Frequently asked questions

Each route has a skill rating: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Expert. These are based on the technical difficulty of the paddling and portages, not your physical fitness.

Beginner routes are appropriate for people who are comfortable with a canoe and have done some flatwater camping. Intermediate routes involve moving water, longer portages, and more remote logistics. Advanced and Expert routes require whitewater experience and comfort operating far from evacuation points.

If you're unsure where you fall, email us. We'd rather help you find the right route than sell you the wrong one.

If you have a specific route in mind and it's not in our catalogue, use the "Request a custom route" button on the homepage. Tell us the region, approximate length, and whether a fly-in is involved.

We'll respond within 48 hours. If it's a route we know, we can build the package. If it's outside our coverage area, we'll tell you honestly rather than guess.

If we can't deliver a complete route package (PDF generated, signed link sent), you get a full refund. No questions.

If the package was delivered and you changed your mind about the trip, we don't offer refunds — the information has been delivered. If there's a factual error in the package that affects your planning (wrong outfitter phone, outdated permit information), email us and we'll correct it and resend.

Concierge buyers: if your trip is cancelled before the trip window starts, email us. We'll apply the payment as a credit toward any future route.

Your PDF includes a direct phone number for one of the founders on the cover page. During your trip window — the days immediately before and during your trip — you can reach us same-day if something changes.

What that looks like in practice: float plane operator cancels two days before departure, you call us, we help you find an alternative. Water levels spike and you're not sure whether to proceed, you text us, we give you our honest read.

The Concierge tier is for first-time fly-in buyers and anyone who wants a human in their corner during the part of trip planning that's hardest to handle from a PDF. We deliberately keep the deliverables vague because what you actually need depends on what comes up.

Full and Concierge buyers receive four emails, each timed to your trip start date:

T − 4 weeks: Float plane confirmation reminder with the specific contact name and phone from your package. Notes on what to ask about and any deposit deadlines.

T − 1 week: The specific HYDAT water gauge for your route, with the threshold to watch. Permit confirmation reminder. Final gear checklist specific to this route.

T − 1 day: Pre-launch checklist. Emergency contacts. Contingency protocols for the top failure modes on this route (float plane cancels, water too high, portage impassable).

T + 12 days: Five questions about how the trip went. Replies go directly to us — your feedback updates the database for the next buyer.

Available as a $49 add-on for Full buyers, included in Concierge.

After your purchase, we send an email to the outfitter introducing you by name — who you are, the route, your approximate trip window. You skip the cold call. Outfitters who work with Portage know who we are and will hold dates or take calls from our buyers ahead of the general queue.

We notify you by email within 24 hours after we've sent the intro.

Within minutes of purchase. A signed download link lands in your inbox. The link is valid for 30 days. If it expires before you use it, visit portagetrips.com/resend and enter your email — we'll send a fresh link.

No. You enter your email at checkout, and everything is delivered by email. There's no login, no dashboard, no password to remember. If you need the PDF re-sent, use the /resend page.

Every route package shows the month the permit information was last verified. We review all permit fields annually in March before the season opens.

Government permit systems don't have APIs and can change without notice. Every PDF includes a footer: "Permit info current as of [month] — verify with issuing authority before departure." For Ontario Parks permits especially, check the booking page yourself in the weeks before the January opening day — we'll tell you when that is in your package.

Not in Phase 1. Our database and outfitter relationships are concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, specifically remote routes requiring float plane access or multi-day portage travel. If you have a strong interest in a specific region outside that coverage area, let us know — we're tracking demand.

Yes. The PDF is yours — share it with your group. The download link is personal to your purchase, but the PDF itself has no restrictions.