Planning a Paddling Route You Can Actually Complete

Start with speed, because everything else scales from it. A relaxed recreational paddler covers roughly four to five kilometres per hour on flat water in still air, and a fit paddler in a touring boat somewhat more. Plan on the slower end, then subtract for stops, photography, lunch, and the inevitable faffing at the launch. A group moves at the pace of its slowest member, and that gap widens as everyone tires. Half of the total time should be your outbound leg at most, and less if the wind will be against you on the way back.

Next, look at the map for access. Identify your launch, your take-out, and every place along the route where you could realistically land, which means a beach, a ramp, a low bank, or a slipway, not a cliff or a private marina. Note distances between these points. A route where you are never more than two kilometres from a landing is a fundamentally different proposition from one with a ten kilometre committed stretch, even if the total distance is the same. Check parking, launch fees, and whether the site is open in the season you are paddling.

Overlay the environment. On the coast, check tide times and heights, and plan to travel with the tidal current rather than against it, since currents through narrows and around headlands can exceed paddling speed. On rivers, check flow gauges and identify any dams, weirs, or portages, and remember the route only works in one direction. On lakes, look at fetch in the forecast wind direction and identify sheltered shorelines. Wherever you are, note the wind forecast, and prefer the plan where the hard leg happens while you are fresh.

Build in bail-out options deliberately. For each section, know where you would land if the weather changed, someone got tired, or something broke. Ideally have a shorter version of the route in mind before you launch, along with a decision point and a time. Saying in advance that you will turn back at the island if you are not there by one o'clock is far easier than making the same call under pressure two hours later.

Do the logistics honestly. A one-way route needs a car shuttle, a bicycle, or a friend, and shuttles take longer than anyone expects. An out-and-back or a loop is simpler and lets you shorten the trip at any point. Add travel time at both ends, time to load and unload, and time to change. Many trips that look like a half day turn out to fill one comfortably. Write a float plan and leave it with someone ashore. It needs your launch point, intended route, take-out, the number of people and boats, boat colours and descriptions, the time you expect to be back, and when they should raise the alarm. This costs two minutes and is the single most useful thing anyone has ever done for a search team. Send them a message when you are off the water so nobody worries unnecessarily.

Finally, carry the plan with you. A map in a waterproof case with your route, distances, and key landmarks marked is easier to consult than a phone, and it works when the battery does not. On the water, tick off landmarks and check your progress against your plan every so often. If you are behind schedule, adjust early. Route planning is not about locking yourself into a schedule; it is about knowing which choices are available before you need to make them.