Paddle to Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain.
Our Fort Ticonderoga tours start in June and run through October 20th.
Paddle through history as we travel past a number of historic sites.
Lake Champlain was a main avenue of commerce before Samuel de Champlain paddled down the lake in 1609.
Native people had traveled these waters (Bitawbagok to the Abenaki) for as long as can be remembered.
Ticonderoga, was the name given the fort by the British when they captured it in 1759.
The name "Ticonderoga" comes from the Iroquois word tekontaroken, "land between two waters".
The water from Lake George by way of the La Chute River enters Lake Champlain here.
The fort was built by the French in 1755 to 1758.
This was the Fort Carillon built at the mouth of the La Chute River to protect New France from Britain.
On the other side of the lake Mt. Independence, was fortified in 1775, 1776, and 1777 during the American Revolution.
The colonial forces did this to keep the British from coming down the lake from Quebec.
We will start our tour with a paddling and safety lesson, before launching our boats.
Then we travel by water to the fort, as was normal in the 18th century.
Waterways were the main avenues of transportation at the time the fort was built. There were no roads as we know them.
The Saint Lawrence, Lake Champlain and the Hudson River were superhighways of the day.
After landing on the shore we may change our shoes for the hike up to the fort.
We spend the rest of the morning exploring the fort and museum.
For lunch we usually visit the Log House Restaurant and Museum Store.
But there are also picnic areas on the grounds if you prefer to bring your own lunch.
After lunch we continue our visit of the fort and grounds.
If we have time we visit The King's Garden which includes a formal garden.
After visiting the Garden it is time to launch our boats for home.
We travel past a variety of wildlife habitat.
Often we see many birds,including everything from waterfowl and shorebirds to sparrows and warblers.
Occasionally we even see a Bald Eagle.
We keep our tours small with no more than six tandem kayaks and your Guide. This insures the quality of your trip.
Our Tour Includes:
Paddling/Safety Lesson
Tandem Sea Kayak for the lake or Canoe for the river.
paddle, spray skirt, personal flotation device and a dry bag for small personal items.
Our Canoes and tandem Current Design Sea Kayaks are stable and accommodate most people.
Each participant under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult.
For trips across Lake Champlain, the minimum age for children is 10 years old.
All children must be at least 4 ft. 8 in. tall to paddle our Sea Kayaks.
We have a canoe trip to the fort down the La Chute River, for families with younger children.
No canoe or Kayak experience is necessary. Anyone with average upper-body strength can paddle a canoe or kayak.
What you need to bring
Appropriate outdoor clothing for Boating:
We suggest that you dress in layers. By dressing in layers you can adjust your clothing to stay comfortable throughout the tour.
Light quick-drying trousers or shorts (like a swim suit).
Blue jeans are not recommended because the heavy cotton absorbs a lot of water and they take forever to dry out.
A quick drying shirt.
Fleece or vest for warmth.
Jacket, or windbreaker for your top layer.
Rain Gear (bring jacket and pants), some Gore-Tex jackets will work for rain, and as a wind breaker.
A pair of sneakers you don't mind getting wet. Or water shoes.
Sun protection
Hat
sun glasses
sun screen.
Other useful items
camera
Snacks
lunch if you want a picnic.
Water or juice to drink.
Binoculars
Cost of the Fort Ticonderoga group tour is $70 per Person.
For Reservations
Call 802-897-7500
Please leave a message. We are usually out guiding a trip.
We recommend that you call well in advance to reserve your tour.
We usually are all out on tours during the day.
You might catch us in the early morning.
Or any time of day, if we are between trips.
Please leave a message and we will call you back as soon as we return.
We will accept you for a tour in the morning if there is room available.
Group size is limited to insure the quality of our trips.
Once the tour is full, you will have to join the next available tour.
We accept personal checks or cash for payment.
At this time we are not set up to take credit cards.
Cancellations
Please call us for cancellations and refunds.
Contact Us
By phone 802-897-7500
Please leave a message. We are usually out guiding a trip.
By E-mail
By Mail
Abenaki Outfitters & Guide ServiceP.O. Box 283
Shoreham, VT. 05770-0283
For safety we may limit, postpone or cancel a trip due to severe weather conditions.
All customers must sign a waiver of liability before participating in our outdoor activities.
At some times of the year (usually in the Fall) we are guiding extended trips, in Maine or the Adirondacks.
These paddling, hiking, hunting or fishing trips frequently are in areas where even cell phones will not work.
Therefore we may not be able to reply until we return.