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

This place is great for your tubing the root river needs! Next time I want to do a longer day on…read morekayaks! We did float root river June 20....it was very cold! As in your ass will be unpleasantly cold until you come to the section where the north and south root rivers merge (it's easily 10° warmer!). Friendly quick and easy! Don't forget the sunscreen!

This is my second time floating this river with Zumbro Valley Canoe Rental and I cannot say enough…read moregood things about the experience. The staff and owner were great and made sure we had a safe and enjoyable trip on the river. We saw bald eagles, giant blue herons and other wildlife.

The float from Zumbro Falls to Hammond is a beautiful, peaceful 3 hour trip in kayak or canoe. That…read moregave my rating the fourth star. The establishment itself is a 3 star because the overall condition of the kayaks. The kayaks are Old Town which when new were high quality. However, most of the kayaks here are in pretty rough shape. My wife and I had two that were ok, but several had missing peddles and/or major damage to the fiberglass. So beware, before you pay make sure your kayak meets your approval. After all you're going to be in it for 3 hours. The canoes looked in better shape. The price of $35 per kayak was reasonable and Sully gave us excellent advice on how to navigate the river.

Very friendly group of people! There were 4 of us who…read morerented kayaks and paddled the Nelson Trevino Route 4th of July weekend. My husband and I had been kayaking a half dozen times but our friends had not been kayaking before. Peaceful and slow moving route until you get to the river. Carefully cross the Mississippi river and head to the back waters for the last leg of your trip. We counted 15 bald eagles and saw a couple of eagle nests. I am sure there were more that we did not see. Our trip was about 3 1/2 hours with a couple stops for snacks and picture. There was one other group of kayakers and paddle boarders that caught up with us and we passed one guy in a fishing boat who was catching bass and walleyes.

Sometimes the Carnivore likes to putter around in nature and try new things. Mrs. Carnivore found…read moreBroken Paddle, and convinced your favorite Carnivore to try sitting in a piece of plastic that genuinely looks like it is more likely to be at home upside-down than above water. Fortunately, she was right, and they are a lot less tippy than The Carnivore believed them to be. We were met by several of the staff, including our guides for the day and the "best shuttle driver ever." Everyone was super friendly and optimistic, assuring the newer folks to this mode of transportation of its fun and safety. I will at this point apologize to both the entire staff at Broken Paddle, and to you the reader for not doing a better job remembering names. My unfortunately foggy memory for names in no way takes away from the highly positive experience we had. We learned a bit about the area we would be kayaking in on the drive to the launch point, and once at said point, were given enough instruction to allow us to really get into serious trouble if we chose, but how to avoid most minor things that can get in the way of an enjoyable outing. We stopped for a swim a few times, and enjoyed a mostly peaceful and sunny journey, with plenty of wildlife and signs of even more wildlife. In this part of MN/WI, the main attraction would be bald eagles, several of which presented themselves, though The Carnivore is a little bummed that not one of them elected to land on his shoulder. Carnivore X believes that if he is to be on the water--pirate-style--he should have a proper bird perched on his shoulder, and what bird is more proper than a Bald Eagle? Mrs. Carnivore believes this to be a bad idea. At the end of the several-hour journey, we found the main channel of the mighty Missississississississississippi river. We waited until the river traffic was clear, than paddled like hell to get across. Unfortunately, a pontoon boat, two fishing boats, a cabin cruiser, and a string of barges with their tugboat were capsized in our mighty wake. Though the rescue and recovery efforts took a bit of time, everything was salvaged and thankfully no one was hurt. We then had a hands-on lesson on the evils of zebra mussles. It turns out that zebra mussels are no match for Carnivore muscles, as your favorite Carnivore peeled a bunch of them off of native mussels with his bare hands, and then executed them on the beach after finding them guilty of seditious aquatic activities. All in all, this was a very enjoyable time on the water, and The Carnivore strongly recommends it to anyone interested in finding out what a kayak is and how it works. Or to experienced kayak drivers looking for an enjoyable few hours. Or to wildlife enthusiasts willing to work a bit to get to an area they would otherwise not likely be able to partake of. Seriously, just take a day off and go!

The owner was extremely friendly and even let us go out on the river, despite being 2 weeks from…read moreofficially opening.

Great place to go for relaxing and enjoying good vibes with friends. Staff is had the best customer…read moreservice Ive ever witness. Will be visiting again!!

Awesome!! Great equipment at good pricing. Bikes are top notch, it's like it's your own.read more

From the owner: Outdoor gear rental for adventures BIG and small. Canoes, Kayaks, SUP, Mtn. Bikes, Fat Bikes,…read moreTents, Hammocks, Sleeping Bags, Sleeping Pads, Cross Country Skis, Snowshoes and more

Tony knows his stuff and this river is a hidden gem. If you live kayaking and unspoiled nature,…read morethen put this on your list

I had such an incredible experience Ice climbing. Tony, our guide and shop owner, was incredibly…read moreinformative, easy going, and truly made the experience enjoyable. He even worked with my limited availability. You can tell he is passionate about what he does. He provided me with quality gear to use! I would come back ! Highly recommend.

Very fun float kayak paddling trip! We rented kayaks and they helped us put in and take out along…read morewith a quick bus ride back. It was about 8 miles on the river with a few small rapids. The water was fairly shallow and easy to navigate. It took us maybe 2.5 hours for our kayak trip with beautiful scenery. We saw deer, 2 fawns with spots and a doe. We saw two bald eagles and 1 golden eagle, blue herons, turtles, kingfisher, turkey vulture etc. The parking is free; there is a bathroom where you put in. You need to sign waivers before going. They offer PFDs to everyone; under 18 must wear PFD.

We love the town of Cannon Falls. We decided to plan a Kayak trip with some family and give this…read moreplace a try. This area is beautiful and we saw many Bald Eagles as we strolled down the Cannon River. I don't think this was too expensive and it was a lot of fun. We had not been kayaking before and my wife was clueless. I had used canoes when I was a kid and had been up to the Boundary Waters, I felt okay. We told the people that it was our first time and without much of any instruction, they put her in the kayak and away she went. I felt like they could have done anything to make her more comfortable. The rental area is a shack, basically. They put you in kayaks and then pick you up in an hour from departure at the pick up point. Look for the large pink rock, that is where you exit the river to be picked up. We had the last time slot with several people overturning and having to empty their kayak, not me, I stayed dry. The people that had to drain their kayak wasted a lot of time and we were late to our pick-up at the end of the day when you know they wanted to go home and start their weekend. I felt bad but it wasn't my fault. This was a fun time. I would recommend that you have some experienced people to help you if you are new at this. The people running this place are not interested in spending time teaching you how to stay dry. That is up to you.

We had a fantastic experience with our overnight trip outfitted by BRR…read more In my pre-trip phone calls they were patient and detailed with the information provided. When we walked into their beautiful cabin / office the potbelly stove was kicking out a little heat on that chilly morning and the panoramic view of the river through the wall-o-windows was fantastic. The woman who helped us was so friendly and gave us a thorough briefing to prepare us, including helpful details about what to expect from the river. The black-and-white map they provide is a little tough to read. Color would be better. I do like an aluminum canoe best (which is what BRR runs.) The PFDs they provide by default are the orange rectangle type II, but when I asked if they had a vest-type they accommodated. The basic orange are fine if you're leaving them in the boat, but really get in the way if you wear them while paddling. Because s#!t can go wrong fast on a river like the Wisconsin I prefer to wear the PFD most of the time. Our pickup was prompt and the van was clean and in nice shape. I've done many different stretches of the Wisconsin now and I do think the segment between BRR and Arena is the nicest I've done. It's more distant from roads, so without that truck noise it feels more remote. The shore and bluffs are pretty on this stretch too. It's a small and personal operation which is great when it's quiet. I could see them struggling to attend to everyone on busy weekend days, though. Our canoe had clearly see lots of trips - it showed evidence of many repairs and made me question its reliability a little bit. That said, it did not appear to leak at all, so... I do like like renting from a down-river outfitter so there's no need to get back for a specific shuttle time, so BRR has that going against it, but all-in-all this place will likely be my go-to for future trips.

Blackhawk River Runs canoe rental was awesome from start to finish! They provided great guidance of…read morehow to navigate the river and provided phenomenal customer service with detail to cleanliness. I highly recommend using them if you are looking for a fun day on the Wisconsin River with 2 pickup times to provide plenty of flexibility.

We went tubing today!!! We had a fantastic time. I suggest getting there early for a closer…read moreparking spot...but no matter where park you'll still have a great time. It was $20 for the time and the bus ride. We were dropped off and provided twine to lock our tubes together. We had so much fun; highly recommend.

I enjoyed the river float here. I wish they had an updated website with info regarding what's…read moreneeded, float times, etc. A few things that would have been helpful to know: - You will likely park across the bridge, be prepared for that. - CASH ONLY. And you will need an ID to leave with them for your tubes. - water shoes are recommended - I think there are only biffies avail for bathrooms - float times vary based on water levels. The "long" 4hr. trip took us just under 2 hours. Call ahead! to find out how long your trip might take. - they provide twine to tie your group of tubes together, but you may want to plan ahead and bring your own rope or bungee cords. Overall it was a good time. I didn't see any groups getting very rowdy or vulgar - I think I'd be fine bringing kids here (which I have NOT heard about the Apple River/River's Edge).