Keweenaw Adventure Company and Harbor Kayak Paddle

Mary Hunt

Sam Raymond in front of his shop.

Staff, landscape, gear, promotion - Sam Raymond, a lifelong summer resident of Copper Harbor, has pulled together all the elements of a fine summer adventure company based on kayaking and mountain biking. In kayaking, Keweenaw Adventure Company specializes in instruction for beginners, guided tours and rentals, and outfitting and intermediate to advanced tours on Isle Royale.

As for mountain biking, his #1 passion, he has started Copper Harbor's first bike shop, offering rentals (full-suspension and front shock mountain bikes, road bikes, comfort bikes, cruisers, and kids' bikes), repairs, parts, and accessories. Keweenaw Adventure's mountain bike adventures and the Copper Harbor Fat Tire Festival each Labor Day weekend showcase the area so that some day, Sam hopes, the Keweenaw will gain a place on the national mountain biking map as "the Moab of the Midwest." Come winter, Sam heads out to Colorado.

As for kayaking, Sam Raymond and his friendly, committed crew give lessons toward kayak certification ($50 for three hours) that include the Eskimo roll. Tours include basic instruction. All outings are weather-dependent, and all tours except the harbor paddle are by appointment. Kayaking experience isn't necessary to go on the harbor paddle ($30, no reservations necessary). It's given at 9:30, 1, and 7:30 (at 7 after August 1). It's a beautiful 2 1/2-hour introduction to a popular sport. Paddlers take sea kayaks into Copper Harbor's protected and scenic harbor, first to the uninhabited Porter's Island that buffers the harbor from Lake Superior, then past the picturesque lighthouse on a rocky point.

Half-day and all-day kayak tours, all by reservation, go to the spectacular rocks and cliffs east of Copper Harbor around Keweenaw Point, the wild land recently acquired by the state of Michigan. Difficult for outsiders to reach by vehicle, this scenery is the equal and geological mirror of Isle Royale's more dramatic spots. See the web site for photos. The full-day Horseshoe Harbor Paddle ($99, lunch included) goes to a Nature Conservancy preserve with unusual rock formations. The half-day Agate Harbor Paddle ($74, lunch included, leaves at 10 a.m. Wed & Sun) goes along a chain of uninhabited islands to sheltered bays and Arch Rock. For well-conditioned paddlers, the Bare Bluff Paddle ($99, lunch included, leaves at 9 a.m. Tues & Sat) goes 14 miles and back to the sea caves, waterfall, and fishery at Keystone Point and near the Montreal River mouth. The $99 "surf and turf" adventure combines biking and kayaking. Kayaking on Isle Royale is a whole different level of adventure, one for which going with an experienced guide is a really good idea. The cost ($899 for five days and four nights) isn't bad considering how expensive it is just to arrive at the island, let alone getting equipment and food. See the web site for other overnight trips on Isle Royale and around the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Keweenaw Adventures rents kayaks to qualified users. The shop sells paddling gear, dried food, sunscreens, maps, and more. Ask about the Keweenaw Water Trail map that helps paddlers plan and camp on a trip around the peninsula in six to eight days.

On U.S. 41 in the center of Copper Harbor, across from the Pines. (906) 289-4303. Open daily 9-8 in summer. Call for spring and fall hours. Wheelchair access: yes for shop; call for tours.

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