: This photo is from July 2024 Just before all the Jasper fires. We did a day trip to Spirit Island. 32km Round trip! The first big paddle for Edward (Dog).
It was a beautiful day and the weather and scenery was epic as you can see! Love to be Canadian in our beautiful backyard!
Marissa Trepanier:
Ted Heagle: Here is a photo of our annual Father's Day trip. This is on Anstruther Lake in Kawartha Highlands. Maggie pointing the way to Levon
