Had a wonderful time on the river... smooth waters, friendly and accommodating owner! Only issue was getting their website to accurately take our reservations so suggest calling. read more

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The review reflects the friendly and honest service. The prices were a bit high, but the kayaks had nice, comfortable seats that had good back support and the ability to adjust into a bucket seat. The owner, Craig, gave us tips on things to do in the area. He also gave us a group discount since we had 7 people on our group. I also appreciated that he suggested we do 1 hour (rather than 2 hours) - from his experience 1 hour is enough for kids....and he was totally right! Instead of pushing us for an option to spend more money, he provided great advice that was right for our group. We had a great time, and it was beautiful, but 1 hour was definitely enough. The pricing is set per person. One suggestion would be to price differently for single versus double kayaks, which many places do (with a discount for double kayaks). read more

We were helped by Reese, but everybody smiled and was super helpful. Doesn't matter what level kayaker you are, you'll be comfortable here. Calm waters and beautiful views with a wide range of kayak types and sizes. It was a wonderful experience! Thank you to everybody at NP Kayaks. read more

New Paltz Kayaking - Tours Near Me - New Paltz, New York

I went kayaking through NPK last summer, and had a very bad experience. The kayaks and the river were lovely, but Craig made us feel extremely unsafe. We were in a group of several women. Everything went smoothly until my sister was given her boat. She asked Craig if the equipment was in good working condition, a half-joking reference to the waiver he had us sign. As soon as she mentioned this, Craig got very upset and asked her what she was planning on doing with it. She told him nothing, she just mentioned it because it was in the waiver. Craig started to panic and raise his voice, and kept asking her why she was asking about the waiver, if she was planning on suing him, if she was going to sabotage his business, etc. It was a completely unexpected and unhinged reaction. We told him that we had no qualms, and just wanted to join the rest of our group kayaking. Four members of our group were already on the water, and he told me and my cousin to get in the water so he can "talk to" my sister alone. We said absolutely not, we are staying with her. Craig seemed upset and tried a few more times to get us to leave my sister alone with him. When he realized we were not leaving her, he finally allowed the three of us to get in our kayaks. Before pushing us off into the river, he hesitated for several minutes, saying that he could not trust us out there. He tried telling us we can't use the kayaks and we need to leave the premises, but we were firm because we had already paid, and half of our group was already out on the water. He spent several minutes yelling at us about how we are probably scheming to try to sue him and he doesn't trust us. Finally, after I calmly explained to him that we are paying customers, and we are adults that are fully capable of using the equipment, he agreed to push us out onto the water. He pushed my sister's kayak into the river with a very hard, aggressive kick (much harder than how he pushed the other boats out), and yelled at her "F*** it, you're probably just going to sink anyway!" Again, this was after several minutes of Craig pacing back and forth, yelling at us, and pulling on his hair in a very concerning display. All in all this experience was so extremely disturbing and uncomfortable, and I recommend that if you are a woman alone or in a group of women, you avoid this place. I am deeply disturbed by how hard Craig tried to separate my sister from the rest of the group and "talk to her alone." That is highly inappropriate and just terrifying. He was kind and professional to the rest of our group, but incredibly rude, irritable and borderline aggressive with me, my sister, and our cousin. I basically cried during the entire rental, so, the experience was ruined. I would also question why he panics and becomes irrational when you mention the waiver. As soon as we said the word "waiver" he turned aggressive. That's a big red flag. I have noticed most of the reviews describe Craig as a kind and helpful person, which he was to half of our group. It seems if you annoy him, he drops the "nice guy" front and gets aggressive fast. Be careful. read more

After months of rain, it was finally a beautiful day and I really wanted to go kayaking. I've never been in the area during summer, so after looking at reviews we decided to go to New Paltz Kayaking- it was awesome! We lounged in a hammock we brought for about an hour overlooking the river (which was beautiful) then when we were ready, went out kayaking. Craig was very nice, and offered a demo on the proper way to kayak. He even took pictures for us at the end. His kayaks are also the nicest I've ever been in, with back/foot rests. You can choose a single or random kayak. The river was wide, easy to paddle in, and overlooked nice scenery. I'd give it a 4.5/5. Good staff/equipment, and a nice river. The only thing that doesn't give it a 5/5 was the views around the river didn't change much, but it was still a very fun experience. read more

New Paltz Kayaking - Tandem Kayak - Tours Near Me - New Paltz, New York

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New Paltz Kayaking gave my group of seven a wonder experience on the Wallkill River. Craig consolidated our weekend by helping us with canoes and kayaks one day and bikes the next. He was always patient, friendly and helpful to me during my constant phone calls with endless questions. Craig helped me with boat questions, questions about booking on line, questions about the river and so much more. The staff was so helpful to us that I left a tip with them and they followed me to my car to thank me for that. The city of New Paltz has great resources with the river and the rail trail and the chamber of commerce should be grateful that New Paltz Kayaking(and biking) treats their visitors so well. I will always come back to them. read more

Tried this place out during the very hot weekend of July 18 & 19. We booked a tandem kayak for a 2-hour window. Before that, we did our own thing on an SUP from the same park and launch ramp. We asked them about the policies of launching there, and despite their being quite busy, they were super friendly and accommodating. I was even able to borrow some screwdrivers when I needed to open my car key remote after getting it wet foolishly. They were treating all their clients the same way. I have a sailing business and know how repetitive some things can be. They never missed a beat. When it came time for our own rental, they were the same, and it was 4pm toward the end of a very hot day. Everyone was enjoying their rentals. The gear was solid (Wilderness Systems), and the Cannon paddles were fine for rental gear. Even the PFD's were appropriate picks and in clean shape. The Wallkill River isn't a lot of territory, is a bit murky, and most of the navigable area is downstream of the launch spot. That's fine for the purpose, especially as there's a bird sanctuary and some other attractions in that direction. For the 3/4 mile of paddling that's upstream, it's quieter, and also affords nice mountain views. We noticed that at the end of the day, the last renters were all coming in around the same time, so apparently everyone manages the upstream finish just fine. They can be hard to reach on the phone or by text, but all bookings and liability waiver contracts are done online anyway. For those new or young to kayaking, I don't hesitate to recommend this service. Accomplished kayakers who are accustomed to larger bodies of water might feel a bit cramped, but you can't be all things to all people, and New Paltz Kayaking isn't trying to do the impossible. They're doing an excellent job for the scope of territory they've carved out. read more

This was my third time kayaking and I definitely had a better experience before at other places. I think this place was a little on the expensive side. The water is pretty dirty and there's not much of a view. One of the employees was also pretty rude when collecting the kayaks. I would recommend skipping this one and kayaking in the Catskills for cheaper and better views. read more

This was an amazing and fun experience! We went with 3 kids, aged 3-5, in tandem kayaks. It was perfect for them. The Wallkill River was peaceful and we kayaked for about an hour and a half. We saw a heron too! The crew was great- really helpful. I had questions ahead of time and they were happy to walk me through it all. It was a really safe way to introduce the kids to kayaking. We would love to go back sans kids and explore even further and faster. read more

The kids had an awesome time & the staff was really helpful in giving step-by-step instructions! I think the price was quite reasonable for the time & # of us! read more

When we arrived a previous guest had not returned their kayak, and so we did have to wait- the staff was wonderful and communicative, refunded our time and still gave us the full time on the river. I was very impressed with their attitude and their customer service- would definitely come back! read more

We were looking for a fun activity to do with our 7 year old grandson in New Paltz. A newspaper article which described New Paltz Kayaking Tours made it sound perfect. "Long story short", it was. This relatively new business is owned by Craig Chapman. A long-time resident of New Paltz, Craig is committed to making the beautiful little Wallkill River accessible to folks. He put the three of us in a canoe, and two and one half hours down river, there he was near Rosendale, waiting to pick us up. Rates for single kayaks are $35. Canoe rentals are $55. The river is beautiful and what can be better than floating from one point to another. read more

Had a great time kayaking on the Wallkill River. The owner was really friendly and welcoming! Quiet river, very relaxing and peaceful. Definitely a must do in New Paltz! read more