How to Kayak Lake Superior
April 1, 2021
People die on Lake Superior every year. Sometimes they made huge mistakes, other times they got incredibly unlucky. Most of the time, those close calls could be prevented by understanding the risks of paddling and how to kayak Lake Superior BEFORE hopping on the Big Lake.
Lake Superior is an incredible place to kayak, but you need to know the weather patterns, safety gear, and more before you chase rugged cliff-line and incredible sea caves.
I’ve worked as a sea kayaking guide on Lake Superior for two summers, and had the privilege to paddle extensively along the Lake’s shores. In the past year, I’ve seen more people taking uninformed risks on the lake than ever before, and that’s scary. Luckily, there were also more people out who were willing to help out and rescue people in a pinch.
But it’s more than just on the Lake. I also see a lot of photos on Instagram and other social media apps of people taking huge risks without understanding the nature of that risk. Then in addition to taking these risks, people go on to share the photos of them, giving other people the impression that that risk is actual safe to replicate.
All of this comes simply from a lack of information. In this article, I’ve laid out in sections an extensive guide to kayaking Lake Superior. I want to show you not only where and how to kayak, but help you understand the risks of kayaking on Lake Superior, and empower you to make important educated decisions about your safety.
How to Kayak Lake Superior
Did you know that Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world by surface area? Functionally, Lake Superior acts as an inland sea, creating it’s own weather patterns. Lake Superior creates waves and weather strong enough to carve out intricate sea caves, and is home to some of the most unique shoreline in the world. It’s a paddler’s dream, full of bucket-list places.
With this dramatic shoreline comes increased risk; the same wind and waves that carved out sea caves and arches are still erode the shoreline today, and the caves and cliffs themselves are evidence of the risks of kayaking Lake Superior.
This is a pretty hefty guide and resource, so I want to lay out a for you what information you can expect to find here:
Here, we’ll cover not only the basics of paddling safety, but outdoor safety in general. We’ll cover cold water safety and common weather patterns on Lake Superior. I’m going to walk you through what not to do, and what safety gear you should invest in.
Oh and those incredible locations and paddles, the ones people are a little secretive about? I’ll help you find them.
Kayaking 101: How to Kayak Lake Superior
Safely paddling the Great Lakes and Lake Superior comes down to more than a matter of gear. In order to be safe on the Big Lake, there are a few things you need to consider before you head out:
1) Know the risks
Did you know Lake Superior can produce waves greater than 30 feet in height? Did you know Lake Superior can give you hypothermia in minutes?
Still, one of the biggest and most deadly risks on Lake Superior is this: most popular kayaking routes on Lake Superior start in a protected bay. Then, these routes head to cliffs, that are no longer protected, with different wave conditions. This means that you cannot see what the waves will look like until you’re already in them.
This is a great reason to go with a guide or an experienced sea kayaker. People familiar with Lake Superior will be able to use wind speed, the forecast, and other clues to more accurately predict conditions on the open lake and help mitigate risk.
2) Use a Sea Kayak
A recreational kayak is less than 15ft in length, and not safe for Lake Superior. A sea kayak is 16+ feet in length, and includes sealed bulkheads, or pockets of air. This means that even if you capsize, your boat will not sink and you can get back in.
3) The Right Safety Gear to Kayak Lake Superior
There’s some gear that you 100% need if you are going to paddle on Lake Superior. Here’s a quick list:
4) Before Kayaking Lake Superior, Ask Yourself…
If you’re having doubts, here’s a few quick questions to ask yourself:
- Do I have the right safety gear?
- What will I do if I capsize?
- How will I call for help in an emergency?
5) Don’t…
- Paddle alone
- Bring children under 12
- Paddle between islands/open water without an experienced guide
- Bring pets
- Put more than the recommenced amount of people on a boat
- Take a sit-on-top, Sun Dolphin, or Pungo kayak on Lake Superior
- Throw trash in the Lake!
The summer of 2020 saw a record number of visitors to the Shores of Lake Superior. As a guide, I saw a record number of people taking risks without realizing exactly what those risks were.
Probably, in the wake of COVID-19 as more people take time for domestic travel, we’ll see even more visitors to the shore of Lake Superior than last year. More visitors is awesome, but it’s important people understand the risks they might be taking well before they take them.
Cold Water Kayaking: Gear You Need
Ice-free lakes means paddling season right!? It sure can, but before you head out on any cold lake, you want to make sure you are prepared for the water temperature not the air temperature.
We call this dress for immersion. People die every year from hypothermia on sunny days after accidental submersion in cold water. Don’t be one of them!
Cold Water Kayaking Gear Checklist:
- Neoprene gloves: Loosing dexterity in your fingers can lead to a very dangerous situation very quickly.
- Drysuit/wetsuit: Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Many wetsuits don’t prevent hypothermia, rather buy you a few minutes to get back in your boat, or keep you warm enough on days that are already hot. Shoulder season paddling really requires a drysuit.
- Emergency clothes: pack a dry bag with emergency dry clothes in case you need a quick change!
- Check your bailout plan: Are you swimmable distance from shore? If not, do you have a deep water self-rescue? How will you call for help in an emergency?
- Bring a buddy! Solo paddling is fun (I do it lots) but post melt is not the time to push your boundaries. Always try and paddle with a buddy, especially when the lakes free up.
Beyond this list, you also need a PFD (life jacket), spare paddle, first aid kit, and emergency communication.
When in doubt, stay on shore! In water temperatures like these, a dump in the lake can give you hypothermia and minutes, or cold shock immediately, triggering your “gasp reflex”.
Lake Superior Weather Patterns to know for Kayakers
Aside from frigid cold water, one of the other biggest risks on Lake Superior is highly changeable weather. This is one of the most important things to consider when learning how to kayak on Lake Superior.
The weather can change with very little warning, and your beautiful day can become a life or death situation in five minutes. I’ve experienced this type of change multiple times. Paddle the Lake enough and you probably will too.
FOG BANKS
Fog banks can come up even on sunny days seemingly out of nowhere. Fog limits visibility, and makes it incredibly easy to get hopelessly lost. Moreover, fog is an issue for kayakers in that other boat traffic can’t see you. Carrying a marine radio to communicate with other boaters can help mitigate risk and always stay in sight of shore in parts of the Lake that are new to you.
GALES
Gales are wind storms that pick up massive waves on Lake Superior. Your local marine forecast will usually tell you what your weather risks, including gales, are and you should always check the marine forecast before paddling. Generally gales can be predicted one day in advance, but keep in mind that Gale Force winds happen on sunny days just as often as stormy. Remember: a sunny day does not equate to a safe day.
ELECTRICAL STORMS
These massive line storms in the summer will sweep across the Lake from west to east. Generally you have a few hours notice before one of massive storms hits. You don’t want to be on the water at all when one of these types of storms moves across the Lake. Storms like this will happen several times a summer, and can produce hail, locally large waves, cloud to water (or kayaker) lightning, and waterspouts.
You can avoid these storms by checking weather well before you embark on your kayaking trip, planning out emergency landing points, and carrying a marine radio to get emergency weather alerts in time to get off the water.
POPCORN STORMS
Popcorn storms are smaller storms in the summer that hit the lake and blow up into smaller electrical storms that quickly fizzle. These tend to be hard to predict. If you are kayaking on Lake Superior and you see lightning or hear thunder, you need to get off the water. A kayaker in the water is especially at risk for lightning strikes.
You can mitigate the risks of these types of storms by monitoring a marine radio for emergency alerts, and planning emergency landing points in advance. This is also another reason to go with a guide; many guides know the weather patterns of the area and understand the weather risks as they evolve on the water throughout the day, even without the aid of cell service.
MODERATELY WINDY DAYS & COLD WATER
The biggest hazard on Lake Superior tends to be warm days paired with a moderate wind, the sort of wind that is almost imperceptible in the bays and protected places most people begin a paddle, but leads to large waves outside of the bay. This means that it may appear to be perfect paddling conditions when you start— sunny and calm— but the open lake looks much different.
Here’s what to watch for:
A bumpy or jagged horizon, sometimes called a “sawtooth horizon” is often indicative of large waves. Before launching, look closely at the edges of cliffs; if you see flashes of white occasionally, you are seeing the white foam of waves breaking on the cliffline. Look at the tops of nearby trees to see to what degree the wind is moving trees. Generally, if the trees are moving more than a little, there might be unsafe beginner paddling conditions on the open lake.
Always check the marine forecast (can be access through NOAA) before paddling. In general, wind speeds greater than 12 knots and waves larger than one foot can be dangerous for beginner level kayakers.
DON’T do this when Kayaking Lake Superior
When paddling Lake Superior, some of the biggest mistakes you can make are bringing a recreational kayak and not wearing a wetsuit. We’ve already covered this.
Here are some of the less obvious, but incredibly dangerous things I’ve watched people do on Lake Superior, that you do not want to do.
Don’t take your dog or pet to Kayak Lake Superior
This is dangerous for the dog, who could easily drown or get hypothermia, and for you, who could get tossed from the kayak leaning to save your dog. All it takes is your dog panicking a little, or the waves to pick up at all, and your pleasure paddle could quickly become life or death.
Don’t sit on your life jacket
If you end up in the water, odds are you won’t be able to track down a life jacket to put it on after you’ve capsized. A life jacket does you literally no good if you’re not wearing it.
Your life jacket also needs to be on correctly, zipped up completely. Life jackets and PFDs are only designed to actually prevent you from drowning if they are used correctly. I understand that life jackets aren’t exactly glamourous. But not wearing one, or not wearing one correctly, when kayaking Lake Superior could quickly cost you your life.
Picture this: if you end up in the cold lake in big waves and weren’t wearing your life jacket, it could get tossed from your boat. You won’t be able to swim to grab both the life jacket and your boat, and you will quickly loose feeling in your fingers and be unable to put that life jacket back on. Just wear it.
Don’t overcrowd your kayak/canoe
Have a two person kayak? Then it’s a two person kayak. Overcrowding your kayak makes it less stable, and almost impossible to get back into in the event of a capsize. Your boat will be sitting lower to the water line than recommended, and it will take even smaller waves to capsize you.
Don’t ignore local guides or National Park staff guidance
If the park ranger tells you not to paddle today, it’s not personal. It just means there are potentially dangerous conditions out there, and your boat isn’t fit to handle them.
When some tells you not to paddle, don’t take it personally
I see a lot of people who take it personally when someone tells them it’s not safe to paddle Lake Superior in that boat/without a guide. It’s not personal, and it’s not that I think you can’t handle it or you’re a bad paddler. Lake Superior is functionally a sea, and I have seen way too many people in over their heads and in scary situations (myself included!) to want that to happen to anyone else.
If I’ve told or tell you it’s a bad day to paddle I want to emphasize: I don’t think you are dumb, and am not saying you are weak. You do not need to do something dangerous to prove me, or the park ranger, wrong. I just thing it is important that you have the information on the risks you are taking, so you can make informed choices about your own safety.
World-class Lake Superior Kayak destinations:
Ready to tackle the Big Lake? Don’t know what paddle is right for you? Here’s a quick break down:
Kayak the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
The Pictured Rocks are great paddle with Northern Waters Adventures or Pictured Rocks Kayaking, and a real adventure that takes you underneath the Pictured Rocks Cliffs. This paddling route is one of the most notorious for paddling accidents on Lake Superior, so be sure to go with a guide even if you’re an experienced kayaker— the local knowledge could be life-saving.
It’s also worth noting that these are the only outfitters I can recommend in the area. There’s another outfitter, don’t go with them. They have a terrible safety record.
Looking for hikes, paddles, and more Pictured Rocks recommendations? Click here!
Kayak the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
There are several options in the Apostle Islands, ranging from multi-day expeditions for those seeking a challenge, long day trips, and short half day trips.
For families, I recommend booking a boat assisted tour with Apostle Islands Kayaking. This will get you a safe short trip that will only run in calmer waters. For the classic sea caves, book a day trip with Lost Creek Adventures. This can be a moderate to strenuous trip depending on conditions and group dynamics. Lost Creek also offers guided multi-day trips.
Looking for more?
Check out my book Hidden Gems of the Northern Great Lakes: A Trail and Paddling Guide for detailed advice on the best hikes, paddles, waterfalls, and campsites of the Upper Midwest, written by a Lake Superior guide!
