Highly recommend Trek and Trail- they have high standards for safety and provided a fabulous outing for us with a guided overnight trip to Sand island. Our guide Ali had a wealth of knowledge and experience and we were able to explore caves on both days as well as took a hike to lighthouse. They take care of all the details so we could enjoy kayaking and exploring! read more

Amazing experience! If you are in the Bayfield area, take the time to kayak Lake Superior and see the Sea Caves! Great guides! We had a calm day so it felt like a very doable trip! ALSO, If you are a gadgets person or need something for the trip... or camping...wait and buy it in their retail store. It's a mini REI! read more

Trek & Trail - Sea Caves up close and amazing! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bayfield, Wisconsin

We just got back from the 'Paddle Through Time' 2 night/3 days kayaking and camping excursion led by Bill, and had an amazing time. Most of the credit for the success is due to our guide's proficiency and great personality, although we definitely also lucked out with beautiful weather and good kayaking conditions. I really can't say enough great things about our guide and highly recommend trying to schedule your next camping/kayaking adventure with him. Most importantly, he has the critical survival expertise (weather, navigation, nautical) to lead a group safely, all without being bossy or overbearing. His calm demeanor, even during times of slight angst, put the group at ease and reconfirmed that we were in good hands. Bill has 18+ years of experience leading sea kayaking trips in the area and it shows. In addition to knowing the lake and the Apostles like the back of his hand, he also has an immense wealth of knowledge including geology, natural history, and local history. Even though I'm comfortable backpacking on my own and with novice hikers in black bear country, I wouldn't even think of attempting this type of trip until learning from a professional. The lake is a beast and acts like an ocean, sans the tide. Huge swells can come out of nowhere, it's much harder to get back into a kayak than you'd think (you have to do it twice to get through the safety course), and it only takes 15 minutes in that bad boy to get hypothermia. It's nothing to mess around with. As a novice kayaker, I completely underestimated what it meant to paddle 32 miles in 2.5 days. It was beautiful, and I'd love to go back, but if you want more leisure time and less open water paddling, then go for a trip with a base camp and lots of built-in hiking/relaxation time. We launched from Little Sand Bay, spent the first night on Sand Island after paddling through the sea caves, spent the next day stopping off at York and Raspberry Islands before spending the second night on Oak Island. From there we made our way back to Bayfield. In addition to our fantastic trip guide, the front desk staff were great to work with for scheduling, the gear seemed in top shape, and the catered food was very tasty. The shop is also stocked with a nice selection of gear. read more

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Margaret, who was on the phone, is super friendly and cuztomer-oriented. Porter, who was our tour guide, is funny, knowledgable, and knows what he's doing. We had a full day kayaking (9-4), which is super exhausting for beginners like ourselves, but we enjoyed it. Now it's time for that 5-hour nap! We recommend if you just want to see the sea caves, then do a half-day, that might be easier. Please check the weather before you come because even at the end of June, it is still around 50°F. read more

We chose to visit Bayfield, WI because of the infamous Apostle Islands Sea Caves. We made the wise choice to have Trek & Trail lead us through the caves on kayak. Ali and Kate took us on an all day tour (9-4:00 PM) in and out of the sea caves. They were both full of knowledge, willing to help, and answered all questions throughout the day. We had an incredible experience kayaking the sea caves thanks to Ali and Kate from Trek & Trail! read more

Trek & Trail - Snapshots from our full day tour with Trek & Trail. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bayfield, Wisconsin

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We ended up using that partial credit (still lost 2/3 of our original payment) and got a smaller group to go kayaking a few weeks later. Porter ran the training course and did a great job. We all felt much safer having learned how to rescue each other and ourselves, plus we learned some strokes and techniques. And then when we went out on our own, the staff helped us load the kayaks onto our car. Everyone but the owner seems to be great to work with. read more

This is a friendly, professional top notch business that has earned a 5 star rating. We booked the sea cave kayaking trip but for our safety they had to cancel due to high winds however we rescheduled for the next day. They have the best equipment, wet suits & water bibs. Kia & Ally were the excellent guides showing us how to safely navigate the caves while sharing geological information & facts. They also have good bike rentals rates for Bayfield & Madeline Island. Very good experience & highly recommended. read more

Their training course and the guys who get you prepped for the trip were great. There was a lot of useful information , and we felt better about our trip after. The owner is very difficult to work with and seems intent on handling all of the customer service, unfortunately. They have a very tricky cancellation policy. Make sure to ask to know these policies before you book. The policies are written on their invoices but not stated outright. I lost $175 to them, and the owner was not budging an inch despite some difficult circumstances that I could not control. You'll want to make sure everybody in your group books separately so that you're not responsible for their fee in case they cancel. read more

Got a groupon as a gift for one of their weekend adventures. Called in May to find out the schedule for the summer, and EVERY SINGLE DATE for the entire summer is already booked. This groupon cannot be used! I can go on a standby list in case someone else gets sick at the last minute (which doesn't do me any good as I'm 8 hours away). Why would you sell so many deals if you know you can't book them?!?! Terrible company and the woman that answered the phone for the company was super rude! read more

Great place to book a kayak tour of the Apostle Island caves. We are novices and chose the half day tour. This was perfect and seemed like just the right amount of time and paddling for our family. Lizzie and Keegan were our guides and they did great! They made sure we all got a chance to take our kayaks into the caves and thru the keyhole pass. Very knowledgeable and talkative to answer our questions. The full body wetsuits were great and helped keep us warm even though it was a nice day, that water is COLD! We started with a training lesson and safety class and then proceeded to the water. We all felt comfortable with our abilities and Keegan and Lizzie made sure to keep us all in a somewhat pod of kayaks to ensure we stayed close. It was fun to experience the caves and try kayaking with this outfit. They keep the groups small and you feel like you get a great trip that's well worth the money. read more

Under new ownership as of the 2015 season. We did a half day sea caves tour with Chad and Porter and it was great. My boyfriend had never kayaked and it had been quite a while (10ish years) since my last paddling adventure. They were great at showing everyone the basics and keeping everyone together. The caves were great too. Be warned that the drive out to Myers Beach is further than you think. If you get to Cornucopia you've gone too far. If I am in the Apostle Islands again I'd definitely do another trip with T&T. read more

Great trip, the group guides were excellent and very informative. The food for lunch was great!

Had an awesome time with these guys. Scott and Chris took our group out to the sea caves and we had so much fun. I would have been very disappointing if I ended up going with the group that left before us which went with a different company. They were far to cautious and turned back with the little bit of wind. Scott asked us what we liked to do and we all voted to go ahead and it was such amazing fun. Most of us were not experienced kayakers and it was not a difficult paddle. We will be back next year. read more

Chad and Emily were very competent guides. We had a deluxe tour and the sights/caves were stunning. The incredible weather and lake conditions didn't hurt either. We had a wonderful time and wouldn't hesitate to recommend the trip. read more

We had such a great time taking a whole day kayaking tour with Trek & Trail while visiting Wisconsin. Our tour guide was Emily and our group size was 6. We originally were supposed to go to Sand Island, but due to the weather we ended up just going to kayaking to a shipwreck, having lunch and taking a hike on Basswood Island. Emily was a great and very informative tour guide giving us a lot of history about the islands and answering any questions we had. The kayaks were in great condition and the overall tour was fun! We were lucky the other 4 people in our group were very entertaining people. I would definitely do trek & trail again, and might even try an overnight backpacking trip. Highly recommended! read more

Took a one night, two day trip with Porter over Labor Day weekend. It was fantastic! Porter was a great guide, the equipment was excellent, the safety training useful, kayaking instruction simple and straightforward. Plus, the food. Man, the food! It was so good - and plenty of it. The nutella s'mores were a revelation! I have one very minor complaint - our tents had been cleaned and the interiors were very sandy and dirty. But, if you are reading this review, don't think for a moment that that should dissuade you from using these folks! I'll be back again next year. read more

Lynn with Trek & Trail did a wonderful job arranging a trip for our crew of 8. We had extremely complicated logistics, but she handled them with ease. She also arranged great meals for our crew, and things went off without a hitch. I would highly recommend Trek & Trail! read more

We had such a great time on the 4 pm 1/2 day cave tour. Stephanie and Abbie (? We're all arguing about her name, Sorry Ally/ Abby/something that starts with a different letter) were wonderful! Patient and fun! View was beautiful. 3 hours was perfect for us newbies. Thank you!!! read more

Great trip. Guides were good. Lunch from Fat radish was delicious. Good, quality gear provided everything we needed. Will go back for another trip. read more

We had the same "super rude owner" problem. Booked one of trek and trail's cabins for the better part of a week, plus a sea-caves day trip. Arrived at the cabin after hours to find that the cabin door wouldn't lock due to the door frame being a bit warped. No big deal, but we didn't want to have to worry about our things for five days, so we left a msg. at the office to please have that looked into. Arrived at the office the next morning for our sea caves trip, and asked about the door issue. Owner: "I didn't call you back, because there's nothing I can do about it." General huffiness and raised voices quickly ensued. The owner obviously didn't want to hear anything about our problem, and was just plain belligerent. But the van driver for our kayak trip offered to take a look at the door, so off we went for a splendid day trip. Arrived back at the cabin in the evening to find the door problem fixed --- hooray! BUT there was also a note on the table saying: "you've been credited for the remainder of your stay. Please remove your things." What???? Hop in the car and drive back down to the office. Me: "really? we had a great kayak trip, you fixed the only problem we had, and you're kicking us out? Owner: "I have a feeling there will be other 'problems.'" So we were basically booted out for complaining about a door that wouldn't lock. Zero stars for the owner, but FIVE stars for the rest of the staff at this outfit - though I feel sorry for them having to try to mollify paying clientele that the owner has made livid through her own rudeness. We also did a 4-day trip with this outfit about 20 years ago, and had a great time. If you can avoid the owner-from-hell, you probably will too. But watch out. The run-in we had was back in August, but I'm still mad enough in December to write about it! read more

BEWARE of Trek and Trail -- I also received a gift of a 3 day paddle with Trek and Trail. I also called in early May and was told they only had 2 dates, the first available two days hence, impossible for me to make, and the second in mid-September. With only one date feasible, I chose mid-September even though it was well after Labor Day, and I began to make plans including requesting the time off from my work. The following day, I received an email (not even a phone call) telling me that the September date was cancelled and the only date they could take me was "tomorrow". This was completely impossible for me to make. When I called their office, the woman I spoke with said I should have called in December "like everyone else". When I asked her why they sold more inventory than they had available, she was terribly rude and said that I they had a spot for me "tomorrow" and otherwise, "tough luck". She closed with: "you really should plan better next time" and then hung up. Amazingly rude. I know it's a bit different up there, but come on. I'm out the money. She won't even call back or reply to my email requests to speak. BEWARE of Trek and Trail. read more

Great time on the half day sea caves tour. Guides, Porter and Kate, were excellent! If I am in the area again I would defintely do this tour again or one of their day long tours. Safety and comfort were a clear priority. read more

I booked this trip before reading the negative reviews on here, and was a little apprehensive after reading the comments. I was expecting the worst, but was pleasantly surprised. I didn't interact with the owner besides calling to make my reservation, and I will admit that she seemed a bit terse on the phone. The staff were friendly and knowledgable. Luckily the weather cooperated and we got to paddle through the sea caves. Maybe because I booked my trip last. Invite (the day before) and went on a Thhursday, there weren't problems with cancellations. I'd recommend this trip. read more

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff made our cave adventure very fun! Our group had kayakers of all levels and both guides were accommodating to all by having one with those at the front of the group and one with those in the back. They also shared fun facts about the area! read more

They went above and beyond! My boyfriend and I did a 6 day sea kayaking trip, camping at different Apostle Islands and went thru trek and trail. We had a great instructor for the safety course. We rented a tandem kayak and the fixings from them, it was a great boat. We also had them shuttle us to little sand bay. The staff was super friendly and helpful--- they really went above and beyond in our case. My car was parked in their small day parking lot, right before we were to hop in the shuttle, we went to move it to the municipal lot a couple blocks away for overnight parking. And then my car battery wouldn't start. Our shuttle driver came over and popped his hood and tried to jump it, and let it charge up for a while. Unfortunately it was a bigger issue (starter). They recommended a reliable, quality mechanic in town. Since it was sunday, he was closed. Trek and Trail let us leave the car in their lot and followed up with the mechanic on our behalf, since we wouldn't have cell service out on the water. We came back and the car was fixed, all ready to go in their lot. Trek and Trail had even fronted the mechanic the money to fix my car since my credit card wasn't going through. They were super super helpful and friendly, and flexible to our situation. We had a great experience going through them. Also, their location is super convenient, they have their own little beach right in Bayfield, we paddled back there from Oak island and pulled our boats right up to their shop. read more

Jon Flynn with Trek & Trail is as good as it gets! I did a 3-day camping/kayaking trip with him last year, and came back for more this year. Once again, he did not disappoint. He went out of his way with special surprises around every corner for my friend and me. He took us through sea caves, saved us from a squall with his intense knowledge of the seas, cooked amazing food, had special glow-in-the-dark flyers for us on the beach at night and made every second memorable. Going on two years in a row with Jon, it's likely this will become an annual affair! (He even had days off, but agreed to lead my tour because I made a special request. Super accommodating!) I can't say enough good things about both of my experiences! Quite a fun adventure!!! Thanks Jon and Trek & Trail! read more

Great time! No one in our group had ever been kayaking before and they taught us proper paddling techniques before heading out. The guides were great, the views were awesome, and the lunch was fantastic! I would definitely do this again through this company! read more

Had a wonderful trip to the sea caves with a family of 6. Full day trip. Porter and Joe were our guides. Very knowledgable about the area - sharing a great narrative about the lakeshore. Friendly and talkative all day. Had a weather change on the return trip with some 3 foot swells- Porter helped out our younger kids and a managed the situation so we all felt comfortable. He knows what he is doing! Great lunch I believe from the Fat Radish topped it off! read more

Go to cornucopia ! Save money and travel with honest, hard working crew! T&T's owner is rude and dishonest. There's a reason they don't offer a half-day paddle to sea caves! They want to charge as much as possible! It does NOT take all day to do this...the drive to Cornucpia is beautiful! Do it yourself. Their small quaint town can use the money and they offer a half-day trip for very reasonable pricing with kind hearted staff. read more

Wow!...The owner of this business is super rude. I was stunned at the complete disregard Trek and Trail showed. I had purchased a groupon with them in December 2011 and booked a trip right away for July 2012. On their invoice it clearly stated that the trip departed on Sunday morning giving the date as Sunday throughout the invoice and on the email. When I called to ask a question about food the Friday before at 4:00pm and said that I was calling about the trip that we were going out with on Sunday, They said, "Oh no, it is on Saturday morning". I explained that the invoice and the email all stated that the trip started on Sunday and they said that it was my fault for not calling them to double check the date. Huh? Why would I question their invoice and email? They told me that I would have to hurry up and make other arrangements. I tried get ahold of the girl going with me but she was still traveling from Tennessee and was no where near close enough to make it in time. So I tried 3 times to get back to them on Friday night before 5:30pm to see what we could do. They wouldn't answer the phone or return my message. We finally made it up to Bayfield on Saturday afternoon as planned and went into Trek and Trail with the invoice in hand to see what we could do. The owner was very rude and kept saying it was our fault. When questioned about the date on the invoice and the line stating that the trip departs Sunday at 8:45, she said that the computer wrote it...what? She just kept repeating that she would do nothing to make it right. It was like talking to a brick wall. Very frustrating and disapointing. read more

Earlier this month my friend and I kayaked and camped in the Apostle Islands with Trek and Trail outfitter in Bayfield, WI. This was the first time I had spent any time exploring the Apostle Islands. Last summer my friend paddled with Trek and Trail on a similar length and distance trip and had an amazing time. Her experience was so incredible for many reasons; most notable was their guide, Jon Flynn. In preparation for our trip, I called Trek and Trail and asked if Jon could guide our 3-day 2-night Paddle Through Time trip. The office staff was so friendly and accommodating and despite our proposed dates being scheduled back-to-back with another trip Jon was guiding, he graciously accommodated our request. Our experience was unbelievable. The gear supplied by Trek and Trail was great and the meals, catered by the Fat Radish were fantastic and Mother Nature certainly took care of the scenery and wildlife. While it would be hard to elevate our experience any further, Jon made an already memorable experience even more memorable. Jon is a very experienced guide who made us feel safe and secure on a very unpredictable lake, as the weather can quickly shift without warning. His depth of knowledge on the history and natural ecology of the region comes only from someone with a true passion and natural curiosity. In addition to everything else, Jon managed to surprise me with a birthday cake, candles and all, on our second night (I have no idea how he managed to hide the cake in the kayak); he photo-documented every detail of our 2.5 day experience and surprised us with LED toys that made three adults giddy as kids playing with light against the night sky. I have been on a number of guided expeditions before but have never experience such an amazing combination of perfection. Everything about our experience with Trek and Trail and Jon, in particular, has me wanting to book my trip again for next summer. Thank you so much! A+++ read more

We paid $230 for the two of us to go on a guided kayaking trip on July 5. We were staying on Madeline Island and unfortunately there was a 90 minute wait to get on the ferry to Bayfield. When we realized this unforeseen delay would probably make us late for the scheduled 11:00 trip we immediately called to see what could be done. They were not very flexible at the Trek and Trail office and every time I suggested a solution they were either hesitant or refused. We ended up getting to the office about 35 minutes after the trip was supposed to leave. Upon seeing us they said, "If you had been here ten minutes earlier..." This did not make us feel any better. They did not offer any sort of refund and when pressed the co-owner said, "There is nothing we can do." She even mentioned the turkey sandwich they had purchased for us. We did not expect a full refund, but considering the effort we made and the money we spent we were very disappointed they did not offer anything in return. read more