Looking for a unique way to really experience Lake Superior ? Consider a guided full day kayak tour exploring the best paddling locations on Minnesota's north shore. Tettegouche State Park is known for it's impressive geologic history which created a dramatic coastline of sea caves, arches and towering palisades.  Imagine being in a kayak below these towering cliffs...paddling into the sea caves and through the arches...what better way to really see Lake Superior...while discovering coastal kayaking. With certain weather or Lake conditions our full day kayak tour spot will be Pigeon Bay, right at the Canadian border. Although lacking sea caves, the more secluded area has incredible scenery and much greater chances of encountering wildlife. Eagles, otter, deer, bear, moose, comorants, loons, and a variety of waterfowl have been seen on our tours. Our decision of the tour location is based on current Lake conditions and the Near Shore Marine Forecast.

Our half day kayak tours launch from the beach right out in back of our store. These tours are a great way to get out kayaking and see Grand Marais without using up your whole day. More Details

We provide just about everything needed, but here's a List of Things to Bring.......

Lunch for Full Day Tours ....... Contact us   if you would like a lunch from the  Whole Foods Co-op
Cost for the Whole Foods Co-op Lunch is $15 .. order one when you make your reservation and we will have it in our fridge packed in a dry bag ready for your tour.

Questions ?
Send Us an Email or use our Web Inquiry
or
Make an Online Reservation

2008 Guided Kayak Day Tour Schedule                                   Back to Top  or  Jump Down to Here
         May 24th until  September 14th           

The above rates are based on a minimum of 4 participants....with 6 the maximum on scheduled tours.. We go to 7 on occasion if the last 2 to sign up are willing to drive themselves andn use a tandem kayak. Larger groups on a custom basis are limited to the extent of our fleet and available staff so early reservations are recommended. We will run scheduled tours with 3 or even 2 but a surcharge will be added to the above rates as we can not afford to run tours at a loss any longer. Historically we had no minimum required on our scheduled tours. With higher costs we can no longer run any tours at a loss.
If those signed up on a tour with just 2 or 3 people are willing to pay a small group surcharge we will do the tour...or offer you a full refund of your paid 50% deposit.  Contact Us for details on this policy

Since our Scheduled Tours are usually made up of a variety of individuals or couples, we have chosen a minimum participant age of 14.  There is no way to know for sure on any given tour who will do well and who will find their first time kayaking quite challenging. We have found that often those younger than 14 do very well...better than some adults....but generally it is the obvious age to make a cut off.  Keep in mind we do many Custom Group Tours in any given season for families or scout and church groups and while our scheduled tour maximum size is 6...we have taken youth groups of up to 24...with 4 or 5 guides it's quite a flotilla and is only possible with enough advance reservation...with deposit... to keep practically our entire fleet available and enough staff scheduled.

So...you've got your own group. It might be a family....group of friends....family reunion...corporate team building activity...scout or church group. It might also be that you just want to do a private tour with just the 2 of you...we have a rate for that too. As you will notice in the table below the rate for custom groups depends on the number of participants. Higher for the smaller groups & the same as our scheduled tours when a certain size is achieved. For those larger youth groups we do offer a $5 off each discount when the group reaches 12 or more.  This discount is for Half Day Tours that launch from our beach only ...not Full Day Tours. Custom Full Day Tours can be to the location of the groups choice with additional options of Split Rock Lighthouse State Park or out of Grand Portage Bay for aa glimpse of the Historic Little Spirit Cedar (Witch Tree). Weather conditions are still a factor but with custom groups we can often push the level of challenge if the groups is adequately adventurous. Custom Full Day Kayak Tours for groups larger than 6 are not recommended but we can accomodate up to 12 but can only provide transportion for 6.

Remember....Custom Tours....Especially large groups will usually need to make their reservation as soon as possible as we may otherwise not have enough un-comitted equipment or guides.

Obviously...our shorter Half Day Tours.. launching from the beach at our store in Grand Marais are not going to be as impressive as going kayaking at one of our Full Day Kayak Tour Destinations.. Even so... the immediate area of Grand Marais is very interesting and scenic and just getting out on the water and trying kayaking is a great way to spend a few hours. Myself and staff frequently go out after all the guided tours of the day and enjoy a nice evening tour on our own. In actuality.. the scheduled 5 PM Saturday evening half day tour is one of the favorites of the guides. It even becomes a sunset tour toward the end of the season and definitely offers the best lighting if you want to take some photos on the tour.... It does conflict with the typical dinning time....but the many good places to eat in Grand Marais are often crowded in the peak of summer and arriving for a late dinner around 8:30 PM ...is not a bad idea.