Grand River Guided Canoe and Kayak Trips Gets a Face Lift

Presently most guided canoe and kayak trips on the Grand River serve the purpose of getting customers safely down the river from start to finish. This is excellent for the beginner focused on navigating the river… but for many the guided trips lack interpretive experience. When people request a guide they not only want to be shown the way… they want the knowledge of someone to help them explore the valley as paddled.

The Grand River Rafting Company has recognized a need to change the guiding services offered on the Grand River… specifically for the returning visitor. Returning customers often express a desire for a bigger wilderness learning experience; the guided beginner trip from point "A" to "B" was great the first time but often lacked depth of content. Unfortunately with many companies the daytrip guides have specified traveling time frames, and specified distances to cover… which restricts the time to teach, explore and experience the river.

The Grand River Rafting Company has chosen a different approach with their guided canoe, kayak and rafting trips. They have shortened their day trips by cutting the paddling hourglass in half. Their guided day trips travel 8 kilometers in three to four hours. In replacement of the distance, the customer receives an enriched wilderness interpretative experience… a true learning adventure. These learning adventures not only offer a river trip, but include a well rounded understanding of the Grand and the surrounding valley.

Hiring and recruiting of guiding staff is critical. Summer students are often limited in knowledge, there is not enough time to train in detail… and going beyond company recited scripts can be uncomfortable for many students. Grand River Rafting has chosen to invest in mature guides with local historian/interpretative knowledge and good communication skills. The goal being to create a true floating classroom with solid teachers; one in which customers can return numerous times to paddle different section with different lessons.

The learning adventures cover an array of topics. Talks on the native settlement and history of the Attawandaron, Huron and Iroquois conflicts within the valley. Teaching and tasting of edible & medicinal plants and trees. Short excursion hikes to natural points of interest such as Canada’s largest black walnut tree, the panoramic bluffs and the 300 year hollow sycamore. There are visits to old gypsum mines and early European settler sites.

The biggest surprise is the variety of birds and wildlife to view along the river. Then there is the amazing recovery of the fisheries on the Grand River with abundant populations of smallmouth bass and migrating trout. Included are leisure opportunities to have fun… time to swim, time to try "v" current body floats or drink from ice cold springs. The entire experience of paddling the river is blended with history, science and geography… as well as life stories and life experiences from the guides themselves.

This new approach of using floating classrooms in lieu of the usual guided "A" to "B" trips offers one of the best learning adventures presently offered in the Grand River Valley.