Kayaking All 5 Great Lakes in One Day

Published August 3rd, 2024
Updated August 31st, 2024 to include video

Photography by Jay Kana & Clayton Seams

The universe is always listening. Always.

I placed the order for my kayak in January 2021 as a present to myself and was given a summer 2021 delivery date. That gave me five months to plan all sorts of adventures and create a lengthy list of all the places I wanted to kayak.
That night, an article popped up in my social media feed about a group of friends who swam every Great Lake in one day. Being ambitious, I decided that I could, somehow, someway, someday, kayak all five Great Lakes in one day.

I picked up my kayak on July 3, 2021 and wanted to do the Great Lakes challenge that year.
Timing didn’t work out between work and travel, so it got pushed to 2022 and then 2023.
This year, I decided that it was going to happen and I’d create the time for it.

I enlisted longtime friend and fellow kayak enthusiast, Clayton Seams. We’ve kayaked together and done road trips before, so it was a good fit.

It came together quickly and with the help of Subaru Canada who provided the vehicle, a 2025 Subaru Forester and Destination Ontario’s support and help.
Also playing a big role in this is our good friend Nadine Robinson…Dr. Nadine Robinson, to be specific, who generously provided lodging, cookies and is a wonderful person.

I wanted to sleep in my own bed at the end of the journey so the day before, Clayton, myself and two kayaks drove from Mississauga to Sault Ste. Marie to spend the night at Nadine’s.
That way the next day, we could do a USA border crossing before sunrise for Lake Michigan with ease, work our way down Ontario, end up at Lake Erie and then I’d get home to my own bed and two adorable cats, Jellie and Pepper.

Here’s how our (Clayton’s and mine) Great Lakes Challenge (the unofficial name) played out on Saturday, July 27th:

The alarm on my phone is set for 4:10 am with a secondary one at 4:15, which I didn’t use.
Our departure time is 4:30 am as agreed upon the night before.
As I’m a stickler for being on time, I’m at the front door at 4:29 because if you’re not early, you’re late.

We carefully and quietly tiptoe out the door and oh-so gently yet firmly close the door as to not wake up our host. The kayaks are still on the roof, our bags shuffled into the rear seats and we’re set to go by 4:32 am. There’s not a sliver of daylight yet.
First, a stop at a gas station in town to start the trip with a full tank and then then toward the USA border.

Lake Michigan

It’s a half hour drive to the US border and as a first for me, there were no other cars. A quick, friendly exchange with the border guard meant we were back on our way quickly.
Our put in was at Bridge View Park, a touch before the north end of the Mackinac Bridge and 45 minutes from the border.
At 6:20 am, I parked the car in the empty parking lot and a few minutes later, we were in the water.
There was some decent motion in the water with slight yet noticeable swells but manageable. The sun was starting its ascent and Clayton snagged a really good picture of it behind me on the water. The picture is quite good, in fact; I just happen to be in it as a secondary subject.
We did our paddling, snapped some photos and 20 minutes later, we were back on land.

It was fulfilling to cross the first of five off the list, even with choppy water.

Both loading and unloading the kayaks from the Thule J-racks is far easier that my go-to method of foam blocks and straps. This way takes between 5-7 minutes to safely secure two kayaks.
We could’ve stayed in the water and paddled beneath the bridge and crossed Lake Huron off the list but since this was a road trip focussed adventure, we opted to stick to the plan.

Lake Superior

Gros Cap Bluffs back in Sault Ste. Marie was our Superior stop. Interestingly, we were there together (shooting video, not kayaking here specifically) in 2023 for a lighthouse-based kayak and road trip. Familiarity made this the logical and easy choice.

Wait, wait, wait - if where I stayed and where Gros Cap Bluffs are both in Sault Ste. Marie, why didn’t we go there first? Because I didn’t want to risk any traffic/lines at the border by doing Michigan second.

Again, we’re the only the car in the parking lot as we arrive at 8:25 am and quickly, the kayaks are unloaded and we’re in the much calmer waters of the world’s largest freshwater lake by area.
The morning views are serene and we paddle happily close to the shoreline and cross our second Great Lake off the list.
The kayaks are loaded and we leave the parking lot a few minutes after 9 am.

We’ve earned breakfast and the local A&W welcomes us with their “egger” sandwiches, hash browns and while it’s two hours later than usual, my first coffee of the day at 9:30-ish.

Lake Huron

After a quick refuel of the Forester after breakfast and subsequent two-hour drive to Algoma Mills was done without issue, with Clayton behind the wheel.
Arriving just shy of noon, we did our usual drill of unloading the kayaks, putting them by the water, grabbing a few pictures and then launching.
There was enough water movement on Lake Huron for a gentle swaying; nothing nearly as active as Michigan six hours ago. The sun was out, its midday strength reminding me why I wear a long sleeved button up shirt that can have said sleeves rolled up.
A few kms later, we came back to land and enjoyed a Clayton-made lunch of chickpea sandwiches, chips and granola bars beneath the shelter at the end of the causeway boat launch.
Logically, 3/5 is not half, it’s 60% but I counted it as the halfway point. As Bon Jovi said, “woah, we’re halfway there!”

Lake Ontario

The longest stretch between Great Lakes for us was here, to the tune of a six-hour drive over nearly 600 km, eventually landing us at Hamilton Beach, Hamilton.
The best thing we did was three driver swaps, even though each stop added time. The passenger would float a nap or two between changes, ensuring the driver would always be alert. By the time we left Huron at 1 pm, we’d been in motion for almost 8 hours, with another 9-ish hours left in our day.
We reach Lake Ontario at 7:30, unload, carry the kayaks a couple of minutes to the beach and off we go…again.

The water here is the most active of the day, with waves twice the size of Michigan. At the time, we’re the only non-swimmers out of a couple hundred people there. We go out as slowly as the waves will allow for because safety comes first. Always. We find a good rhythm for a bit as we slink by swimmers, proactively prepare for waves and keep an eye on the time.
Knowing the sun is falling toward the horizon, this is our shortest outing at around 10 minutes.
We shore up, take a picture, reload the Forester and set the navigation for the final stop.

Lake Erie

The final stop brought us to Port Maitland, 45 minutes south of our Lake Ontario stop. With little traffic, we do the trip in 40 minutes.
We’re in the nearly flat water at 8:50 as the cotton candy sunset is dotted with light pole bulbs on the pier, people fishing and others strolling for a closer view of the lighthouse. I record my final social media video and some pictures and soak in the atmosphere for a few minutes.
The magic of sunsets on the water will never grow old.
Recreational boats are coming in and daylight is diminishing so we quickly paddle back to shore, disembark at the boat ramp and reload our kayaks.
We shoot a quick video at 9:16 with the last wisps of daylight disappearing and then shuffle into the Forester with one final destination; home.

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Final Takeaways

While you can do this adventure in one day, I’m doing it (and recommend that anyone) does this over at least two days. There are so many places I wanted to stop at along the way and experience throughout Ontario but couldn’t on this trip. I’ll be travelling at a slower pace next time now that the “do-it-in-one-day” has been accomplished. If you’re looking for interesting places throughout Ontario to visit, head to their website.

Rest, rest, rest. Follow the method Clayton and I did with frequent driver stops and frequent passenger naps. This also allows for frequent checks of the kayaks (or canoe/stand up paddle board) to ensure they’re properly secured to the roof.

Safety first. Whether it’s in the car or on the water, be aware of your surroundings, your alertness levels and other people.

Thank you to my travelling and kayaking companion, Clayton, for embarking on this adventure with me, helping with the itinerary, being a reliable driver and passenger, and for being pretty not that bad as a friend and a person.
Fun fact; this was now our third annual kayak trip!

Thank you to Madison at Subaru Canada and, well, Subaru Canada for providing our chariot, the all-new 2025 Subaru Forester. And for equipping it with two Thule kayak racks which made the journey much easier.
Here’s a full review on the Forester if you’d like to learn more about this compact crossover that’s loaded with standard safety features, drives smoothly and has plenty of standard modern technology.

Thank you to Destination Ontario for supporting me during this Great Lakes adventure.
Ontario is a massive province and I say that with affection. Its got thousands of destinations of various styles and sizes; there really is somewhere for everyone.