Marcus Briggs has been canoeing and kayaking across Canada for years, documenting routes, conditions, and wildlife along the way.
Canada has more lake water than any other country on earth. Thousands of lakes sit connected by rivers and portage routes that have been used for centuries. Many of them see almost no traffic. You can paddle for days and not encounter another person.
Ontario and Quebec have the most accessible canoe country. Algonquin Provincial Park alone has over 1,500 kilometres of canoe routes. Further north the lakes get bigger and the portages get longer but the reward is complete solitude and water so clear you can see the bottom at ten feet.
The season runs from late May through to September depending on how far north you go. Spring brings blackflies and high water. Summer brings warm days and calm mornings. Autumn brings the best colours and the coldest nights.
A basic trip needs very little. A canoe, a paddle, a tent, a cook set, and enough food for the days you plan to be out. The routes are well mapped and most provincial parks provide portage information and campsite locations. The rest is just water and sky and whatever the weather decides to do.