Paddling Painted - Kayaking out of Bayfield Inlet.

Time for some kayak therapy at Painted Rocks - a spectacular place to paddle and camp. Rock benches and flats, as far as the eye can see, a wooded interior area, and a beautiful “ocean view”. Camp and enjoy the sounds of breaking waves, sunset view and the open vista of the night sky. Plenty of flat rocks for setting up tents and a large stone firepit.

This trip is rated as a B1 wilderness trip (see GLSKA Guidelines (http://www.glska.com/archive/PDFs/GLSKA_Trip_Guidelines.pdf)) and it'll satisfy a variety of paddlers interests. Options provide challenges for intermediate and advance paddlers looking to improve their navigation and paddling skills. Protected routes provide options for novice paddlers, however, all paddlers must be able to paddle at a moderate pace and have practiced wet exits.

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Trip Plan:

Friday

The drive from Waterloo to Bayfield Inlet is about 3.5 hours, and there's optional car camping at Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park for the night.

http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/sturgeonbay

Saturday

Have breakfast at camp or The Haven, a nearby diner on Hwy 69, 10 minutes from both the campground, and the Bayfield inlet put-in. It's a great feed with a self serve bottomless coffee. Meet me at The Haven @ 8:00am or the Bayfield Inlet public dock at 9:00am and we'll be on the water by 10:00am.

We'll paddle to Painted Rocks via Alexander Passage, take a short break for lunch along the way, with approximately 4 hours of moderately strenuous paddling. Set up camp and enjoy a beach day, practice skills in the water, read a book, take some pics, or paddle and explore the coast and nearby waterways which are dotted with challenging shoals and table rocks. Enjoy some awesome campfire and stargazing too.

Sunday

After breakfast, we'll return via the south channel of the Naiscoot River to complete the weekend loop. The return paddle is about 3 hours long.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/o47d-9RAimvlnMYyw9EdN6iIzPFbvxtVXukiY4G4Z3EApOogh0hdxpXRu1lQ-0hheh5csxziCgALZG_koWLZ89aJvOw_DTH3ZpzuWUPBagbx-sEOL3AIJGL0YbQTyacIxDcit6hp

You may rent a touring poly kayak from White Squall or Swift. Both places are on the way. White Squall has better kayaks.

http://www.whitesquall.com/index.php/rentals

http://www.swiftoutside.com/#!rentals/c1j5e

There’s free unattended parking available or an attended lot for $8.50 a day.

No fee for launching from public dock, and no fees for camping on Crown land for the weekend.

Weather on Georgian Bay is a fickle creature. Expect the weather to change. Changes in weather can quickly alter a trip's difficulty...making a paddle, awfully simple...or simply awful.

Like all trips with KW Backcountry Travel Meetup, you're responsible for your own gear, food, transportation and bringing sufficient common sense to ensure your personal safety.