Last July, I watched the sunrise paint the limestone cliffs of the St. Croix River gold while paddling my fishing kayak through glass-calm water near Taylors Falls. A bald eagle swooped down 20 feet from my bow, snatching a smallmouth bass from the surface. That moment – just 45 minutes from Minneapolis – reminded me […]

Last September, I was paddling the Upper Iowa River when a fellow kayaker from Chicago pulled up beside me at Chimney Rock. "I had no idea Iowa looked like this," he said, staring up at the 300-foot limestone palisades. "I thought it was all corn fields." I hear that a lot. After 20 years of […]

Introduction Last summer, I paddled the Pembina River just as the sun broke through the morning mist, and I'll never forget how the water looked like liquid glass between those towering valley walls. North Dakota might not be the first place that comes to mind for kayaking adventures, but after spending three months exploring every […]

The morning mist was still clinging to the Susquehanna River when I launched my kayak from the Shady Nook access point last October. As my paddle cut through the glass-smooth water, a bald eagle soared overhead – just another typical morning of kayaking in Pennsylvania. After 15 years of paddling every major waterway from Lake […]

Last July, I paddled out from Edgewater Beach just as the sun was painting Cleveland's skyline gold. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gleamed in the distance while freighters cruised past, their wakes gently rocking my kayak. That's when it hit me – Cleveland might just be one of the most underrated kayaking destinations […]

Last summer in Milford Sound, my paddle blade sliced through water so still it mirrored the 5,000-foot cliffs above. A fur seal popped up next to my kayak, rolled onto its back, and stared at me like I'd invaded its living room. That's when it hit me – after paddling in 47 countries, I'd finally […]

The crack of glacier ice hitting water echoed across the bay like thunder. My paddle froze mid-stroke as a house-sized chunk of Aialik Glacier crashed into the sea, sending waves rippling toward my kayak. After two decades of paddling from Texas to Tasmania, nothing prepared me for the raw power of kayaking in Alaska. Last […]

Last spring, I found myself floating through a slot canyon on Lake Powell, my kayak dwarfed by 200-foot sandstone walls that glowed orange in the morning light. A great blue heron startled from a hidden alcove, its wings casting shadows on water so still it looked like glass. That's when it hit me – Utah […]

The first time I paddled into a Louisiana cypress swamp, I knew I'd found something special. It was early morning on Lake Martin, just outside Lafayette, and the mist was so thick I could barely see 20 feet ahead. Then, as if someone had pulled back a curtain, the fog lifted to reveal a cathedral […]

Last spring, I found myself completely lost in the maze-like channels of the Potholes at Indian River Bay. My GPS showed I was maybe 200 yards from my launch point, but with the winding waterways and identical-looking marsh grass, I might as well have been on another planet. Then a great blue heron lifted off […]