Carpenter Lake is a great place for canoeing. Two 17-foot, double pointer aluminum Grumman canoes are available at the lodge and can be used for local trips or longer expeditions. Locally, you can go for a leisurely paddle on the lake in front of your cabin or explore the meandering Thessalon River northeast of the lake. The Thessalon River leads through weed beds and wetlands and is a great place to view fish in the clear water and wildlife including wetland birds on the shores. Ultimately, a kilometer upstream the river is marked by beaver dams and gives way to shallow rapids.

For the more ambitious canoe tripper, the Grummans can be transported to nearby Reserve Lake and taken on a day-long journey that follows a circular route across major lakes including Reserve and Stoney as well as a series of portages connecting smaller ponds along the headwaters of the Thessalon River. Here, you need to travel light and be prepared to carry the canoes. The trip affords opportunities to fish for trout, take photographs and explore an old wagon road made by early loggers along part of the portage trail.