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About Paddling Marathon

The coast of Lake Superior at the Town of Marathon is rugged and beautiful, but not the safest for paddling.  It is open water, cold and subject to high winds moving towering waves. As such, the best place to paddle in Marathon is Penn Lake. The lake offers calm, flat water for easy paddling, and can be accessed via Penn Lake Park. The park, Marathon’s main venue for outdoor events, festivals and recreational activities, offers a number of amenities including picnic tables and a comfort station with washrooms, showers and laundry facilities. Paddlers can rent a kayak/canoe storage rack by the day, week or season. There is also a campground at the park that has nine tent sites.

There are many hiking trails in the area, including the Group of Seven Lake Superior Trail. This popular trail connects painting sites used by the world-famous artists’ collective between Pukaskwa National Park and Neys Provincial Park. Marathon is also known for its expansive pebble beach.

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Interesting Facts

-In 1945, the Town of Marathon was named “Everest”.

-In 1946, it was known as the “Improvement District of Marathon”, and in 1970 it was incorporated as the Town of Marathon.

-Between 1985 and the 1990’s, Marathon’s population exploded to well over 6,000 with the influx of miners, pulp mill employees, and CPR workers.