It depends on which river and which lake and which boat.
There are large lakes up in Maine where you could paddle for several
days and camp in a different place each night. So the idea of being in
the same place after a day of paddling is not a factor.
River travel is more varied. To me a good river is one that has no
rapids that make canoeing dangerous and enough water to not have to drag
the boat over gravel. Most rivers have both of these obstacles unless
they have a dam to raise the water, in which case they are a lake.
Using a boat designed for a particular water condition will probably add
to the enjoyment regardless of whether it's a lake or a river.
The ideal would be to have a general purpose canoe, and take a trip that
combines flat water on a lake and moving water on a river.
I'm thinking Penobscot type canoe on the Androscoggin River in Maine
into Lake Umbaygog.


Mike McCrea wrote:
Which do you prefer for a tripping venue, lakes or rivers?

Although I much prefer rivers for day trips I favor lake travel for
multi-day outings. Maybe it's the ability to base camp and day paddle,
maybe it's the (usually) more open vistas, maybe it's that I get some
peverse pleasure out of paddling in the wind at times. Maybe it's some
combination of things I can't quite put my finger on.

I'll have to ask the Missus; she *much* prefers river tripping under
any circumstance.