Charles River Canoe & Kayak

It took us a little over 45 minutes to get to Longfellow bridge for a good photo of the city, but it took pretty intense paddling the whole way! If you want to make it there at a leisurely pace, definitely opt for the 3 hour package.

We had an incredible experience with Boston paddle. The employees were very helpful, and Griffin was a standout member of the staff. Would recommend.

Tons of fun, amazing views, awesome activities.

Most people come here to kayak but there are other types of equipments available such as canoes and paddle boarding. I have only gone kayaking here and it was so much fun! The views are beautiful on the river and it's an awesome activity for either groups or even by yourself (even though it would be a bit lonely to enjoy the experience by yourself). The only thing is that you have to stay on the right side cause there are lots of schools practicing rowing and boats that go through the middle of the river so that can be annoying since you have to stop when they're passing to make sure that you don't collide into them. Usually by the afternoon, they're done with practice and will be out of the river so it's actually not bad and it's still very peaceful on the water!

The staff is very kind and makes the process very easy for you. You just have to fill out a waiver and answer a few questions, show an ID and then pay for the rental when you return - charged by the hour. It's a very quick process to get into the water. There's also lots of parking right next to the rental spot so that's an added bonus.

10/10 experience here!! Very affordable and lots of availability for canoes and kayaks - for just two of us we didn't even have to make a reservation. The best part of all is that they let dogs on for free, so my dog came out on the canoe with us and had an incredible time!! I will definitely be going back to canoe again this summer!

I love to kayak and I have been here many times. You must fill out a waiver and answer a few easy funny test questions, present Id and you will be logged in the system to keep track of your time on the kayak, once you return you will pay for the rental time..

single kayak (2 hours $30)
double kayak
canoes are all available for rent.

parking: there are 3 lots to park and they are free.

The Charles river is really beautiful and you start in watertown, and you can pass through cambridge all the way to Boston, you can rent waterproof bags for your belongings, I don't know the price, also bring snacks with you and drinks, you will need it cause boy does it get hot out there in the afternoon.

staff: They have alot of people working here and they were all great and very helpful, from getting you a vest, paddle, and helping you get on the kayak.

Overall it was fun, peaceful and most important fun!!

Easy walk from Harvard Sq, this is a great location for paddling toward the Charles Basin or heading our toward Watertown (lots of wild life). They have sea kayaks if you want to go fast. Great service and Covid careful. Felt like a vacation.

Love this place. You can know nothing about kayaking, show up, and by the end of the day you will feel like you are ready to take on some Colorado River rapids (although you probably shouldn't). Free parking, grace time for setup, picnic tables, and a helpful staff all really make this place great.

I usually take a single kayak and I paddle hard to the MIT boat house (just before Mass Ave Bride), then I rest for a little, and head back. I do all of this in about 1.5 hours and it only costs $23. It makes for a nice challenging workout all while getting a nice tan.

It is also a great place to take a day date. Pack a cooler with lunches and drinks to leave in the car while you kayak. Afterwards, set up a blanket on the grass or sit at one of their picnic tables.

Few tips...

1) If it's on the weekend come early before they run out of boats
2) They have big water jugs, but bring your own drinks because they don't sell anything and when you are on the water in 90 degree heat the little thimble cup of water wont help you
3) Just tell them you have taken the test before if you have kayaked before. If you have never kayaked it is a good idea to take the test and learn the basic rules.
4) Unless you have something to cover your electronic (waterproof case) you should leave them in the car. You do get residual splashing in the kayak.

I'll preface this by saying I've never kayaked before and I also don't know how to swim. So probably, this was not the smartest decision on my end. Nevertheless, this was an amazing experience and I highly recommend it!

My boyfriend and I made a reservation online (I think they're requiring that because of COVID) and signed the waiver ahead of time, which meant that check-in was very easy. When we arrived at the kiosk, all we had to do was provide our names and we were set! I'd like to add that i received some conflicting info about whether or not an ID was required; I ended up not needing it because I did everything online beforehand (contrary to what the website said). You also need to wear a mask (duh).

I was a little nervous about getting onto the kayak because right before we got in, someone else toppled into the water next to us after a failed attempt and I had visions of myself doing the same, and maybe bobbing along helplessly. But the staff person was really chill and I was able to get in without difficulty. Come to think of it, all the staff were really nice!

Once we were on the river, my boyfriend did the bulk of the work paddling us while I tried to figure out how to paddle without losing my paddle. We couldn't go too far because we had to be back before they closed, but the experience was as amazing as I always suspected it would be. I was finally able to belt the lyrics to "Just Around the River Bend" while, you know, actually going around the river bend vs. the many times I've caterwauled that song while on land. At one point, we ended up on the bank and just quietly sat there enjoying the weather and how peaceful it was. The water was also really warm!

Surprisingly, my arms and shoulders are fine today, probably because I made my boyfriend do all the work slash maybe I was paddling entirely incorrectly.

I already can't wait to come back. This was the perfect summer activity!

It was the perfect day, pretty easy process given the current state of the world, equipment felt clean. My friend and I departed from the Allston/Brighton launch and travelled up to the mass ave bridge and back (they aren't offering the one way trips between Kendall and Allston at this time).. the weather was just perfect!!! We had so much fun... until we got back to the docks. We waited patiently for 10 min since there were a bunch of people coming in to unload, it was fine- no worries. We finally get up to the docks and this frantic 16 yr old comes over to hold the kayak while we get off, and literally says "You guys need to hurry up! We are very busy" ... I'm sorry, what? It took me 30 seconds to get off, if that, plus another for my friend to do the same and you're going to tell US to hurry up after we just waited 10 min while everyone else took their sweet ass time? Clearly this kid was overwhelmed by the business flow at the time -- get a clear leader on the docks so the high schoolers don't panic and freak out on paying customers for no reason. There were about 10 kids working/running around like chickens without a head and no clear leader on the docks telling people what to do. I will obviously return cause it was a blast on the river but now is a great time to teach these young kids how to remain calm in a "stressful" situation!

Cheers

Charles River kayaking was a lifesaver during the pandemic. A perfect socially distant active activity that kept me from going completely stir crazy. They were thoughtful in their hygiene and sanitation practices and reserving a spot to get a kayak out on the Charles was so easy! I can't wait for another season with them.