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For months, my son and I had been planning a kayaking trip on Tomales Bay, but Mother Nature had different ideas. Due to the winds gusting to 50 mph, Tomales would have been more work than play and more dangerous as well.
Reluctantly we headed back toward home when we remembered a decent kayaking experience several years ago on the Russian River.
We both agreed that a day of kayaking on the river was better than a day of doing nothing, so we headed to Guerneville and straight to King's Sport and Tackle where we rented kayaks on our first trip together.
Like before, even without a reservation, they were able to set me up with an open deck kayak (my son bought his own after our first adventure) and within an hour, we were in the water, paddling downstream. They kayak I rented was a new model introduced this year. Very comfortable seat, good lumbar support and easy to maneuver.
What a great day. Perfect weather, temperature and companionship.
At the end of our trip, all we had to do was pull the kayak out of the water and leave it at Johnson Beach, along with the life vest and paddle. We walked the 1/4 mile back up to King's, told them we were finished and that was that. They do the rest. They drive down and pick it up.
King's made it all possible. Thanks
I have been kayaking in Lake Merritt several times, but the idea of being in a body of water that actually goes somewhere used to really scare me (even more than the dirtiness of the lake). Last year, I got peer pressured into joining a group of friends for a trip down the river. It was so easy, so fun, and so magical, that I had to do it again this year.
Sometimes these outdoorsy things seem so intimidating, so here are some easy steps to follow for this trip.
Step One- What was that cool place we rented kayaks from? Umm...let me check Cyn W.'s yelp review. Oh, right, it was King's.
Step Two- Check the website for the types of boats and trips.
Step Three- Call and reserve
Step Four- Pack some brews (yes, you can totally take a cooler on the boat!)
Step Five- Show up and pay. Ask for a dry bag for your things.
Step Six- Walk to the beach and wait for the truck to arrive with your boats.
Step Seven- Listen to instructions and then have fun drifting down this awesome mellow river with no current. Take swimming breaks. Watch the birds. Sip on the items from your cooler.
Step Eight- When you get to the dam, get out and walk your boat to the other side
Step Nine- Coast for a few more miles. When you get to the bridge, get out and call King's to pick you up.
Step Ten- Hop on the shuttle to go back to the store. They will take the boats for you.
It's so easy! If you haven't done much outdoorsy stuff, this is a great place to begin. If you are an expert, there are longer trips that are probably more challenging. Just check the website or ask the super friendly people in the store for details.
I'm hardly the outdoor adventures type, but I've now had two Russian River kayaking/canoeing adventures with the help of King's, and I've loved every moment of them. They're friendly, affordable, and give you everything that you need.
I had a group of five this time, so we got one two-person kayak, and one three-person canoe. The cost of these plus a shuttle back from the beach to the store at the completion of our kayaking journey totaled to $120 -- not bad at all for 5 hours of fun (since we took our sweet time).
Each person has to sign a document that says something to the effect of it's not the store's fault if you die -- but that's cool, 'cause it shouldn't be. They bring you the boats, life vests, give you a few instructions (for example, you need to drag your boat around a dam at a certain point, and you need to get out and go to a specified grocery store to have them notify King's of your arrival at a certain point), and then shuttle you back to the store at the end. The way you handle yourself with your own cooler full of intoxicants is up to you.
Friendly, good folks. Rented a nice comfy kayak with backrests and place to strap a small cooler and some supplies. I made a reservation about a week in advance knowing that it would be a busy summer weekend. We opted for the longer 8-mile trip. They dropped us off upstream, unloaded the kayak (thank you) and got us on our way. Met them back in Guerneville where we just dropped the kayak off on the beach. It was a beautiful trip - stopped on a small beach for lunch and a swim along the way.
Next time, we would like to explore the shorter trip to Monte Rio as well. I heard that it's less popular, so quieter and better for wildlife. There are other companies serving the 8-mile stretch from Forestville to Guerneville, but the Guerneville to Monte Rio stretch is more or less Kings exclusive. Will be back.
The good:
The boats/equipment are in excellent condition.
The people who run the shop are friendly and helpful.
The shop has everything you could want if you're looking to enjoy the outdoors in this beautiful area.
The kayaking trip is well worth the money. Fantastic scenery and good exercise. The booze cruise gang may find it a little too long though.
Less brilliant:
They forgot to bring paddles and had to go back for them, shaving a bit of time of our trip. That could have just been a one-off mistake though.
The Staff at King's is wonderful! They were very accomodating and friendly. We had a Birthday getaway with my husband and 2 girls and opted for the Monte Rio trip. Warm smiles greeted us at the front desk and the man who dropped us off at the river was very helpful!
So we rented 2 ( two man kayaks) and it was almost idylic except for the headwinds round the bend when we were 2/3rds up the river.
Lots of wild life- birds-herons-etc. There is an area where you portage your kayaks and continue down the shallow side of the river.
Lots of shallow parts on the 2nd half so stick to the left side of the river. Great fun in the sun & river.
They picked us up at Monte Rio beach and drove us back to Guerneville. If you are new to kayaking or have young children- opt for the shorter trip to Monte Rio.
This place is by far the best for a Russian River trip. I have canoed down the Russian River 4 times always using other companies. The other companies are way up river so you have to drive back to Guerneville after you canoe which means people end up drinking and driving (NOT ME). The beauty here is you park in Guerneville then they transport you up river and then you end back in Guerneville. The other two great things about King's is you do not need to portage your canoe afterwards, you just leave it on the beach and they rent kayaks. Why did I ever canoe before? Kayaking is so much better. The paddles are more ergonomic, the kayak is comfortable (canoes are so uncomfortable), kayaks are cheaper and they are more stable. Kayaks are way better people and so is King's!
What happens when you mix a bunch of beautiful gay men, their 2 fag-hags and an all-day kayaking/canoe-ing expedition??? UTTER CHAOS!!!
Despite all of the chaos, the folks at King's were PATIENT and above all, ready to laugh it all off.
We rented a canoe for $55/day with an additional charge for the shuttle service. There were 11 of us total and we had a mix of canoes, double kayaks and a single kayak.
The Russian River is CALM and shallow. Yet, this did not stop us from tipping over and falling face first into the 3 feet water. We chose the 1st trip (from Forestville to Guerneville) and had a great time rowing gently along and banking off at various points to eat (and drink).
It is about 1.5 hours north of SF and depending upon traffic (it can take up to 3 hours to get there sometimes)
HOLLERATION
Bring a six-pack of your favorite beer, a hat, and $50 bucks for rental of a kayak for 4+ hours. They will drop you off in a van and pick you up at your ultimate destination downriver (you call at a grocery store when you reach Monte Rio beach). The shuttle service costs another $15 per couple.
King's is friendly, affordable, and has it all! Canoes, kayaks, flip flops, bikinis, sunglasses (we bought great Kanye aviators here), and friendly service. Our kayaking trip was about 5 miles and was the best way to spend a sunny day. We saw ospreys, hawks, eagles, turtles, and even a seal! The guy from King's who picked us up said that seals can swim up to 60 miles upriver to catch fish. Not really any current to speak of and the paddling was pretty easy......everything was beautiful and now I'm dreaming of moving to Russian River.
Another plus? King's is next door to Rainbow Cattle so you can grab a drink at your friendly neighborhood gay bar when you're done canoeing.
What a friendly place. This place is awesome. We rented a kayak for 50 bucks, plus 15 dollars per couple they picked us up at the end of our trip. I felt that I was their customer for a while. Sincere smiles, and decent prices. Give them a try. they love what they do. we'll go there again for sure.
S P O R T S M E N S
Report Here
My sweetie was inclined to go fishing for his birthday weekend and since his woman was an avid fisherman (how does this work, hmmm) since I was a wee child, going along for annual Salmon, Striper, Snapper and Halibut fishing charters off the coast of CA, I was in before he even asked.
Guerneville is a little pocket of a town situated on a rich camping and fishing grounds located about an hour or so north from San Francisco. Since we had not purchased our fishing licenses earlier, we decided to hit the most popular shop (and after receiving directions from the clerk at the local Rotten Robbie gas station).
Now, "W" is into fly-fishing. I do Ocean. And there is a big difference in the equipment and techniques used. I'm pretty good at casting, since I cast a lot for Muskie fishing up in Wisconsin, but don't ask me to cast a fly. In fact, the first and last time I did it, the lure ended up tangled in the trees behind me and I never picked it up again.
King's Sport and Tackle is your typical shop serving sportsmen from all corners, but what made it stand out was the clerk. He was awesome. A stand-up during the entire process for the licenses to the point where my cheeks started to hurt from laughing too much.
I opted for the annual license for Resident Sport Fishing which covers the following, $38.85:
Required for a resident to take fish, mollusks, crustaceans, invertebrates, amphibians or reptile in inland or ocean waters. Additional stamps and report cards are required for certain species and areas.
In adddition, we purchased the Steelhead Report Card, $6.05 which covers this:
Allows an angler to fish for steelhead in inland waters, including persons who are not required to have a sport fishing license, such as persons who are under 16 years of age, and persons who are fishing on free fishing days.
This establishment only takes cash or credit cards and the entire process took about ten minutes per person.
In addition to typical camping and hunting gear, they also sold tackle and reels for fishermen on a trip and could not bring their items with them. I also saw clothing items and shoes, but I was pretty prepared.
Nice shop with nice people. We'll probably be back for sure.
Rented a double kayak here for a Russian River trip. Service was great, and our driver that dropped us off up stream was damn helpful and talkative. Kayak and life jackets were in great condition. You really can't beat dropping the kayak off at Johnson's beach and walking back to your car. Great place for a Russian River first timer like myself.
Very helpful staff, super friendly and willing to help, with lots of good advice. Our two-seat kayak was in excellent shape. We did have to wait an hour to get out on the river, but we were picked up very promptly and then given excellent camping recommendations.
Ah, camping. The Russian River is one of my favorite places in the world, and there it is, just a short drive from home! Lucky for us.
The central focus of any camping trip I take in the Guerneville area is a canoe trip down the river. If you haven't been and you appreciate nature in any way, shape or form, you're really missing out.
The river itself is unbelievably beautiful. It's winding and green, flanked on either side with millions of trees and sweet little beaches, and is the perfect temperature for dunking oneself on a hot summer day.
We've been using King's Sport & Tackle in downtown Guerneville for several years. It's the only canoe outfit which allows dogs in the canoes, so it goes without saying that this is the place for my little family. The staff is warm, welcoming, and efficient. I've seen several of the young staff every year for the last three or four; since they can't be older than mid-20s, King's must either be a very good employer or be family-staffed. Either way, that's a good sign.
They drove us and our huge dogger to a spot four miles upstream and didn't complain when Ty the dog was being a little bit crazy in their truck (he was VERY excited about his impending swim/canoe down the river).
Our canoe this year wasn't one of the old-school aluminum ones; it was made of plastic or perhaps fiberglass, and it was beyond comfortable. It had back rests, which makes four miles of paddling a canoe infinitely more pleasurable for my back, by providing some much-needed leverage. Ty swam a good part of the way next to us and when he finally got tired he snuggled right in near my feet at the front of the canoe with his sleepy head resting on the side, enjoying the wind on his face.
We were a bit late returning, and the guys from King's were waiting on the beach for us to take the canoe. We apologized for being late and they were so nice about it, even offering us and our big wet dog a ride back to town a block away.
This place is a class act all the way. Very highly recommended!
This place is AWSOME! Nick helped me arrange Kayak and Canoe rentals for a group of 38 people with ease. We will always use Kings from here on out every year!
The people here are really nice!
Our group of 9 went kayaking and they were very organized. We met them at the Russian River where they gave us a little intro on how to kayak and they loaded us in. They gave us very very detailed information on where to stop once we get to the end and exactly what to do. When they picked us up, the two guys were chatting it up with us the entire time.
Kayaks are in pretty good condition too and they have a LOT of outdoorsy supplies at the store. Great for fishing lovers!
King's is a great local business, and perfect host for a kayaking adventure down the Russian River. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, recommended a great ice cream place down the street, and gave us the right information to ensure that our 8 mile trek from Arrowhead beach back to Guerneville would be a success. I echo other comments here that not having to portage your boat at the end, and the short walk back to your car is a big advantage with Kings. Also, they use nicer life vests, not the old orange ones handed out at Johnson Beach.
Need bait and tackle, a cooler, sandals, extra T-shirts, an inflatable raft, lawn chairs, suntan lotion, and charcoal briquettes? You'll find them - and much more - in this charming throwback to the days when Mom and Pop sold a little bit of everything under one roof.
Healdsburg, CA
Category: Rafting/Kayaking
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