Voyageur Program

Adult group in voyager canoeBecome a voyageur and paddle a 34-foot replica of a voyageur canoe from the French Fur Trade era on the Wisconsin River.  Students will learn about the people that made the fur trade possible and the role that each culture played as trappers, traders, and travelers.  Adults and youth are required to wear PFD’s. This program requires Upham staff and will be canceled if water flow reaches 14,000 cfs. Available April – October.

Maximum Participants: 20 (19 youth + 1 adult)

Accessibility notes: As this is a large shared canoe, if individuals are unable to paddle, they can still be accommodated in the boat as riders. If individuals are concerned about sitting in the canoe, we can provide seats with backrests or individuals can be held in place by other participants. Upham Staff can not assist with lifting individuals into the canoe, but they can assist with transfers in other ways such as holding the boat steady.

Multiple sizes of type II and type III PFD’s are available to accommodate a variety of body types. Our smallest life jacket is for children for 30-50 lbs, so if participants are smaller than this, they will need to provide their own PFD.

Voyageur Canoe Lesson Plan