I’ve sea kayaked on the coast of Anticosti Island four times now, each trip lasting about 28 days. In the four months paddling the incredible shores I realized how blessed I am to be able to explore places like this.
Start: Port Menier
End: Baie Innomee
Distance and days: 260km over 26 days
Anticosti is a huge island located in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. At one time a german stronghold, another, the personal playground of a wealthy chocolatier, it is now an incredible wilderness kayak destination. With rugged coastlines, forgiving tides, plentiful beaches and sandy cliff lined bays for camping, there is no where else quite like it! In four months on the island I encountered other travelers only a handful of times. One afternoon while camped in the Baie De La Tour an elderly french couple arrived in a pickup truck and wandered down the long beach. In the distance we could see the old man strip off his clothes and frolic around in the frigid water while his wife took pictures.
The island is home to over 200,000 white tail deer, and their abundance means that you see them everywhere. Seal colonies are found periodically and their mournful howling is very strange to experience, especially when paddling on a foggy day.
The map shows the route on the north shore of the island that I have traveled. There have been some kayakers who have circumnavigated Anticosti Island, but the southern shore is very unforgiving with many steep rocky cliffs and few places to pull off onto land. Only the most experienced kayakers should consider paddling the south shore.
