Northwest Voyageur Canoe and Kayak Club Membership Benefits

  1. Safety 

Paddling alone or on unfamiliar water is not recommended.  Once you meet some fellow paddlers, you might decide to do an impromptu day trip and call up some people to see if they want to join you.  Across our membership, most of the rivers in Alberta and many of the lakes have been paddled.  They can share their knowledge and point you to some good resources for planning a trip

 

  1. Training 

Access to introductory training

Access to the Rundle Park Paddling Centre where on our Wednesday Club Nights you can try canoes, kayaks and SUPs including all the gear at no cost. You can practice, meet other members and get some paddling tips from some of our more experienced members

 

  1. Equipment 

The club has a fleet of canoes, white-water kayaks and touring kayaks for rent.  Canoes and white-water kayaks can be rented for $100 per season.  You can also rent on a daily basis for $25 for the first day and $5 for each additional day.  Due to limited quantities, our touring kayaks can't be rented for the season. However the daily rate is the same as the canoes and white-water kayaks. Rentals come with all the required gear (paddles, PFDs, bailer or pump, and throw bags)

 

  1. Trips

Members can participate in any club trip that matches their ability.  Trips vary in length and difficulty with the majority being beginner/novice day or overnight trips on easy local rivers. If you look at the Trips page of our website you can get some more details. Some examples are:

At a beginner/novice level 

•2-3 hour or evening trips on the river through Edmonton. This is a good way to get to see the city and learn about paddling safely on moving water with people who have experience on the river 

•2-3 hour or evening trips on some local lakes such as Islet Lake South east of Sherwood Park

•We often run a July 1 fireworks paddle where we paddle down the river and watch the fireworks from the shore.  No parking hassles, no crowds and a great vantage point 

•Day long trips on the North Saskatchewan such as Devon to Edmonton, Edmonton to Fort Saskatchewan or Fort Saskatchewan to Redwater 

At a novice/intermediate level

As you get some experience and confidence, if you’re interested, you can join the overnight trips that are typically wilderness camping on the riverbank or lake shore. These would be classed as novice/intermediate level. You will need to be self sufficient with your camping gear and food. Some recent novice/intermediate examples are:

•Various stretches of the North Saskatchewan River 

•Various stretches of the Lower Red Deer River downstream of Red Deer

•Various stretches of the Athabasca River

•Stretches of the Pembina River that are beginner white water

•Lakeland Canoe Circuit

•Murtle Lake

•Bowron Lakes Canoe Circuit

At an intermediate/advanced level:

We also have typically one or two trips a year where an intermediate/advanced skill level is required. Some recent examples are: 

•Snake River in the Yukon.  Class II-III white water

•Broughton Archipelago sea kayaking

•Haida Gwaii sea kayaking

•Churchill River System

Most club trips are free other than the occasional camp site fee when we stay in campgrounds and chipping in for gas if you car pool. The advanced ones typically aren't free as there are often travel costs to get to the location 

  1. Social Events

Every year we hold a Picnic and BBQ in Rundle Park in June. In the off season we have a monthly club social where we meet and have a presentation by a club member on a recent trip or an outside speaker.  Typically the topics are related to paddling, nature and the outdoors.

 

  1. Savings

Twice a year Mountain Equipment Co-op has a club night where NWV members receive 10% of most items in the store. Other stores such as Camper's Village also offer discounts to NWV members from time to time.

 

Go to top