The organizers of Celebrate Paddling month are excited to announce that the month-long paddling festival is back.

Nearly all of our 2020 events had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the lack of events and races, people took to the water in droves, as interest in outdoor recreation boomed. Already, local outfitters are seeing this trend carry over into 2021, even as COVID restrictions are lifted.

Celebrate Paddling began in 2016 with the goal of featuring paddlesport events, races, presentations, guided trips, river clean-ups and more in Saranac Lake. Over the years, the event has expanded to include surrounding Tri-Lakes area communities, including Lake Clear and Tupper Lake.

This year, our schedule includes two races — the Tupper Lake 8-Miler on June 26 and the Celebrate Paddling Invitational on June 27 — as well as virtual presentations, river clean-ups on the Saranac and Raquette rivers and guided trips in the St. Regis Canoe Wilderness.

The Tri-Lakes area offers some of the best paddling in all of upstate New York and the Northern Forest. We hope you’ll join us this month at some of our offerings. You can find the schedule and other details at celebratepaddlingadk.com.