In the winter, Canadians head onto our abundant ice and snow to skate, ski and stay sane throughout the cold, dark months. In the summer, all that ice and snow melts and there’s water, water everywhere. So we peel off the layers, grab a paddle and a paperback and head to the lake, a river or an ocean to maximize our time in the sun.

In the summer issue of Canadian Geographic Travel, join writer Jim Sutherland for an island-hopping tour of British Columbia’s locavore paradise, drift down Ontario’s Grand River with canoe guru James Raffan, and take a Kayaking 101 course with surfing novelist Lesley Choyce. Plus: sailboats, swimming, lakeside cycling, marshes and more.