We took the most beautiful kayak from Zaloos yesterday and the staff was incredible in every way. Highly recommend. They gave us so much support. The river was crystal clear and the tiny shouls were easy enough to navigate. The amount and quality of work done on both Zaloos infrastructure and on the river is amazing. I commend them all for the courage, tenacity and hospitality. Today would br an equally great day for afloat! read more

We got there @ 1:00 Pm and just barely made it for the last ones in. they were trying to figure out if it was too late. We did make it on the river, but the water was so shallow (ankle deep in some places) and we dragged the bottom most the time. Lots of obstacles. rocks, tree branches, and dead fish in the water. My suggestion is to call ahead and ask for water levels, which would make your trip more enjoyable. I know its been dry lately, but also hada weeks worth of rain. The staff was helpful and friendly though. read more

WE LOVE ZALOO's...we do an annual trip with the family and have continued to receive the best service and amazing experience yearly. Thank you Zaloos for all our family memories :) read more

Had a great experience renting kayaks from Zaloo's. The staff was friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. The two young men who met us at the takeout were great to chat with during our shuttle back to our car and gave us some wonderful recommendations. Boats are well taken care of compared to many other rental kayaks we've seen and the staff clearly has a passion for their lovely river. read more

These guys are great! They keep things running smoothly and on time. I have taken a few trips now and I am always a happy floater with and without kids. read more

The only thing that keeps this from being a 1star was how beautiful the river was. Made reservations so was able to walk directly in and check in. We were given a slip of paper to take outside. Not once during check in was I told anything about the experience (was my first time kayaking) Went outside to get our equipment and again nothing was said-even some questions were answered with an "I don't know". I paid for a 5 mile kayak and assumed it would be easy to identify when the 5 miles was up, again because no employee told us otherwise. After 3 hours on the river my wife and I knew something was wrong. After another hour and half we finally reached the 10 mile pickup by compete luck. If we had paddled any slower or faster we would have missed the shuttle and who knows if it would have retuned. I believe the 2nd 5 mile stretch was much more difficult than the first half, which we were not ready for. Our young shuttle driver was extremely friendly. Thankful I was able to get back to the boathouse. After being "missing" for over 2 hours I finally received a phone call while I was in my car driving home. The manager was kind and apologetic and blamed the issue on new-untrained staff. Untrained staff caused me some terrible sunburn and could have been a lot worse. I have seen a few reviews with similar situations and the person ended up going 18 miles. read more

I trekked up here with a huge group of coworkers and their families in order to do the 5-mile float down the river. They all rented canoes and kayaks from Zaloo's and I brought my own yak along with me. Zaloo's also gives lots of other options including a 10-mile float and multi-day long camping trips. I'm honestly eager to hit up one of those camping trips after getting to know the area on the 5-mile trip. Along the way you really are out in some scenic necks-of-the-woods. The New River runs through a valley betwixt the mellow Appalachian mountains. The views are beautifully peaceful. You can float casually with the slow pull of the river or mad-paddle your way down the length of it. There are plenty of times you will want to stop and just take in the beauty of it all, have a swim or prop yourself on a rock in the river for lunch. Also, the river is shallow enough in most spots that you can stand up. Bring a kayak and you can stop and stand just about anywhere and easily hold onto your boat. There is a fee of course for renting the canoes or kayaks they offer and a fee for the truck to bring you back to the start. (How else would you get back to your car?) Also they will take your picture on a spiffy photographer grade Nikon and sell it to you for $15 at the end. Overall even with the per-canoe price and the picture (which is totally optional to buy) it's totally worth it. You get a nice drive through the hills to get here and back plus a smooth ride through the valleys on the river. It's a pretty easy trip for anybody coming from Charlotte or other surrounding areas in the mountains or the Piedmont. read more

Zaloo's Canoes - Zaloo's Logo - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Jefferson, North Carolina

Easy to find, great crew. They have a few supplies and sell kayaks as well. Staff was friendly, knowledgeable and outgoing. The best part was a key/phone lock up. I've been down a River in FL with someone who lost his keys. That's not fun. read more

If you have your own boats and paddles you're better off finding ways to shuttle yourself. Paid $60 for 4 boats/people and it took them two shuttles to get us all back. With separated parents we had a paddle go missing from time they unloaded equipment to pulling vehicle closer which adds another $50 cost. No partial refund, future credit... just sorry "you must have lost it somewhere else or someone took it". Shuttle drivers blatantly don't care about equipment telling renters "it doesn't matter if the rental kayaks get stolen" and were annoyed when another passenger told them one of the boats wasn't tied down and they had to stop. Loved the actual on the river experience and area, but won't use Zaloos again. read more

Unfortunately, we did not have a great experience and didn't even get to use their services. We were camping at the New River State Park and went to the pick up location to ride to Zaloo's. We sat for over 30 minutes before anyone from Kaloo's service reached out to us. We were told that they were not taking walk-ins and were sold out. Let's go back 5 days when we called Zaloo's and were told we didn't need reservations and we even offered to pay over the phone and we were told we didn't need to. Back to the present and we are on the phone explaining the situation, even talking to the same person who told us we didn't need to make a reservation. No dice, but they said they would talk with their management and call us back. Guess what, shocker, no call back. I found another outfit, a bit further from the State Park, but well worth the trip. read more

We had an awesome time. Everything went smoothly. Super friendly staff. Beautiful calm river! Thanks!

I wish I could give this place a good rating but I just can't. The river was beautiful and the concept is great but I didn't like having no way of getting help if I needed it. My daughter and I went tubing and the water was higher and faster than usual. We were told it would be a 4 hour trip and instead it was about 90 minutes. Okay, that's fine, the pace of the river is not in their control. But it was going so fast and pushing us around and we actually passed the place where we are supposed to get out. There were two guys who worked there yelling to us that we had to get out there. Well, okay, easier said than done and they offered no help. So I had to get out of the tube into the 59 degree water up to my chin and pull two tied-together tubes and my 11 year old daughter against the current back to the dock with no assistance from the able-bodied men who were waiting around. The cherry on top was that when we got stuck on a rock I had to get out of the tube and get us back on track. Again, not Zaloo's fault. But in the process I fell and cut my leg. Their first aid kit didn't even have any antibiotic ointment for cuts, despite the fact that their website warns that cuts happen. They gave me an alcohol wipe and a bandaid. Positives: The river is beautiful. The women who work inside the facility are nice. The price is good. read more

Booking on the website was fast and easy. When we arrived for our reserved float time, the process was smooth. The staff was friendly and got us to our starting point with everything we needed. Would definitely recommend. read more

Had a great time tubing down the river with my wife and son. Everyone was nice and knowledgeable. The store has fair prices, and was clean. Nice place if you want to relax on the river. read more

This is a great place with Uber friendly folks. They know their stuff and are very helpful. We kayaked the river when it was quite high and it still made fir a fun day. When the river is running lower and clear it's a blast. read more

This place is fantastic! We visited on a Monday and enjoyed tubing with then so much that we returned on Wednesday to do it again. They were friendly and provided everything that we needed. The tubes were good quality and they also have tubes to hold coolers. I highly recommend! read more

It was so much fun! The water was 73 degrees and crystal clear. It was nice to take a nice lazy tube trip down the river. The staff were very friendly. I can't wait to go again. read more

We had a group reservation made in advance. The check in was slow but OK. The big issue was when we got to the put out we ended up waiting for TWO HOURS to get back to our cars. We had a reservation to be picked up at 3:00. Another group who had a 1:30 pick up and a 2:00 pick up had been really slow on the river and arrived after us. They picked them up first even though we got there first. The driver then said another van was coming soon....which was an hour then we had to wait for a third van to get everyone. Their parking lot was full of empty buses and vans not being used but there was a lot of staff just sitting around. They said they were short drivers. They should not take group reservations if they can't staff accommodate groups. We won't use them again! read more

The pricing was average, the main office team was courteous and friendly, the equipment was standard and appropriately maintained. The water level a bit low and weather very nice. My primary complaint was our shuttle pickup times were 3:30 or 4:30 pm after our 10 mile stretch (roughly 5 hr.) trip. We made it to our pickup location at 3:15 pm sharp with no one else in sight. Shortly thereafter another group pulled up at 3:25 pm. Once 3:45 pm arrived and there was no shuttle in sight, the other group called the main office to inquire about our 3:30 shuttle and was told they were on the way to pick us up. I was extremely dismayed when 4 pm arrive and still no shuttle pickup and I call the main office. I was told they were on there way to get us (same story provided at 3:45). I questioned the office person why they hadn't arrive if they were on there way at 3:45 and was told it was a 25 minute travel time. Also, she told me the 3:30 shuttle was on time and we must have been late. I explained that we were early and arrived at 3:15. She continued to state there could have been and emergency causing them to leave early. Our shuttle arrived at 4:17 pm, roughly 1 hour later from our arrival and 45 minutes late to Zaloo's provided schedule. Zaloo's didn't follow through with their single most important task, picking up their customers at the time communicated! The only thing that could have made it worse was a hole in our canoe. read more

As of this year, they are checking people in for tubing outside. The guy with the Napoleon complex gets very angry, very quickly when things are not going smoothly and he is the one messing things up. He is supposed to get the tickets with peoples names on them after they check-in but he forgets who got there and when they got there so customers that have waited for an hour+ are overlooked and people that arrived 15 minutes prior to departure are put ahead of the hour+ customers. After inquiring about the attitude and wanting to speak with the manager, come to find out, Napoleon is the managers son. So, no point in complaining. Napoleon will stay and continue to run off good, possibly return customers. The owner may want to look into this as he is losing money....quickly. read more

This place did not give us any idea where the pullout was. We ended up going 18 miles instead of 5. No signs at the missed pullout. Then we paid 40 bucks to have another outfitter take us back after calling and getting only voice mail. We got there and they charged us for a longer trip even though they never picked us up. They were nasty about it. Never again. This is also unsafe. Go to New River Outfitters. Check out my other reviews. I am not a 1 star person. This was just really bad and stupid. read more

Such a great time. When you check in, they have you sign a waiver for the van, and explain what the process is, and fit any young kids for life jackets. They then pack up the tubes and bring you up river (quick ten minute drive). Keep in mind the cooler float does not include a cooler, so if you want a cooler be sure to bring your own. We just used ours for clothes and towels. You can tie your tubes together as a group. The river is really nice, very shallow so if you have to get out that's not a concern. Took us about 1.5 hours to go all the way down. Really friendly staff, great prices, really fun and relaxing trip. We're going back in a few weeks we loved it so much read more

We have a great time. We have been going to Zaloo's for over 30 years and have never had a bad experience. We went tubing the past Sunday and love it. We have canoed and kayaked in the past. Also, a lot of fun just a little more work. It is always a great family time. The bathrooms are a little yuck by the afternoon from all the wet people changing clothes but that is my only compliant. read more

Great staff and great time! The whole experience was top notch. I did the 2.5 hour tube float w my wife.. relaxing and well worth it.

We have been using Zaloos for about 30 years. Never a problem or incident. I like the hands-off approach they provide which allows one to experience the trip with minimal safety briefings from the staff. This stretch of the New River is so calm that one only needs to be aware of your pickup location. You might get stuck on a rock here and there but that is all part of the experience. This is an excellent place for novice canoeing. I recommend the 10 mile option with a stop at New River State Park for a lunch break. read more

Only wish they would put some mile markers along the way so we would know how to pace ourselves getting to the pick up point. I was told they cannot post anything along the river. However, I find it hard to believe that they cannot put some small signs (road mile marker size/type) along the river's edge. We arrived at the pick up point an hour early because we had no idea of how to pace the trip in kayaks. read more

I love coming to Zaloo's for their 5 mile canoe ride. A very inexpensive way to spend the day. My only complaint is the return trip to Zaloo's. When we got out at the State Park, there were probably 15 people waiting for a ride back with more getting out of canoes. We had to wait about an hour before we could get a ride back to Zaloo's. read more

We rented tubes ($10 with a discount) for a trek down the river. My only complaint was to give me a map or any type of instruction as I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I wasn't sure what to do or how to contact them if it started storming I was the only adult with a couple of kiddos. It was shallow so we felt safe and it was fun. They trek you to a spot in a van then you head back down to where you rented the tubes from. read more

We love Zaloo's! They were very personable, easy to work with, and gave awesome info from the beginning to end. The whole experience was seamless and we had a blast tubing. Great for all ages! We would definitely do it again. :) read more

For a great day on the New River definitely suggest Zaloo's Canoes. This was our 2nd trip with them in one month. Easy to get to and bring a picnic lunch. The have picnic tables there or eat while your kayaking or canoeing. We'd the double kayak and made the 5 mile trip both times within 2 1/2 hours. Beautiful scenery and saw a couple of snot otters and turtles. read more

We were first timers at both Zaloo's and at canoeing yesterday but we had a great day on the 5-mile trip! I called the day before to make a reservation. The first time I called, no one answered, but when I called back later in the afternoon, a helpful employee answered a bunch of my questions and even gave me tips about the other nearby places we planned to visit on our day in the mountains. My only complaints were with the employees the day of our trip. There was a young girl working at the counter who gave us *no* direction. We asked enough questions to almost feel comfortable, but other employees were giving people full-fledged guidance where our girl just shrugged her shoulders and smiled when I jokingly asked, "are we going to die?" Once we checked in, we grabbed our cooler and a thermos we'd brought and wandered until we finally guessed we were supposed to go where the guy was launching canoes and kayaks. The lady behind us was screaming at him about them not having the exact boat she wanted and he was obviously flustered but he also gave us no guidance so hubby got in the front and me in the back of the canoe. When we got a little downstream, we figured out that the back seat seemed to do more work than the front so we found a shallow place and got in the water and changed seats. The river was crystal clear and there were lots of places to stop and picnic or swim or fish. After we got to the place to get out, we felt like we wanted more, but 10 miles would have been way too much. We wished we'd stopped and taken it a little slower, and played a little more along the way. There was no one to give direction when we got to the exit point, and not even an employee nearby. We "parked" the canoe in the mud and were dangling our feet in the water waiting for some direction when we saw a little snake swimming very close to us. That was my cue that our trip was over! We pulled the canoe out and another customer helped my husband carry it up the few steps. We were content to just sit and wait but an employee finally came by and asked for our names. We weren't supposed to be on the shuttle that he was taking then (the next one would have been in about a half hour, which really would have been ok) but he said he had room and we hopped aboard. No ac in the van and cloth seats which i thought was weird since I would expect that most people are at least a little wet/dirty. When we got back to the rental area, again no directions about turning in life vests or paddles but we eventually checked out with little problem and sat to have lunch at one of the picnic tables. Employees asked several times if there was anything they could do for us. We woulda liked to get back in the river and cool off before we left but there really isn't a place for that. In all, it was a really great day. It would have been perfect with a little more help from employees and we'll definitely go back now that we know what to expect! read more

My husband camped at the New River State Park in NC. Originally, we went to another place to rent a canoe but felt unwelcome there so we came to this place. Zaloo's Canoes has great service!! Very friendly staff. I feel welcome here. We had a great adventure canoeing down the New River: Very peaceful, gentile flowing water, and beautiful green countryside. I was getting over a flu so I did not do much paddling, and my husband didn't have to work hard steering down the river. The 5 mile trip took us about 2.5 hours. I feel very safe throughout the trip. Did not have any water splashed into our canoe at all. Bring a large plastic bag for all your belongings just in case it rain. I do recommend this place for family with kids. Bring some bug spray, although I only encounter one fly on me. This is a great place to go tubing with your family. The deepest area I encountered was about 3-4 feet. Someone recommended going in the morning for less chances of a thunderstorm and he was right. We were here at 9 AM. deployed at 9:30 AM. FYI, if you miss the pickup site and you want to paddle back upstream toward the pickup site, paddle your canoe closer to the river banks for less strong water current. See my pictures for references. read more

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Great time , look forward to going back and highly recommend them , very helpful staff and friendly. Only complaint is towards ownership and that is update the rope to bungee cords instead of string and other odds and ends . There was four of us and we wanted to tie up together but my tube had a 2 foot piece of twine and that lasted about 15 minutes on river and it was a pain trying to keep up. read more

We had a memorable day. Faculties were very helpful and friendly. Everything was well organized. The river was beautiful with gorgeous sceneries. I will definitely go back read more

I went with a group from Piedmont hiking and outing club on 6-29-2013. I had not done this section in -maybe 20 years! These people are simply wonderful! What a wonderful fun day for families, friends and just even by yourself having a solitary moment. the water was great this weekend! Everyone needs to do this with their kids and grandkids. Much better than an amusement park. LT in HP, NC read more

I LOVE this outfitter! Besides great service every time (appx 10), they have cool t-shirt and other doo-dads. They also have things you may have forgotten like: water shoes, sunglasses, sunglass safety cord, sunscreen, etc. read more

Had a wonderful time. Staff was super helpful and very friendly. The kayaks were well used but they were in great shape. No complaints at all and will return for another great trip. read more

Day went well had fun on river. Water was high due to storm night before. Ladies at check in desk was nice, van driver was very nice- worked hard. As we was trying to reach the bank of river( at the end) to get out of our tube we could not get over to bank. I asked three teenage boys that worked there for help. They all laughed....one said he could not swim. Three teenagers stood there and gave no help getting out of the water. Just looking at us.You should have some help lined up at the end, or a rope to help people get out of water with the water currant as it was on this day 6-8-2018.Since know about this currant at the place where we get out,I will think twice about tubbing with your company again. read more

A great family canoe/kayak experience with good equipment and helpful staff. Can't wait to go back!

Great 1st river kayak trip! Wilderness kayaks. Friendly helpful people. Great value. No need for a guide. Highly recommend!