BARE BLUFF PADDLE
SPACE IS LIMITED!
Montreal Falls Kayaking Tour
Montreal Falls Kayaking Tour – 9 Hours
Our showcase Full Day Tour!
*Great for experienced paddlers or those most adventurous looking to sea kayak the Keweenaw Peninsula
*Choose between single or tandem (two-person) sea kayaks – Youth must paddle in tandem with Adult
*Tandem kayaks may be required if weather conditions or kayaker proficiency dictates as this tour requires the ability to paddle up to 15 miles in changing conditions.
*Minimum age/weight noted below in “The Fine Print”
This Lake Superior sea kayak tour is 9 hours long which includes 6.5-7 hours of paddling (with a provided lunch break) and includes up to 15 miles of paddling along some of the Keweenaw Peninsula‘s most dramatic scenery for sea kayaking in Michigan. Participants must have the physical ability and endurance to complete this out and back route, as evacuations in this area are difficult and time consuming at best. Due to its location and east/west orientation, afternoon breezes frequently arise from calm days and it’s not uncommon to have to paddle back into a head wind.
Following a half-hour drive thru the scenic tunnel of trees to the south side of the Keweenaw Peninsula, we’ll arrive at the white sand beach of Bete Gris. After some on-land instruction with your professional guide, we’ll launch into the crystal-clear water of Lake Superior.
We’ll paddle below cliffs that tower 600’ above us and explore sea caves, arches and sea stacks that rise up like pillars from the water. We can visit a historic fishery en route to the mouth of the Montreal River where one of Michigan’s most remote and scenic waterfalls awaits our arrival. Montreal Falls feature multiple waterfalls and the only other way to access the falls is via a 5-mile round trip hike so save your feet and paddle right to it!
We’ll take a lunch break (lunch is included) with an optional short hike to the upper falls to follow.
The testimonial below — from writer Tina Lassen’s feature story in the July 2002 edition of National Geographic Adventure Magazine — perhaps best captures the essence of this Keweenaw Peninsula kayaking tour!
The water of Bete Gris Bay is gin-clear, and sandstone boulders 20 feet below look as they’re just under the surface. I have the uncanny sense that I’m floating on air. We needle through an obstacle course of red-rock boulders and 50-foot sea stacks sprouting trees from the tops-like giant terra-cotta flower pots. Eventually, we arrive at the mouth of the Montreal River, a wall of amber water roiling furiously into the big lake. We ease in as close as we dare, our boats dipping in the froth.
TRIP DETAILS
COST
- $279 Adults
- $199 Youth (15 years and younger)
- Minimum age of 14 and must paddle in tandem with Adult
- LUNCH INCLUDED
- Minimum of 2 participants per tour (please call if you’re traveling solo and want to join existing tour)
Time
- Duration 9 hours
- Daily at 10:00 a.m. – see Book Now Calendar for availability
- Reservations required to guarantee availability
BEST FOR
- Endurance Seekers
- Experienced Paddlers
TRIP INFO
What do I bring sea kayaking?
To ensure your Lake Superior sea kayak adventure is a good experience, we suggest that you bring the following:
- A synthetic top such as polyester, polypropylene or capaline. Fleece is great for cooler days or evenings. Cotton should be avoided.
- Shorts or a swimsuit that a wetsuit can be slipped over.
- Water-shoes or sandals. Participants can choose to go barefoot if they desire. Shoes with laces are not allowed!
- Hat for shade when it’s sunny. Cap for warmth if it’s cool.
- Sunglasses and Sunscreen
- Drinking Water – a pint is sufficient for most.
- Camera – take advantage of the many photo opportunities while on ‘da Big Lake!
- Facemask – please see COVID-19 Response for Sea Kayaking Tours
THE FINE PRINT:
- Safety is always our number one concern and we do everything possible to manage the risks for our clients! Your guides have gone through sea kayak instructor and trip leader training with the American Canoe Association (ACA) on Lake Superior. All of our guides are certified as either Wilderness First Responders (WFR) or in Wilderness First Aid (WFA). Our guides carry two-way VHF marine radios, cell phones (though coverage is sporadic) and a GPS tracking device capable of sending messages and to call for advanced help in an emergency. It’s important to know that we conduct many of our kayak tours in remote and sparsely populated areas with limited or no access to roads and emergency assistance could be distant and time consuming.
- Wetsuits will be provided, and use is mandatory because of Lake Superior’s cold water. Drybags are also available for your use, though participants assume their own risk for damaged or lost goods.
- Age Limits: For Half and Full Day Tours we recommend a minimum age of 13 years-old. If your child is younger and an experienced paddler, we may make an exception to this recommendation – please call to discuss prior to booking.
- Weight/Size Limits: There is a minimum of ~80lbs and a maximum of ~280lbs (per person, not per boat). Kayaks can be size discriminate and having a safe fit is largely dependent upon height and body shape, too. Our largest cockpits are 17 x 33 inches in size and elongated, so one must be able to comfortably fit into this space to have the freedom to get in and out of the cockpit.
- Gratuities for your trip leaders are at your discretion.
- CANCELLATION POLICY: Payments are refundable, minus a 15% cancellation fee, with notice any time prior to ONE WEEK of scheduled activity — otherwise non-refundable unless the optional Trip Protection has been purchased.
- WEATHER POLICY: All tours are subject to rescheduling, alternate destinations or possible cancellations due to wind, wave or other UNSAFE weather conditions. Light to moderate rains, fog or cool weather do not necessarily cancel a tour, though. Customers often find paddling in the rain more enjoyable than they thought, since they are well protected from the elements by the kayak, spray skirt, wetsuit, lifejacket, personal rain jacket and hat, and generate body heat as they paddle. That all said, we will certainly not venture out in a heavy downpour or if thunderstorms are present — and full payments will be refunded if staff determines a weather cancellation.
- TRIP PROTECTION (OPTIONAL): This is a “CANCEL FOR ANY REASON” in-house trip insurance, which covers rentals, tours and shuttles (not lodging). If you subscribe to this option (for $15 per booking – not per person), you understand that it allows you to cancel your rentals, tours and/or shuttles up to 24 hours prior to your scheduled reservation and receive a refund minus a 15% cancellation fee. You understand that Trip Protection is void in cases where a 24 hour notice of cancellation is not provided AND DAY OF CANCELLATIONS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.