Moving with the Current: Our 2026 Season Recap and the Road to 2027

Every river season has its natural cadence. There is the rush of spring high water, the long, sun-drenched momentum of July and August, and the crisp, reflective arrival of early autumn.

As October settles over the Grand River valley, we have made the decision to wind down our regular daily public bookings for the 2026 season. Between late-season water levels, unpredictable weather, and packed personal calendars, running daily open rentals no longer aligns with how we want to operate.

Running an outfitter well means knowing when to pause, reflect, and prepare.

Special accommodations will still be made by phone for school cohorts and groups of four or more who want a guided outing or custom autumn run. Beyond those select group bookings, October is shifting toward family, professional development, and personal time in the bush.

I’ve completed my ORCKA Level 4 Solo certification—because deepening river skills and traditional craft never stops—and packing a boat for some overdue backcountry camping. Most importantly, October is reserved for family: gathering around the table for Thanksgiving, and celebrating my wife’s 50th birthday. Running an outfitter well means knowing when to pause, reflect, and prepare.

When river traffic slows, my focus shifts back to my other long-standing trade. With our core digital systems, automated bookings, and marketing engine running smoothly, I am stepping into a contract role as a Fractional Chief Technology Officer for the winter.

For those who may not know, my background before acquiring Grand Experiences was decades deep in enterprise software engineering and technology leadership. Applying modern tech architecture to an established heritage outfitter is exactly what allowed us to modernize operations and eliminate friction for paddlers. Staying hands-on in enterprise architecture keeps my technical problem-solving sharp, which directly feeds right back into how we engineer Grand Experiences behind the scenes.

A thriving business isn’t measured just by activity, but by focus and operational discipline.

Looking back, the 2026 season delivered exceptional momentum. We experienced substantial year-over-year growth across the board. Our hub at Bingemans in Kitchener doubled its volume, demonstrating the massive appetite for accessible urban paddling in Waterloo Region. Across our other river operations, guest volume expanded by 34%.

Growth, however, requires honest operational audits. A route can be scenic, but if the logistics pull disproportionate resources, it compromises the overall operation. A thriving business isn’t measured just by activity, but by focus and operational discipline.

Big Creek was our clearest case study this year. While guest interest remained steady compared to 2025, the extended transit times and rising fuel costs made regular daily shuttles unsustainable. Starting in 2027, we are limiting Big Creek strictly to large pre-booked group expeditions during the shoulder season when water levels and group economics make practical sense.

Bingemans, on the other hand, showed us what focused local access looks like. Doubling our footprint there proved that paddlers want simple, reliable river experiences close to home. In 2027, Waterloo Region will be a major focal point of our growth. Mid-October kicks off our annual planning sessions with regional tourism partners to align trailheads, access points, and community programming for next spring.

Sustainable growth requires the discipline to do fewer things exceptionally well.

That evolution will bring noticeable changes to our 2027 trip schedules. Over the winter, we are scrutinizing every single river route we offer—measuring staging overhead, shuttle mileage, water-level reliability, and guest feedback.

Some long-standing routes may be streamlined, reduced, or retired entirely. Offerings will be consolidated around the stretches that deliver the highest-quality on-water experience with the least logistical friction. Sustainable growth requires the discipline to do fewer things exceptionally well, ensuring that when you step into one of our boats, every shuttle, swift, and safety detail is executed flawlessly.

To everyone who shared the current with us in 2026: thank you for trusting us with your time on the water. We are deeply proud of what this season accomplished, and we cannot wait to welcome you back to a refined, sharpened river lineup in 2027.