The Outdoor Edit

Know Before You Paddle: Choosing the Right Kayak

By Tom Carnegie

June 17, 2026

"Still water and moving water are not the same environment. A lake may look calm. A river never truly is, even when it appears to be."

There is no shortage of water in this part of the world. From the glassy lakes of Renfrew and Lanark counties to the cottage country of Haliburton, the river systems threading through Algonquin's edge, and the broad, powerful Ottawa River running along the Valley's northern boundary — paddling country is everywhere here. Which means the question isn't whether to get on the water. It's whether you…