Guided Trips & Events☀️🐻🌲
Summer/Fall 2025 trips with Maddy (me)
Hi there, I’m Maddy and I work as an outdoors guide/ freelance writer! I’ve got four years of experience as a Lake Superior sea kayaking guide, plus two years guiding and paddling on the West Coast, and I’m stoked to show you around!
quick note: Currently for summer 2025 I only have women’s overnight paddling trips on the calendar! Check back here for more trips as they’re added for summer/fall 2025.
I do not currently offer private trips. There is no way to book me as a guide outside of the trips on this page. These are guided trips: I will be instructing, cooking, and teaching basic backcountry skills! for questions about the trips below, email me at hello [at] madelinemarquardt.com
DAY TRIP!!! June 22nd: Women’s Climbing at Interstate State Park, MN with Climb Forged (6 spots left)
Come join Mason and I for our third beginner-friendly guided rock climbing trip in Interstate State Park! I am truly terrible at climbing and afraid of heights, and promised to be the worst person there (and to take cool pictures!). This has been a SUPER fun event in the past and a great way to meet people. Mason is a great coach and it’s super fun to be able to support his local small guiding business too!
Anyone who wants to make a weekend of it can meet up with me on Saturday for some day hiking on the Wisconsin side of the park, and then there will be camping and I’ll cook camp dinner (probably my fav camp Greek quinoa bowls with veggie/vegan easy options!). I have loaner a few tents/sleeping bags and pads available for anyone totally new to camping, so check with me before you buy anything new! Shoot me an email for more details: hello [at] madelinemarquardt.com.
OVERNIGHT PADDLING: June 24-29, 2025: Sea Kayaking in the Apostle Islands (9 spots left)
Sea Kayaking in the Apostle Islands is a truly out of body experience! We ran two of this trip last year, and both of them were a total blast in different ways; the first trip we made it to the Bear Island sea caves, which are extremely remote, then spent the latter half of the trip out racing storms. The second trip we had pretty much idyllic weather the whole time, and the group was into crushing miles so we did, and covered almost 50 miles in four days of paddling!
What to expect: beach swims, remote sea caves, camping (single and double tents available), fresh fish over the fire/stuff mushroom vegan option night two meal + menu curated by me, paddle 8-14 miles a day. Learn the basics of sea kayaking and basic rescue skills; likely to encounter waves 1-3 ft at some point. Really fun way to meet other women interested in the outdoors and get out of your comfort zone and into a kayak in a controlled environment.
* This trip was fully booked by April last year with a waitlist! There’s still 10 spots left right now, but if you’re intersted start thinking about booking by March.
Booking link here, code Maddy25 for $50 off
OVERNIGHT PADDLING + WHALE WATCHING + HIKING: August 6-10, 2025: San Juan Islands, Washington (8 spots left)
A lot of my trips are run through Chicas Abroad; when I first met the Chicas team, it was when I was a coastal kayaking guide in the San Juan Islands! I was the sea kayaking guide for the kayaking portion of this exact trip, while Jocelyn took on the Chicas coordination and logistics portion with Chicas. I’m so stoked to be running this trip again, this time joining for the entirety of it, along with Jocelyn, who is so much fun! This is truly an awesome trip— come see orcas and wildlife and camp in one of the best places there is!!
What to expect: transport to/from the Seattle airport is fully covered and arranged. Hiking and hotel stays day one and two, plus a whale watching tour from a boat before we hop into kayaks and head out to Jones Island. We’ll enjoy a full moon and some of the biggest tides of the year, which increases chances of wildlife spotting!
Booking link here: code Maddy25 for $50 off
OVERNIGHT CANOE + HIKE + SAUNA: August 22-25, 2025: Boundary Waters, Minnesota (7 spots left)
Come explore Minnesota’s BWCAW, paddle into a remote BWCA lake, basecamp and hop on the Border Route Trail to beautiful, remote BWCA overlooks! Here, we’ll focus on practicing reading topographical maps and introductory canoe camping skills. This is a great trip to join if you’re a beginner paddler, or a more skilled canoe paddler looking to learn from experienced guides to set yourself up leading your friends in the future! This is a super small group, with me and another female guide along for the best possible hands on learning experience.
What to Expect: Camping on wilderness lakes, hiking to gorgeous overlooks and practice route finding. Exploring the remote Border Route Trail, last night stay at a backcountry lodge with a lakeside sauna, paddle out to dinner at Poplar Haus. Final day will be chill, with an additional hiking option for those who feel inclined to join! uper small guide to paddler ratio for plenty of 1:1 learning and help. This is a really good trip for someone looking for a soft launch into their first wilderness experience.
Booking link here: code Maddy25 for $50 off
FAQs:
Q: Do I have to have previous kayaking/camping experience?
Not at all! Plenty of people hop on these trips without ever having camping before, and these trips are a really good way to dive right into the world of outdoor/backcountry travel. It matters far more that you’re stoked to be outside and ready to learn and be part of a team than that you have previous experience. Plus, that’s quite literally what I’m here for :)
Q: What level of physical fitness is required for these trips?
Moderate, depending on the trip. We can accommodate a lot of injuries but shoulder injuries are really hard when paddling. Overall, expect to paddle hard occasionally, and for it to be sometimes challenging and other times really pleasant and peaceful. Probably it will feel like a mental challenge some times, but when you’re finished you'll look back and thing wow, I really did that.
The Apostle Islands trip tends to be the most typically “hardcore” with higher milage and more complex weather, so if you’re looking for a true wilderness challenge that’s the one for you— it is still absolutely beginner friendly (I often guide kids trips out here too!). The San Juan Islands trip is more cushy with an emphasis on having a very chill time; I would say most levels of physical fitness will enjoy a trip like this. Still, we’ll be on a large tide which means there might be some “hey I need you to paddle as hard as you can for 15 minutes for real, right now, just do it” moments. The BWCA trip will likely fall somewhere in-between those two, likely with harder hiking on the Border Route than the paddling section.
*keep in mind shoulder injuries are really, really hard for paddlers, and you’ll be sitting in enclosed cockpit boats while sea kayaking. 250 lbs tends to be the hard limit for who is comfortable and can safely use sea kayaks, but please email me if you have further questions!
Q: What gear do I need for a trip like this?
Great question! A pair of shoes to paddle in (adventure sandals), a pair of shoes for camp, a sleeping bag and pad (can be provided for San Juans trip, I still recommend packing your own, it’s just such personal gear), and clothes to wear throughout the trip. All kayaking specific gear (PFD, paddle) is also provided.
For more info and advice on what to pack for kayaking, click here, but keep in mind you will not need to pack your own life jacket, safety gear, paddle, cooking gear, ect. (unless you want to, then you can!)
Q: What the age ranges? Can I bring a friend? Can I come solo?
Typical age range on these trips is truly 15-80, with the highest concentration of ages in the mid-twenties to late-thirties range. All in all, it’s always made for a really fun crew!
Most people come solo, but bringing a friend/daughter is totally fine too, and there’s always one or two groups that come with a friend. Generally, that doesn’t change the vibe at all and we still operate as one cohesive fun group!
Q: Can you accommodate my dietary restrictions?
Yes, pretty much always (unless you have something really specific and know that we can’t). Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan is pretty much no problem BUT I always recommend bringing your own extra snacks to have with you. We have snacks, but you’re going to want your own snack that you want when you’re paddling all day and hungry. For example, I always pack a cool mint cliff bar and sour patch kids for myself every day of a kayak camping trip, because I just don’t want beefy jerky and trail mix. I want to rot my teeth out.
Q: Those dates don’t work for me— will there be other trips summer 2025?
TBD! There’s a chance I’ll be adding another Apostles trip in July if interest stays high, and a chance that weekend climbing trips will come back. I’m also looking into potentially running a few custom day trips to Sand Island on weekends throughout the summer through Lost Creek Adventures. Also if there’s any interest in guided couples overnight sea kayaking trips/instruction with me and Andy (my partner/fiancé who is also an extremely skilled sea kayak guide + instructor) shoot me an email!
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Beautiful images!