Wilderness Explorer
6 Days/5 Nights
Skill Level: Fit with some sea kayaking and backcountry camping experience highly recommended.
For the motivated outdoor explorers we offer this extended adventure. With 6 days to spend in the islands you will likely traverse the entire park, and see too much to put in to words. Outer Islands, wildlife, physical challenge and a rest day to explore one of the larger islands is standard on this longer trip.
$900+tax & fees. (3% National Park Service fee per person) Read our policies prior to booking
Click the button below to find available start dates. Custom dates can be created for groups of 4 or more, with group discounts available. See group reservation details.
Download our Overnight Packing List
A Sample 6 day Wilderness Explorer Itinerary
7:30 a.m. meeting time (we promise to have coffee!)
Your first day starts off with a course in kayak skills and safety. You eat a great lunch. Then we travel to your put-in where you learn to pack your kayak and we head out to our island campsite for the night. Upon arrival you may go for a hike, help set up camp, make a fire, maybe fish... while your guide prepares dinner. Typical dinner fare may include fresh Lake Superior Whitefish, rosemary potatoes, dutch oven brownies, vegetarian stir-fry, or paella, or... (You choose your meal options during registration) Later, hug a mug of hot chocolate while you watch the stars from a cliff outcrop or curl up with a book in your tent.
Day 2 may begin with a morning dip in Lake Superior while Ospreys fish from overhead, time to write in your journal while sipping freshly-ground coffee, or maybe you need a warm up and take a run to the lighthouse to see the sunrise. (Or maybe you just sleep in while your guide fixes breakfast...) Day 2 may include a visit to sea caves, historical lighthouses, great beaches for lunch, and your final destination for the night.
Day 3 on these longer trips day 3 may get you out further in the islands. Devils, Outer, Twin...These are the names of these less-visited islands. You might get to paddle through THE most famous sea caves in the Apostles, or get to hike and explore islands where the view is of the north shore of Lake Superior! Now you're getting into the groove of paddling...
Day 4 starts with another great breakfast such as eggs, sausage, and orange juice. (What? On day 4?) By the forth day you're in the rhythm of the islands. We may have found a great base camp for 2 nights to give us time to explore other islands by day trip without having to break camp and carry all of our gear, or perhaps we've ventured way out to the farthest islands and now need to start making our way back towards the mainland.
Day 5 This morning you may take some time to explore your island by foot, then pack up and begin paddling closer to the mainland so you're within reach of your last day's journey.
Day 6 Your last day will be spent paddling to your take-out, while hopefully viewing some of the near-shore shipwrecks or caves along the way. Your group will be seasoned paddlers ready to embark on the next adventure!