Raquette River Outfitters — Local services in Town of Tupper Lake

Anne and Rob are just fantastic people. Kind, welcoming, knowledgeable, and dedicated to making each trip as great as possible. I have used their services 6 times now and each time, their advice on the right trip for our group was spot-on.

This year, my brother, sister, and I took on a bigger trip; the Oswegatchie Traverse, with an extra 2 mile carry to Lowe's Lake since the Lower Dam is under rehabilitation. Anne and Rob made sure we had every piece of gear dialed in before even letting us head out to the put in (a carry trail in this case). Swift Keewaydin pack boats and the right dry bags for our gear got us as light as we could be for the carries while still having confidence in their durability on the water.

Anne and Rob feel like old friends any time I interact with them, whether on the phone, at their shop, or at the put in/take out. At some point, I will be buying a boat, and there is no question that RRO will be the place it happens.

Editing to add about additional trips with RRO. My group repeated the Oswegatchie Traverse in 2024. I had yet another super-smooth experience with arrival, check-in, and travel to the put-in for the trip. RRO even entrusted me with a brand new Swift Prospector Pack Boat; I got to put the first scratches in it!

The day after this fabulous trip, I realized I forgot to take the blue jay feather I found on the initial carry and used as a talisman for the trip. I had left it in the boat. I called Anne and she looked, but it was gone. What speaks to the true character of RRO is that when I showed up a month later for a trip into the St Regis Canoe area, she presented me with a blue jay feather she had that held personal meaning for her.

My point is that while there are other likely excellent outfitters in the Adirondacks, I firmly believe that there are NO better people than Anne, Robby,...

The folks over at Raquette River Outfitters are incredible people. They are knowledgeable, helpful, kind, and supportive. This is a good thing considering you start and end your journey there. Not only do they make sure you're ready and set for your trip by providing you with excellent equipment (and their canoes and wooden paddles are in such fine shape that they feel new) and discussing your route with you, they even provide peace of mind after the trip by paddling out to retrieve your wallet in case you forget it under a pile of branches you were trying to keep dry under a tarp. I don't think that's in the list of services they offer (and I would really recommend just leaving your wallet in your car when you go out paddling), but when we realized my wallet was not in our bags the day after we returned home and reached out to Anne and Robbie (the owners) about our concern, they volunteered to grab their canoe, paddle out to the campsite we were staying out, find my wallet, hop back in the canoe, paddle back, and send it back to me in the mail (we live about 6 hours away via car from the Adirondacks). That is absolutely the best customer service I have experienced during my 35 years on this planet. I was so moved that I wrote my first ever customer review. Here it is.

If you're going to the Adirondacks and you're even slightly interested in water, do yourselves a favor and book a trip with Raquette River Outfitters. (Hint: check their website first, as they have a selection of trips on it of various lengths suited to your ability and...

Raquette River Outfitters is AMAZING!! We had a complex adk dream, six people all with their own personal lists of what they wanted/needed(and yes, I was the pickiest of all, even listing my preference for tree types!) and Ann listened patiently, asked questions we hadn’t even thought of, gave us choices, explained the pros and cons of each choice, and ten (20??!) phone calls/texts/emails later we all, two families, arriving at different times, had hands down the most glorious three days in the Wild we’d all ever had (and collectively we’ve had our share of beautiful wilderness experiences). We all needed a win (2020’s been at trip) and we got one. I was so grateful for everything including the fact that they were SO cool and on point with social distancing (I’m pretty covid-shy). When we got there they sold us a few extra things we needed, I asked them if they thought we needed anything else and they made a few modest suggestions, weren’t pushy at all. Such a dream. We were actually a bit late coming back and they didn’t even charge us. We left a fanny pack out there and told them and they were on it instantly, putting out the word, doing what they can to get it back for us. Above. Beyond. Look no further. This is...