The Nahanni River had been on my Dad’s bucket list ever since he was in Boy Scouts – his troop name was “Nahanni” and he was immediately interested in the river. Fast forward a couple of decades and we were able to make a Nahanni River canoe trip a reality. We chose the Black Feather Nahanni Classic, which starts in Rabbitkettle Lake (Gahnîhthah Mįe in Dene language), which is only accessible by float plane, and ends in Nahanni Butte – with 14 days and 337 km of paddling in between! One of the most unexpected parts of our trip on the Nahanni River was the amount of hiking we could do. Yes, it ..read more

Across the San Francisco Bay Area, there is one state park that rises above the rest – both physically and metaphorically – and that’s Mount Diablo. Mount Diablo is the highest peak in the San Francisco Bay Area, standing at 3,849 ft tall. Most of the park’s visitors come for the day to do some hiking or check out the vistas. To those who can land a reservation, however, Mount Diablo camping is simply wonderful. Despite Mount Diablo being such a popular park, there were a few pieces of information I couldn’t find online that would have been really helpful to know before I started camping in Mo ..read more

Frontenac Provincial Park is an excellent destination for camping – specifically for a backpacking trip. There are tons of trails in the park, all of which intersect in different ways to create a network of route possibilities. In this post, I’ll walk you through the basics of Frontenac Provincial Park camping – the permits, the access points, the campsites, and most importantly, some route ideas. All of the route ideas have a full trip report and map to go along with them. If you want to jump straight to the trip reports, you can find all of the Frontenac Provincial Park trip reports here. We ..read more

If you think the Vancouver – Whistler area is only good for hiking and skiing, you may be surprised that it has WAY more to offer than that. I’ve previously written about activities like whitewater rafting, snowmobiling, and zip-lining – activities that get you outside, but in new and engaging ways. Well, the Via Ferrata Whistler experience is no different. Not only will you reach the top of Whistler Peak, surrounded by one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world, but you’ll do so in an exciting (but also safe and accessible) way. In this blog post, I’ll share my experience on this ..read more

I moved to San Francisco almost two years ago. Prior to the pandemic, I lived in Toronto, Canada and although camping was a core tenant of my personality, all of the camping was 3-5 hours away. Well, you can imagine my delight when I realized just how the amount of amazing camping near San Francisco. In the post, I’ll introduce you to my favorite campgrounds near San Francisco. There’s a mix between car camping sites, short hike-in sites and full-on backpacking sites. Unless stated otherwise, I’ve personally been to every destination on this list. Thus, I’ve included my tips and recommendation ..read more

If you’re looking for outdoor adventures like wildlife spotting, paddling and hiking near Kingston, I have the destination for you. And unlike Algonquin, it’s not going to involve 1) 3+ hours of driving, 2) huge crowds of people, or 3) various fees and permits. Look no further than the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. With hundreds of lakes, thousands of islands and a provincial park, the Frontenac Arch Biosphere is a FABulous destination for outdoor adventurers alike (pun intended, sorry). In this post, I’m going to introduce you to the unique and ecologically significant region that makes up the Fr ..read more

Hawaii and its Garden Isle have long been on my budget list. There are tons of long lists of things to do in Kauai scattered across the internet. Some of the activities mentioned on these lists seemed like no-brainers (like going on a ridge hike) while others seemed like filler (like visiting a garden… the whole island is a garden!). So after much research and spending time in Kauai, I’ve arrived at a list of worthwhile activities to do on your Kauai trip. I’ve divided them into three categories: Must Do, Should Do and Could Do activities in Kauai. The Must Do’s are the activities I most recom ..read more

When we can’t actually get away from work or school to travel and explore, we satisfy our wanderlust with the adventures of others. I, for one, love reading outdoor adventure books. If it takes place on a river or mountain, perfect. If it’s a true story or memoir, even better. Continue reading for, what I believe, to be the best outdoor adventure books. And why not forward this post to your adventure buddies? Choose a book and start an outdoor adventure book club! 22 Must-Read Outdoor Adventure Books Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage By Alfred Lansing This is the 22nd book to be added ..read more

Hello friends! With summer on its way, it’s time to start planning canoe trips for the upcoming season. To help you plan some incredible canoe trips, I’ve put together a list of resources I use to find canoe routes. Some are great for planning specific itineraries (canoe trip maps and trip reports), while others are better for inspiration (Youtube). Some are great for answering specific questions (Facebook groups) and others are good for planning logistics (outfitters). All in all, I hope these resources set on the path to planning an amazing canoe trip! In this post, I’ve included details on ..read more

Trip Log is a blog series where I rip a metaphorical page out of my trip journal and get a little personal. I’m answering your questions, sharing stories and voicing opinions about the great outdoors. You can subscribe to Trip Log by filling out the form at the bottom of the page. Have a question? Send me a message. Never again will I criticize Ontario for being flat. It was my third and final day hiking the Highland Backpacking Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park, and the hills were relentless. Impossibly steep with a seemingly endless supply of ups and downs, my hiking motto echoed in my ..read more