Couple of classics:

"Travels with Charley" by John Steinbeck

"On The Road" by Jack Kerouac

Not a canoe in 'em, but they'll take you along for a ride.  "On The Road" was definitely an eye-opener that made me want to explore the nation (along with a few million other readers).

My all time favorite is "Dangerous River" by R.M.Patterson.  A true story from the late 1920's.  This guy is a real life "Jeremiah Johnson". He never skun griz, but did survive on wolverine stew!

I pasted the following text from Amazon.com website (hope I can legally do this).

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
In 1927, British-born writer and adventurer Patterson braved the Nahanni, "this strange river with the beautiful name," in rugged Northwest Canada, where he was prospecting for long-rumored gold, investigating the mysterious murders of an earlier party of prospectors and, above all, seeking excitement. He found no gold and didn't solve the mystery, but the journal of his yearlong battle with the dangerous river (and with temperatures that plummeted to 60 below zero) stands as a paragon of travel writing. Even readers who dislike getting their feet wet will be carried along by Patterson's dry wit, his neatly turned phrases ("Far above the river the topmost cliffs were lit with the wild, yellow light of the setting sun, but down by the water's edge there was only the puny flame of the evening fire") and his very British devotion to tea, which he downs by the bucketful. The book includes black-and-white photos from the original edition, long out of print, that hint at the eerie, ferocious beauty of the land.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Daggett Bill: I've read Dangerous River a couple of times and will probely do so again next winter. There is also a follow up book where R.M.P establishes a homested . I can't recall the name of that book . My father made a trip up that way, and if I recall right he met RMPs son or grandson that lives somewhere around Tweedsmeir (?) park. Sounds like it would be a place to visit.

Just this week I received a boxed set of “A Canoe Voyage Up the Minnay Sotor” by George W. Feathersonhaugh in the mail. My 1970 reprint of his 1847 book came in great shape. Clearly the former owner of it did not have enough reading time. I have only read parts of the book so my recommendation is only skin deep but his account of going through the Wisconsin Dells to Fort Snelling is captivating. I can’t wait to read the whole thing.

Undaunted Courage by the late Stephen Ambrose.  Maybe my favorite book of all Time.  Five stars on my scale. 

Wishin'