What a wonderful experience! Very accommodating and helpful! Seamless pickup and return. Thank…read moreyou for a great experience. Loved the scenery on the trip. Very relaxing too!

From the owner: We rent adult and kids kayaks, canoes, standup paddle boards, tubes and coolers for paddling or…read morefloating on the Cedar River.

Apparently there is a local legend about an "actual" bigfoot roaming the dense forests that fill in…read morethe space between the corn, soybean and alfalfa fields that line the local hills and valleys. The folks at BigFoot Canoe (and kayak) Rentals have never seen one, but you never know. Season 11, episode 9 of Finding Bigfoot on the Discovery Channel filmed an episode nearby - spoiler alert - they didn't find one. But it's worth the trip even without a legitimate chance of a sighting. We rented a canoe for trip from Bridge 16 to a landing a mile or so past Ion. Their website says this is the most challenging part of the river. I've canoed, tubed and kayaked in the Upper Iowa river above Decorah dozens of times, and this was our first experience on the Yellow River. For comparison's sake, I would estimate this stretch at about 15% more "dangerous" (relatively speaking) and exciting than a typical stretch between Bluffton and Decorah on the Upper Iowa. The staff told us that we had to know what we were doing to paddle the stretch, so they seem to agree with my assessment. A little faster, narrower, turnier, and more and slightly steeper rapids in places. It also seemed to have much less river traffic; we didn't see anyone else all afternoon. The staff at BigFoot were friendly and helpful. They returned my telephone inquiry call promptly, and were prepared for my arrival as scheduled. They seem to have plenty of kayaks and canoes, so pick your poison.

We came up from Illinois for a 2-day paddle and loved the Upper IA River. Hruska's took care of…read morethe canoe and camping. The livery service was always on time, good equipment, very helpful. The Bluffton Campground was very clean, green, quiet. All of the sites were within sight of the river. Good prices for the rentals, camping, firewood. Beautiful area by day and by milky way (incredible stars).

Stayed just outside of Chimney Rock Park, rented 3 kayaks for 2 days with shuttle. Service is…read moreoutstanding. Ridiculously friendly and accommodating. No need to rent anywhere else. Stock up on ice and snacks before you float at the takeout in Bluffton. Will patron them again and can't wait to come back!

My niece and I have been tubing on the river for years and we look forward to this annual…read moreexperience. We went out on Sunday and we were told that the river was "running faster than normal" and the route would take two hours instead of the usual three. We thought that might be nice because the weather was kind of chilly and we didn't know if we wanted to be there for three hours. That said, we did not know that the river running faster would mean that it would also feel dangerous in certain parts and the rapids were a lot rougher than normal. We were pushed into various parts of the river where there were sharp rocks and fallen trees jutting out. I understand that root river outfitters doesn't have anything to do with nature, but I do think that there should be a warning about how the river running fast also means that the river is running more rough at certain points. My tube was pushed into a large tree branch from behind and I cracked my neck and I have been in pain ever since. I am not blaming root river outfitters for the situation, but I do think that they should at least let people know what they are getting into when they are going to be having a two hour experience on a river where they really don't have an opportunity to get off if they feel in danger or uncomfortable. This is just something I think that they should inform people before they go.

Great day on the root river. Easy parking and drop off with root river outfitters. Would recommend!read more

My wife and I attended a paddling class with Pilgrim Paddles to learn techniques needed to paddle a…read moresolo canoe and be better at paddling together in a tandem canoe. We had basic experience paddling a tandem canoe but after taking this class and receiving great instruction on so many paddle strokes and techniques, we understood the nuances necessary to control a canoe in ways I never thought were possible. The instructor, Jeff, is incredibly knowledgeable and accomplished and has amazing patience working with new students. He also has a very strong safety ethic and ensures his students not only learn how to be a better paddler but also confident with safety protocols essential to manage conditions that increase risks when paddling a canoe. I highly recommend taking paddling instruction from Jeff and Pilgrim Paddles.

A couple of years ago I wanted(thought I wanted)to learn to paddle board. I knew Jeff from a group…read morekayak class some years previous. He attempted to teach me paddle board skills. He was successful teaching me the rules and safety protocol. He was patient and had a sense of humor with me because it simply was not going to be something I would accomplish. I have said to a friend that if I had to be lost in the wilderness, I would want to be with Jeff because he is experienced and level headed. Jeff is a thoughtful and masterful expert in his field.

We had a great experience at Maquoketa River Rental!! The staff was very friendly and…read moreaccommodating, and the river was peaceful and a nice float. We kayaked, but saw many people on tubes, having a great time on the sand banks. Everyone was so welcoming in Maquoketa!!! Highly recommend

We had planned for 10 of us to go tubing with this company. They ended up posting that the river…read morelevel was rising and they would be closed the day before we were supposed to go! So I sent a message just to make sure that this included the day we planned to go and they told me to check back with them the next day to see if we'd be able to go or not! I asked if I could message them at 7 am and they said yes and that they would be "watching for my message!" So I sent a message a little before 7 asking how the river was that morning with no reply! So I sent another message about 45 minutes later that said it was ok if we couldn't go, but that we had a 2 hour drive so I wanted to make sure either way...again no response! They didn't respond the entire day! Communication is so Important for a business and while I completely understand that the river level is out of their control, a quick message back saying they'd have to stay closed is all I asked for!

Lots of fun with beautiful scenery. We will be going back next year again for sure! Everyone was…read morevery nice and it was easy to set up the reservation.

We were here on a girls trip and decided to float down the river. We had a wonderful experience. It…read morewas about a 2 1/2 hour float. The flow of the water was perfect with a few tiny rapids. I recommend having someone in your group in a kayak. That way they can paddle you out of obstacles. They can also have room for your cooler. We saw bald eagle and and an owl. We all highly recommend this experience!

Broad selection and service. Although this business hasn't been around as long as Heather is in the…read morearea, it is now very well established in one of the best spots around La Crosse area to go to, for equipment, apparel, accessories, gear, and more.

Great service, highly recommend Island Outdoors for rentals, outdoor gear and fishing needs!!read more

my family and I had a blast. The only problem was the water was so low we did a lot of walking and…read morestopping to pull or push which made us have a lot of accidents with under water rocks and logs. I would definitely go again though!

Nice people. Reasonable price. Good pickup and transport to river. Easy day trip from Chicago…read more Very tame river. The only down side was all of the people in tubes with their music cranked as they floated down the river. Get there early to avoid this.

We were here as part of a Nature Foundation of Wisconsin outing so we were lucky to have the park's…read moresuperintendent as one of our tour guides. We hiked along the trail that overlooked both the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. It was beautiful. Lots of interesting birds, plant life and history. There are many beautiful vistas and historic/ geographical plaques and markers to help explain the area. The flood marker at the boat launch was impressive. We were only here for the day but we could see how this is a popular place for camping. We understand in summer that the mosquitoes can be fierce - lucky we were here in May. We brought our picnic lunch to the far south end of the park at the Henneger Point picnic area and had it to ourselves. A very nice state park.

This is a really nice park for easy hikes with outstanding views…read more Lookout point is a must with a beautiful view of the Wisconsin river flowing into the Mississippi. The sand caves loop is an easy shaded hike perfect for hot days (with bug repellent). Driving down to the boat landing also give an interesting view from the fishing platform. Overall a really nice park.