O n September 11, 2024 Kyle Parker set a speed record in solo canoeing the Wisconsin River, paddling the 430-mile river in just five days, 19 hours and 57 minutes. The record attempt itself was prompted in part by Parker’s desire to paddle the Wisconsin River in its entirety while working within the confines of his available time off from work.
For summer 2025, Parker quit his job to paddle across the continental United States from the northwesternmost point at Cape Flattery, Washington to the southeasternmost point at Miami, Florida. He departed on the journey on April 29, 2025.
Wisconsin river solo canoeing speed record holder to canoe across America
Parker’s change in pace comes in part as a result of the Fastest Known Time (FKT) experience:
“I cruised through all of Wisconsin and didn’t really get a chance to experience the river,” Parker explained. “I didn’t get to take my time or do any fishing or meet people along the way.”
Parker’s route will take him from the Salish Sea in Washington State up to the Columbia River, over the Continental Divide and onto the Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee Rivers and eventually along the coast of Alabama and all the way to Florida. Approximately 250 of these miles before the Missouri River alone are portaging, including a 150-mile portage of the Continental Divide. Parker also shared that the route was just as influenced by where he wanted to fish along the way as it was influenced by topography and path of least resistance…