Keewaydin Club – Adult Trips
Camping, canoeing, and fishing in the Canadian Woods.
Open to Keewaydin alumni, parents, Ojibway guests, and anyone who is ready to experience a Keewaydin canoe trip.
2024 offerings listed below. Please be sure to read our participation expectations before registering.
For men and women, offerings may include local destinations, seeking out prime fishing spots, secret lakes, and cooling waterfalls. We also plan to navigate some kilometers of historic and beautiful rivers Keewaydin has traveled over the last 128 years.
For Temagami area trips, most trippers begin their adventure by arriving in the early evening, with 2 nights at Devil’s Island, providing time to acclimate, and jump into learning or remembering tripping skills, paddling, and portaging gear. On the second morning, trip staff will ready the crew for their canoe trip, paddling away from the main dock after a belly-filling Keewaydin breakfast. Following your trip, upon your return, and a hearty Keewaydin cheer, trippers can take a hot shower, and enjoy cocktails and dinner.
As the sun dips on the western horizon, Keewaydin’s tradition of trippers sharing stories around a fire is an essential and wonderful finale for a life-changing event. We are confident you will have some wonderful and likely comical stories to share! The next morning, after one last perfect sleep under the Canadian sky, trippers will head home after breakfast.
Why join us? Because…
Keewaydin Club adult trips provide the opportunity to hit the reset button by immersing oneself in the beautiful paddling of the Temagami region, cooking over an open fire, taking in the beauty of the tall pines and clean water, and SLOWING down. Trippers embrace the Keewaydin Way and feel the support and guidance of our veteran Keewaydin staff as you learn new or regain old skills, form connections, unplug, grow stronger, face challenges, build resilience and adapt and learn. Most trips are open to all abilities and will be strenuous at times. Note: This program is different from our “Ojibway Club Trip” program which is more self-designed and independent in nature.
Expectations for trippers include:
Being in good health, being physically able to be a contributing member of the section, and providing us with your up-to-date medical history. The Director of Keewaydin may, if necessary, decline a tripper’s participation if there is a concern for their health and physical ability to participate fully. Once registered for a trip, you will be sent a tripping and health questionnaire.
These trips are open to all abilities but will be strenuous at times. Participants should be able to lift 30-50 pounds, be prepared for physical work, carry things over uneven ground and challenging terrain and be comfortable spending long periods of time on the water. The group will paddle and portage according to the section’s abilities.
2024 Adult Trip Offerings
- 5-Night Temagami region canoe trip – July 31 – August 8: Learn more here… Or register here!
- 10-night Keewaydin’s Outpost and Wabakimi region canoe trip – July 21 – Aug 1: Learn more here…Or register here!
A $500 non-refundable deposit is due upon registration. If the Director cannot accept your registration or has concerns for your physical ability to participate in the trip, then the deposit will be returned. Reach out to the camp director (emily@keewaydin.org) to learn more about the experience.
2024 5-night Temagami region canoe trip:
July 31 – August 8 – Six days / five nights exploring the beauty of Lake Temagami and surrounding waterways, and three nights at the Keewaydin basecamp. Arrive on July 31 and depart on August 8, with one day of in-camp preparations and training
July 31, 5:00 p.m. pick up from Lake Temagami Access Road
August 8, 8:00 a.m. departure from Devil’s Island back to the Lake Temagami Access Road
Open to all skill levels. Maximum of 8 participants. More information below.
Cost: USD $1600 (includes 13% HST)
What’s included:
- Pick up and drop off from Lake Temagami Access Road (free parking area)
- Canoe and camping gear, including PFDs, paddles, first aid kit, emergency satellite phones
- Loaner duffle bags, Duluth packs, tumplines
- Hearty and nutritious meals, including snacks, while on trip
- We can accommodate many food allergies and sensitivities; please let us know
- Comfortable basecamp accommodations in our canvas platform tents, delicious meals in our dining hall, abundant coffee and tea
- Instruction from our guides on Keewaydin tripping skills, paddling, portaging, rolling gear
Itinerary:
This local excursion into the beautiful neighboring lakes off Temagami provides trippers a chance to immerse themselves in a Keewaydin canoe trip. Disconnect from the busy day-to-day life and connect with fellow trippers while tackling the challenges of paddling, portaging, making camp, and cooking over an open fire.
August 1: One full day in camp, learning Keewaydin tripping skills, reviewing clothing with your trip leaders, paddling, and exploring Devil’s Island. Stow away extra gear you won’t need and keep your valuables safe, stored in the Keewaydin office.
August 2-7: Travel for six days and five nights, with opportunities to fish, swim, hike, and explore.
August 7: Upon returning from your trip with a traditional Keewaydin paddle-in, trippers will help unpack trip gear, dry out tents, settle in a platform tent, take a hot shower, and enjoy a low-key afternoon before our evening events. Keewaydin will host a cocktail hour for trippers, followed by dinner and a campfire. Trippers will be invited to share stories from their trip and sing a few Keewaydin camp songs.
August 8: trippers will depart after our 7:30 a.m. breakfast.
What’s NOT included?
- Personal gear including sleeping bag, dry bag, sleeping pad
- Wine or spirits
- Fishing license
- Insurance, including evacuation, medical, and trip cancellation
What do you need to bring?
Essential Gear – Packing for a Keewaydin canoe trip
Booking and cancellation policies:
Before you register, please ensure each participant for whom you will be submitting a deposit payment (including yourself) has carefully reviewed our Safety & Awareness information and our Terms and Conditions before submitting payment.
A $500 non-refundable deposit secures your spot.
The remaining balance is due March 1. We cannot offer a refund for any reason if you cancel your participation.
We strongly encourage you to purchase:
- Emergency Medical/Evacuation Insurance
- Trip Interruption Insurance
- Trip Cancellation Insurance – so that you are covered in an unexpected change of plans.
How do I get to Lake Temagami?
Lake Temagami is approximately 5 hours north of Toronto and 1.5 hours north of North Bay, Ontario. There are rental car services from Toronto—taxi services in North Bay. Or you can drive yourself from your initial starting location.
If you have questions, we are happy to answer them! You can get in touch with Emily Schoelzel, Director at emily@keewaydin.org or 802-352-4709
2024 10-night Keewaydin’s Outpost and Wabakimi region canoe trip:
July 21 – August 1 – 11 days / 10 nights exploring some of the extraordinary territory paddled by Keewaydin’s Outpost sections in the Wabakimi Park region. Participants will arrive and depart from the Thunder Bay International Airport, in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
July 21 – Trippers meet staff at 12:00 pm at the Thunder Bay Airport.
August 1 – Trippers are dropped at Thunder Bay Airport for return flights.
Open to intermediate to advanced paddling levels familiar with Keewaydin’s tripping style.
Maximum of 8 participants. More information below.
Cost: $3220.50 USD per participant (includes 13% HST)
What’s included:
- Pick up and drop off from Thunder Bay Airport
- Train tickets
- Hotel accommodations
- Canoe and camping gear, including PFDs, paddles, first aid kit, emergency satellite phones
- Loaner duffle bags, Duluth packs, tumplines
- Hearty and nutritious meals, including snacks, while on trip
- We can accommodate many food allergies and sensitivities; please let us know
- Comfortable basecamp accommodations in our canvas platform tents, delicious meals in our dining hall, abundant coffee and tea
- Instruction from our guides on Keewaydin tripping skills, paddling, portaging, rolling gear
Itinerary:
This visit to Keewaydin’s Outpost and a tour of classic Outpost rivers and lakes provide trippers a chance to immerse themselves in a Keewaydin canoe trip, disconnect from the busy day-to-day life, and connect with fellow trippers while tackling the challenges of paddling, portaging, making camp, and cooking over an open fire.
July 21: Drive north to Armstrong, ON, to camp for the first night. Prepare to catch the train the next morning.
July 22-31: Catch the 9 a.m. train and hop off at Allanwater Bridge Station. Begin your Keewaydin Outpost trip with a lunch stop at Keewaydin’s Outpost. Travel for ten days with opportunities to fish, swim, and explore memorable lakes along the route. Complete the trip by finishing at a road to meet the shuttle driver.
July 31: trippers will complete their trip and connect with our local shuttle driver. Gear and canoes will be loaded, and the group will drive south to Thunder Bay. Check-in at a local hotel, enjoy one final meal together, and prepare to head home.
August 1: Trip leaders can drop trippers at the airport and then continue their way east, returning to Lake Temagami.
What’s NOT included?
- Personal gear including sleeping bag, dry bag, sleeping pad
- Wine or spirits
- Fishing license
- Insurance, including evacuation, medical, and trip cancellation
What do you need to bring?
Essential Gear – Packing for a Keewaydin canoe trip
Booking and cancellation policies:
Before you register, please ensure each participant for whom you will be submitting a deposit payment (including yourself) has carefully reviewed our Safety & Awareness information and our Terms and Conditions before submitting payment.
A $500 non-refundable deposit secures your spot.
The remaining balance is due March 1. We cannot offer a refund for any reason if you cancel your participation.
We strongly encourage you to purchase:
- Emergency Medical/Evacuation Insurance
- Trip Interruption Insurance
- Trip Cancellation Insurance – so that you are covered in an unexpected change of plans.
How do I get to Thunder Bay, ON?
Thunder Bay International Airport receives international flights and domestic flights. Air Canada, Porter Airlines, WestJet, Bearskin Airlines, and others.
If you have questions, we are happy to answer them! You can get in touch with Emily Schoelzel, Director, at emily@keewaydin.org or 802-352-4709
“The women’s trip was a great way to feel connected with nature, with the amazing women I met, and also with myself. It came at a perfect time in my life where I needed to refocus and balance myself. It did just that.”
Philosophy and Goals
Our philosophy is to offer trips for men and trips for women in the Keewaydin Way while acknowledging that adults travel differently than teenagers within the “way.” The trips are one to two weeks in length, often beginning and ending on Devil’s Island in Lake Temagami for orientation and organization. The shorter trips are for the less experienced canoe tripper who wants to see the Temagami area and experience a canoe trip the way their family and friends have. The longer trips are for experienced canoe trippers and can include river travel; these trips will be more physically challenging. Women are led by women and men are led by men.
The goal of any Adult Trip is for participants to connect with a Keewaydin they do not know personally or reconnect with the camp they attended. The group will become a team, where each member is essential to the group’s success. Through teamwork, a section grows into a cohesive unit, setting and achieving goals together, rather than surviving solely on the strengths of individuals. We hope the trips will foster further growth in self-confidence, strength, leadership, and self-reliance.
In order to achieve the goals mentioned above, the staff strives to help each participant learn:
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- Respect of oneself, others, and the environment
- To improve and master canoeing skills
- To camp for extended periods of time in a wilderness environment
- Decision-making for and with the group (vital to the success of the section)
- Cooking and food preparation skills
- Navigation skills
- To care for and respect Keewaydin equipment
- To recognize the accomplishments that occur over the course of the summer camp season
I am writing to thank Emily and their great staff for the fantastic adult women’s trip I experienced at Temagami. Our Wabimaqua section was fantastic and the staff was so excellent that I wanted to let you know in writing. Sarah Robbins, Lizzie Bourdelais, Maddie McClure, and Sarah Ingersoll were just stellar. These are very strong, impressive, cheerful, knowledgeable leaders. Their teaching, guidance, judgment, and attitudes were exceptional. They were able to judge our skills and our levels of abilities and adapt the trip to us perfectly. It was the right blend of challenge and enjoyment, and we had enough downtime to truly enjoy the wonderful campsites, swimming, sunshine, and delicious food they cooked for us. They taught us a lot, all the while taking on most of the most difficult duties and making them look easy.
We all had a fantastic time, and I know I speak for my fellow trippers in saying that we were both grateful and impressed with the staff’s level of expertise and ability to ‘read’ the group.”