Superior | 11 Day Canoe Trip on the Great Lakes' Wildest Coast

Join us on an 11 day, 225 km canoe trip through the Canadian wilderness along Lake Superior’s northern shoreline. This is the most remote stretch of coastline in all the Great Lakes with no access points between our put-in at Pukaskwa National Park and our take-out at Michipicoten, Ontario.
Superior is the world’s largest lake by surface area. It’s so large it creates its own climate and is even effected by mini tides called seiches. The weather can be unpredictable and can change with little warning. In addition to the remoteness and weather, the average water temperature year-round is only 4C (39F), which adds additional safety elements to our trip.
Paddling Superior is somewhat equivalent to paddling on the ocean. This will be a new challenge for us - one we’ve spent years preparing and building up to! Join us for the ride, I hope you enjoy!
Trip Date: May 18 - May 29, 2024
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#beyondthetreeline #canoetrip #paddling #ontario #canada #lakesuperior #pukaskwanationalpark #crownland #camping #wilderness #adventure #novacraft

[@jimhanson7476]

What a beautiful time spent with a great friend, truly enjoyed every minute.. well done boys..

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@jimhanson7476 thank you! It really was. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@carriann3725]

Hello from Ohio. Never realized how Beautiful Lake Superior is. Thank you so much for this relaxing video. Thank you for the beautiful footage and for taking us with you. 🛶🏕️🤗💖

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@carriann3725 thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. Superior is gorgeous! Glad you could follow along the journey with us. From Ohio you’re not too far from Superior, if you ever get a chance to get up there I’d highly recommend it :) On our way back we spent a bit of time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and explored Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Definitely worth the visit!

[@daveenyart]

Stunning. Extraordinary adventure. I'm a veteran of the BWCA and have considered a Lake Superior trip....for maybe five minutes. Well done you two!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@daveenyart thank you! It really was an incredible experience. Honestly it was doing lots of BWCA trips and driving up the north shore that got me seriously thinking about Superior. I love the BWCA! It’s a place that keeps me coming back time and time again. If you ever get the chance to do Superior it was totally worth it!

[@almeadows8277]

My wife and I did this whole route back in the 80s in an Old Town Tripper. It took us ten days, but we were stuck on the Julia River beach for three days. On the last day, we covered 36 miles, getting up early to round Point Isacor. We came back a couple years later and paddled from Hattie Cove to the mouth of the Pukaskwa and back in an 18’ Chestnut wood & canvas. We saw virtually no one else on either trip. It’s a beautiful part of the lake.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@almeadows8277 wow that’s amazing! Both those trips sound phenomenal. That last day would have been so long! We were wiped after doing just that to our camp at McCoy’s Harbour. I love the idea of going back and just spending more time exploring the coast in Pukaskwa, maybe doing something like you did the second time. That sounds amazing!

[@almeadows8277]

@@Beyond_The_Treeline We left Pilot Harbor at 4:30 AM and made it to the mouth of the University or Dog River by 11 where we enjoyed a long lunch and rest. It was sunny and beautiful with a light following breeze, so we decided to keep going. When we hit the beach at Michipicoten Bay, some young fellows gave us a beer and a ride into town to get the truck. In retrospect, I’m glad we pushed it, because the weather turned sour again next day.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@almeadows8277 wow that’s amazing! Yea that’s one thing we learned quick: when the weather was good, paddle. You never know what you’ll get tomorrow haha.

[@almeadows8277]

@@Beyond_The_TreelineI just finished watching this. Thank you for posting it as it brought back a lot of memories. One anecdote was that we met two men and a woman in another canoe one day. One of the fellows had been in the 1967 Canadian Centennial Canoe Race from Rocky Mountain House AB to Montreal. They raced 26” replica voyageur canoes. This fellow wasn’t very tall, but had an envious set of shoulders. He told us that, during the race, they covered your whole route in one day! Imagine!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@almeadows8277 whoa! That’s amazing! Yea I’ve been a hobby historian of the fur trade for several years and the distances they would cover are just downright impressive. So to see a group doing that today in a similar style would be absolutely incredible! I bet they had some crazy stories. Rocky Mountain House to Montreal is quite the trek! Thanks for sharing. I’m glad the video brought back some good memories. I really enjoy connecting with people over these places. So thanks for having a conversation around it!

[@michaelpagelaramee7757]

Loved the video. Your comments at the beginning and ending are both insightful and moving. Also, just the right amount of narration and dialog. The variety of filming techniques kept me interested in this longer piece. It would be hard to wait 4 weeks to see all of the trip if you only offered one part per week. I look forward to your next work of art!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@michaelpagelaramee7757 thank you! I’m glad that’s how you felt about it. I love the feedback! I think I really like the full video style. Episodes are fun to make because I can look at the trip in bite size chunks, but this was better I think as a full video and I like that. Probably will stick with that. I’ve been trying to get better at variety of filming too, so I’m glad that came across! Thank you! I have more trips in the works this year so I hope to get better with each one I try to tell a story for. Thanks for the comment!

[@ecclesiamilitante6880]

I would imagine that stretch of coast because of its remoteness would be fantastic fishing. Great supplement of protein. I understand with all the camping gear it might have been a challenge to keep the fishing tackle organized. It has it's own natural beauty for sure and the water is so clean. Great accomplishment!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@ecclesiamilitante6880 I’m sure it would be! I went back and forth on if I’d try to fish or not, but ultimately with not knowing the coastline and what challenges it would have, along with trying to film everything, I decided to save the fishing for another time. Would love to spend more time up there and do some fishing though. Thank you!

[@daveysdash]

What a great story, combined with a great edit. Thanks for sharing your Dash!!! - Davey

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@daveysdash thank you Davey! That’s a nice compliment. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

[@carriann3725]

After a few stressful days at work, your video is a great way to unwind and enjoy my day off. Thank you for taking us with you on your camping , water adventure. 🌳🛶🏕️💖🤗

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@carriann3725 I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and for the nice comment :)

[@fly4u-trt]

Thank you for taking the time to film your paddling trip.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@fly4u-trt thank you for appreciating it! I hope you enjoyed it. I love being able to share the adventures :)

[@carolguezen5829]

Your videos and commentary are remarkable…drawing your viewers into your adventure! Great job an keep it up!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@carolguezen5829 thank you! That was the hope! I love being able to bring people along through the video and giving a picture of what it was like. So thank you for sharing that!

[@whooptydj]

Really enjoyed this. Thanks!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@whooptydj I’m glad you did! Thank you!

[@fireflyrocks1]

Very well done. Thanks for making and posting this nice video.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@fireflyrocks1 thank you! I love being able to share these adventures, so I’m glad you enjoyed watching!

[@DanielVeazey]

Another great movie, felt like I was there.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@DanielVeazey thanks! Glad you enjoyed this one too!

[@maximbudnick]

Nice man! Beautiful work so far what i have seen! I was wondering about you guys and how your trip went. Really nice to run into you 🙂

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@maximbudnick thanks man! I appreciate it 😊 Really great meeting you guys too! We had a lot of fun hanging with you by the fire that evening. Been watching your Dog River trip and it looked absolutely incredible! Well done on that. Can’t wait for more!

[@bonpecheur4565]

Beautifully filmed and narrated , one of the best canoe trip on lake Superior I have seen on KZbin with those of Jon of " Lost lakes " . Its too bad you guys didnt do any fishing along the way ... Thanks for sharing , awesome video !

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@bonpecheur4565 thank you! That’s a big complement. I love watching Jon’s videos too. His Superior trips gave me a lot of perspective and good information leading up to this trip. I know! I kinda wish we had done some fishing because I bet it would have been incredible. There were so many things I wanted to focus on for this trip and unfortunately fishing got the short end of the stick. Glad you liked the video! Thanks for the comment!

[@sarahkathleen3231]

Im so glad i came across your videos literally a few days ago. I have a '15 Subaru Forester and i just built a sleeping pad for my back seats 2 weeks ago so i can go on long car camping trips. Just waiting for the window screens to come in. Its so interesting to see how you set up your Subaru for car camping. Great videos too!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@sarahkathleen3231 thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yea mine is a ‘15 also, great car! I love the bed setup in the back. Found some designs online and kinda added my own tweaks. It’s such a great addition for long road trips. You’ll have fun with it :) Thanks for watching!

[@looking4leasuretime]

Super Cool. Thanks for sharing. I also like you canoe cover. Cheers

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@looking4leasuretime thanks! Glad you liked it. Thanks for the comment! Yea those Northwater spray decks are amazing. Definitely glad we had it.

[@oldsmugglerflyfishing]

Awesome adventure!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@oldsmugglerflyfishing It was! Thanks for watching along!

[@bethcook1576]

Great trip. Superior's weather is notorious

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@bethcook1576 thanks! Yea it really is.

[@ScarletKnightmare]

Just subscribed. Loved the video and I think this channel is going places!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@ScarletKnightmare thank you! I’m glad you are enjoying the videos. Thanks for the kind words!

[@jobmanuelnogueraperez7889]

El gran lago superior, en verano las aguas deben estar frias, debe tener un clima cambiante. Excelente viaje en canoa 🛶.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@jobmanuelnogueraperez7889 it was definitely colder up there, but a great trip! Thank you for watching, I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@michaelbroyer3918]

Well done adventure.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@michaelbroyer3918 thank you!

[@iCanoe_]

Well, that looked like an amazing trip! I can tell that you spent a lot of time filming and setting up your shots. That is definitely a lot of extra work on a trip like this. Good for you for taking the time to do it! Well done! 👍

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@iCanoe_ thank you! It really was a great trip. Filming definitely is a lot of work but rewarding to be able to tell the story. I find filming brings me into the small moments of the trip too in a different way. Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment!

[@thepeacerunners]

Epic journey Bud and great filmmaking! I enjoyed this greatly...just subscribed...look forward to watching your films...well done

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@thepeacerunners thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel. Got plenty more trips on the books, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more as they come! Thanks for the kind words :)

[@kimduran8891]

Great video!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@kimduran8891 thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@decoeric]

WOW, what a beautiful video and amazing adventure. You are an amazing story teller. Thanks for the video. Living in Minnesota I am lucky to be only two hours from Superior and three hours to the BWCA.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@decoeric thanks! So glad you enjoyed it. I’d love to live closer to Superior. That whole region is one of my favorite places on earth!

[@Axe_North]

nice trip!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@Axe_North thank you!

[@notquiteultralight1701]

This was really amazing there gentlemen! Great views, drone footage and just wilderness! I saw a couple spots you could hang a couple hammocks on the ramparts!😂. In all seriousness this was truly amazing! I really really like that jute twine fire lighter. I’ve seen a couple entity’s selling those. All joking aside, have you considered a hammock setup at any point? My last backpacking trip it rained probly 4” in 3 days and I was so glad to have my ddhammock setup. I hung out and watched Netflix while it raged outside. Anyway!!! Cool watch dudes! Take care. NQU

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@notquiteultralight1701 thanks man! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words. lol 😂 What a view that would have been to wake up to! Haha. Yea actually I used to exclusively backpack with a hammock. I loved it! Still do, but at some point I got a decent ground sleep system and I’ve just stuck recently. I actually rigged up a hammock in my dorm room in college and slept in it for 4 years haha. So I love hammocks and should probably incorporate them more again. Especially like you said for those rainy days! That’s when I feel like they really shine. No worrying about having water pool under your tent and getting you all wet. Also! You recommended the twig stove to me didn’t you? I ended up getting one that you recommended! Totally brought it on this trip and meant to use it, but it just always worked out that we built a fire and it was cold enough to justify cooking over it instead. So I’m dying to actually use it! I hope I can incorporate it into one of these trips soon because it’s such a fun piece of kit! I tried it out in the back yard and it’s great. That fire wick I used is also amazing, so would highly recommend. This is the first time I’ve used it and it made lighting a fire so easy!

[@VonLigenstein]

LOL you boys were lucky, I remember about a decade ago when You'd 'ave been battling mini icebergs... I swam in The Alantic Ocean, And I have swam in superior... O swear the ocean is warmer.... Why did you stop by wawa, ya should have kept comming down to the Soo ( Sault Ste. Marie ) Cuz that stretch is where you get all the awesome sandy beaches .... Stop off at Pancake bay for, well duhh... then travel about 20 km south to Chipawewa falls, which is apparently the mid point of trave;;ing across Canada by land ( The Trans Canada Highway)... Bring your fishing rods next time. The nest cooked stek is Camping steak, I miss camping cooking, but yeak notyhing tastes better than a slab of meat cooked on coals no propane or other gasses, add some birch smoke, or pine smoke, Oak or Maple... or heck just throw a log of each in the pit stir them coals around... finger lickin good, just watch out for those dirty trash Panadas... too many people ( Tourist) feed the wildlife, which is dangerous cuz now the willife expects it and can/will come real close Nice shot of the moose... looked like a little fellow... hard to tell on vid... still looks bigger in real life though ... EH Yeah the onkly thing thats sucks about the area is in the spring you battle the blackflies, up your nose in your eyes, or summer time when you battle Deer flies, or worse yet those Horseflies... why do they call 'em horse flies, Cuz I Betcha a horse could step on them and theu'd still fly away, and its not a simple poke like a mosquito ... ih know you'll know and be eemindded for days... I Remeber may yeah that must have been a 'fun' trip... its been a little cooler/wet this year I was surprised waves werent that big... tobad you did't get any to see any lightn\ing show or the Auroras ...( Northern Lights) Next year fer sure , eh... :) Take are...eh... Oh do you have a campfire cooking cookbook? u should start one esearch the wilderness you are in and incorporae some of the local plantlife in your meals... lol that stupid bird ( Grouse) looked mighty tasty

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@VonLigenstein I love this comment! LOL, your matter-of-factness is getting me! It’s all so true! Yea it crazy how much warmer it is around Superior now than it was. This year was impacted a lot by El Niño, but still, it seems like less and less of the lake is freezing over each year. Still cold though! On our way back we drove that whole coast from Wawa to the Soo and it looked incredible! No joke we were talking about how we need to come back and paddle that stretch next. We stopped and did a couple hikes in Superior Provincial Park on the way down and it was stunning. Definitely want to go explore more up there. Oh boy, you got me wishing I was cooking on an open fire right now! I want to get more creative with my camp cooking. That’s something I’ve been playing with little bits over time. I should pick up a camp cook book sometime! I’ll have to bring the fishing pole next time for sure. And I’d love to get more familiar with the plant life to incorporate into the food too. That grouse did look good haha. I was thinking that the whole time I was filming him lol 😂 And yea, we were really hoping for some Aurora but just had so many clouds at night that we never did catch them. Next time for sure! Thanks for watching and for the comment!

[@user-to1to7ck8v]

I really enjoyed this video ❤ I love lake superior, it's just beautiful everywhere you look. It was good to see the respect you gave the lake bcuz it can be a dangerous paddle if you don't pay attention. Thanks so much for taking me along 😊

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@user-to1to7ck8v thanks for watching! I’m so glad you enjoyed the video. It definitely can. I’d say we had a good dose of respect before the trip, but that respect went up A LOT after getting on the water. Learned a lot and fell even more in love with that area. Glad we could bring you along :)

[@rosemarieleslie2434]

This is amazing!!!! A great adventure and wonderful videography. A tip for next time If you are trying to increase your engagement and views- cut this video in 4 installments and release one each week! Can’t wait to see your next video

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@rosemarieleslie2434 thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊 Great idea. I seriously debated doing several episodes and releasing them over a couple weeks, so I might have to do that next time. It was certainly long enough to! Thanks, I’ll keep the videos coming!

[@freyhollywood8386]

👍👍

[@hovlandbound]

Hi and thanks for the absolutely stunning video. Great job!! My wife and I watched the entire video this morning. We have a special spot in our hearts for the north shore of Lake Superior. We have a cabin close to the Canadian border in Mn. off of highway 61 in Hovland on the lake. You probably drove by it. :) But wow, your video is very well put together and some great shots. You put some time into making it and it turned out great. Did you boil your water? I didn’t see you use a filter. Once again, great job and what an achievement!!! Congratulations!!

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@hovlandbound thanks! So glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, I know that drive up the north shore well! I probably drive past your cabin a lot when I head into the BWCA :) We definitely share a love for that north shore of Superior then. It’s one of my favorite places on earth. Yes we did have a filter, I just didn’t get many shots of it. We use a Platypus gravity filter. But for cooking we just always boiled. Thanks for watching and for the comment!

[@CanadianSledDog]

Your intro has an uncanny similarity to the call of Superior that rings in my own ears. First impression: it looks like you're paddling on the ocean, like where I canoe fish on the Northumberland at River Philip! Only a billion times prettier.

[@Beyond_The_Treeline]

@@CanadianSledDog it’s a compelling call! It’s hard to put to words, so I’m glad you understand the feel and sound of it too. There something about that lake that I know will keep me coming back. That’s awesome! The Superior coastline truly feels like an ocean. And it’s by far one of the prettiest places I’ve ever seen too!

[@user-xs7jv3mk1y]

Tired of watching you land your canoe, launch your canoe, set up your tent, pack your tent, start your fire, boil some water, cook and eat your food. Boring.

[@alexandervalaris72]

That's why I don't watch Kent survival anymore all he does is cook

[@daveenyart]

I can't believe anyone would say that. You missed the point and just don't get it.