Events
Featured Event
Spring Rendezvous
Join us for our annual season kick-off. We car camp on the mainland and paddle to our heart’s content in the Apostle Islands! All skill levels welcome. See details and save your campsite now.
Friday, May 23 - Monday, May 26, 2025
Spring Rendezvous 2025
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2025 Events
1 - 31
Pool Sessions
Sundays – check the event details for location and time.
1 - 31
Social Paddles
Wednesdays and Sundays – check the event details for location and time.
Non-members welcome. Come paddle with us!
8
REI Bloomington, 6:30
Yoga for Paddlers
ISK member and long-time yoga instructor, Alida, will lead a class of yoga poses suitable for everyone. Wear comfortable clothing suitable for yoga postures. Bring your own yoga mat. A smaller towel is recommended for positioning under knees for added comfort.
Variations will be given for beginner and intermediate options.
Off-water education meetings are free and open to all, member or not.
11
10:00 – 3:00
3rd Annual Clean Your Boat Day!
Bring cleaning materials and stands if you got’m. We have limited supplies but always willing share. Some stands, buffing tools for wax application and removal are available but BYO if you have one. Let’s Make’m Sparkle!
Small lunch provided about noon 1301 E Cliff Road (NW overhead door).
We are asking folks to register so plans can be made. No registration fee.
12
REI Bloomington, 6:30
No Refuge Alone: 1300 miles from Saint Paul to Montreal
Join us at REI for ISK member, Sam Johnson’s talk, No Refuge Alone.
A “fairly intermediate kayaker,” Sam paddled solo from St. Paul to Hudson Bay for the adventure of a lifetime. He credits the local paddling community with keeping him alive!
All Minnesotan: Sam was born in Minneapolis, raised in Hutchinson, educated in Saint Paul. Went to Saint Thomas for philosophy and music and the U of MN for a masters in nonprofit management. Now he manages community development grants for the City of Minneapolis.
Off-water education meetings are free and open to all, member or not.
12
Folklore of Lake Superior
Mike Bass, folklorist, storyteller, and print maker will regale us with tales of Lake Superior!
Serendipity connected me with Mike Bass when I bumped into his stall at the Madison, WI farmer’s market. When I saw he had a book…a folklore book!…it took me about 2 seconds to dig a business card out of my purse and invite him on my podcast to talk folklore.
We had so much fun, I was like, “Dude! I’m in a sea kayaking club and we LOVE Lake Superior. You have to tell us some stories!”
All off-water ed presentations are open to the public, so bring your friends! Spread the word!
Mike will have prints and copies of his book available for purchase and signing. Check out his art on Instagram, @wiscomythos
Please RSVP.
9
April
Dressing for Cold Water Immersion
Join us at REI Bloomington at 6:30 for the final off-water education presentation of the season.
Sam Grubisich will discuss cold-water preparedness, including how to layer for warmth, just in time for our annual Cold Water Immersion event!
Board meeting before the presentation.
25
April
Cold Water Immersion
Join Inland Sea Kayakers’ annual cold water immersion event. Start your paddling season with an icy plunge and test your gear and your cold water preparedness in a safe environment with club support! Wayzata Beach, Lake Minnetonka.
23-26
Spring Rendezvous
Car camp with us at the Wilderness Inquiry campground at Little Sand Bay. Join club-led paddles in the Apostle Islands. We’ve got something for everyone. Details about camping, paddles, gear, and skill levels at registration page.
12
July
ISKool
17-20
July
Apostle Islands Camping
A perfect trip for paddlers with some Lake Superior experience who want to expand their island trips and take on kayak camping!
Ready to get off the mainland? See some other islands? Put on some more miles over 4 days of paddling? Want to put that ultralight stove and tent to use?
- This trip will begin with a pre-trip paddle on Lake Minnetonka.
- We’ll overnight on the mainland at Little Sand Bay. Come up after work on Wednesday and prepare for a morning launch on Thursday.
- We’ll paddle to Stockton Island, where we’ll camp for 3 nights.
- Friday and Saturday, we’ll have day trip paddles, exploring islands we don’t typically reach on club trips, like Michigan, Manitou, Ironwood, and Cat. Take a day to rest or paddle every day. Trips will be planned according to weather and conditions.
- On Sunday, we’ll paddle back to Little Sand Bay early enough to drive back to the Cities the same day.
This is an ISK Level 4 trip. Details and trip requirements are on the event calendar. Click the Register button for all the info!
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Fall Rendezvous
2024 Events
Browse past events. Get an idea of what’s coming in the new paddling season.
26
June
NC Boat Demos
4:30 – 8:00 West Bush Lake
At NC Kayaks we build a unique style of touring kayak, we call it Pacific Northwest
Style. Our kayaks are soft chined for a smooth transition edging, have an upswept
bow for better handling in rough water, a low aft deck to better facilitate rolling, a narrow
bow and long narrow stern for exceptional tracking, forward and aft bulkheads for
flotation, and a 1/2″ flange surrounding the entire perimeter of the kayak that deflects
water away from the cockpit, provides bow lift in heavy seas, and is an excellent handle
to control the kayak or help re-enter the kayak in deep water. All of these features
combined with our efficient hull and unique manufacturing technique produce a kayak
with very little flex, this allows you to get the most out of every paddle stroke
21
ISKool
15
September
ISK Annual Picnic
The paddle launches at 9:30. Gather for the picnic at 11:30, lunch at noon.
Have fun on and off the water, and bring your family for a day that’s all about celebrating our paddling community!
There are even more events on the club calendar.
A Sampling of Past Events
TBD
St. Louis River Estuary
Join us for two glorious nights in Jay Cooke State Park. We’ll have a full day of paddling on the estuary, below the dam and before the mouth of Lake Superior. With shoreline on the MN and WI sides, lots of bays to explore, and sunny, open water, you’re sure to enjoy this trip.
Last year’s group loved the traffic-free paddling on a week day and easy parking at launch sites. Come on Sunday, paddle all day Monday, possible morning paddle on Tuesday before departing.
Want to know more about this trip? See the trip report from last year.
TBD
ISK Service Trip: Mississippi
Inland Sea Kayakers is dedicated to giving back to our beautiful water ways. This spring we’ll host a day paddle on the Mississippi and clean up as we go. Enjoy a leisurely paddle as we weave along the shoreline, collecting all the flotsam and jetsam we can.
29-1
Voyageurs National Park
28-1
Voyageurs National Park
FAQ
I want to go. Now what?
Where do I sign up?
You’re on our main site. It’s fun and user friendly, but it doesn’t handle administrative duties, like membership dues, trip registrations, and forum communications.
If you have questions about navigating registrations, feel free to reach out to any board member. Our email is below, at the bottom of every page.
Is this trip/event/workshop for me?
Be honest with yourself about your paddling and/or camping abilities. Descriptions should give you an idea of time, distance, and conditions. If you aren’t sure, email the trip leader or organizer. Contact information is listed on the registration page.
I don't see how to register on the member site.
I have other questions.
Need a packing list or Leave No Trace guide? Go to the Member Library and check out our downloadable PDFs.