Canoeing and Kayaking With Your Family

 

Canoeing and Kayaking With Your Family

Life as a Boulder county resident can be tough. With an average of 300 days of sunshine each year and one of the healthiest, most active populations in the country, the options for outdoor activities are endless as are the number of people who enjoy such activities. At times I wonder whether there was an application process that I missed for admission into Boulder. It seems as though every Boulderite excels at a minimum of three activities that would be considered extreme in most other areas of the country. Those who are not proficient mountain bikers, climbers and whitewater paddlers can seem to be in the minority.

In a community of such tremendous athletes it can be intimidating to ask such simple questions as, “Where can I go kayaking or canoeing for a nice mellow day?” You may run the risk of having that mellow day interpreted as Class IV rapids with only two portages and a dash of Grade III scrambling to the put-in. This type of sandbagging seems to be an affliction from which many of the extreme Boulderites suffer.

I certainly need more than one set of hands to count the number of times that recommendations for “mellow” days have turned into epic and unexpected adventures. While this can be fun, it is probably not the best experience to have when you are simply looking for a pleasant Sunday afternoon activity to share with your 7 and 9 year olds.

If your definition of mellow does not include a hair-raising adrenaline rush, take a deep breath and relax. You are not amongst the minority, in fact there are many others in Boulder and along the Front Range who are looking for the very same kind of mellow days that you are. Fortunately, in addition to the vast array of options available to those seeking a heart-pounding, palms-sweating type of experience, there is an equal number of options for those seeking a bit more mental and physical relaxation in a beautiful setting.

The plethora of outdoor activity options has necessitated the emergence of a number of outdoor gear companies. They will be able to outfit you with any of the gear that you might need from a canoe and paddles to PFDs properly fitted to any and all of your family members. If you would like to spend a day out on the water either kayaking or canoeing with the family, but don’t have any of the appropriate gear you can contact several companies in the Boulder/Denver area:

• Avid4 Adventure can arrange the occasional rental and can be reached at 720-249-2412. Even better, Avid4 holds a massive warehouse sale in the Fall of lightly used gear so that you can purchase your own gear at below wholesale prices.
• Confluence Kayaks in Denver rents boats for $25 per day, $15 per half day, $50 per weekend and $75 per week. They can be reached at 303-433-3676.
• Colorado Sports Rentals in Arvada rents canoes, which start at $40 and go up $15 with each additional day. This rental includes a trailer for towing, though they do not offer kayak rentals. They can be reached at 303-467-0200.

If you would prefer to dodge the added stress of doubling the length of your car by trailing a canoe or stacking a mound of kayaks on the roof of your energy-efficient sedan, you might consider paddling the Gunnison River on a family camping trip with Avid4 Adventure or heading to a spot that rents boats right from the shores of the calm flat water lakes around Colorado. The Boulder Reservoir rents boats by the hour. Canoes cost $8 per hour, one person kayaks are $10 per hour and two person kayaks are $15 per hour. Washington Park in Denver rents canoes for $15 per hour; you can get in touch with their rental office at 720-254-6612

Once you have sufficiently and safely outfitted yourself and your family members it will be time to select the perfect location for your flat water adventure. In the Boulder/Denver area a number of state parks have reservoirs which allow kayaking and canoeing. These are some locations frequented by Avid4 Adventure Multi-sport Day Camp and 2-week Advanced Camps.
• Chatfield State Park in Highlands Ranch
• Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood
• Cherry Creek State Park in Denver
• Boulder Reservoir in Boulder

If you are hoping to escape the hustle and bustle of the Boulder and Denver crowds, you might consider:
• Gross Reservoir, although you can only paddle from Memorial Day through September 30. In about twenty-five minutes you will find yourself in the foothills just west of Boulder on a small, beautiful and calm reservoir with plenty of shoreline and no motorboats.
• Redfeather Lakes or the Horsetooth Reservoir up near Fort Collins. The Arapahoe National Recreation Area has a variety of options for water activities as well as camping opportunities. There are five reservoirs in the area, though Monarch Lake and Willow Creek may be the best options as they have no motor boat and no-wake policies. Other options in the general area include Carter Lake Reservoir, Boyd Lake, Lonetree Reservoir and Dowdy Lake.

Where ever you end up and how ever you get yourself there, once you arrive remember to take a few moments upon arrival to close your eyes and take a deep breath. Listen to the sounds around you, even if the dominant sound is that of your five year old asking when they can get in the boat for the 74th time in the past hour, and remember to enjoy yourself. Remember to have your child teach you about the importance of the T-Grip, ask them to point out the gun-whales and the thwarts on the canoe, have them demonstrate the proper way to enter a kayak that is on the water. If your child seems avid for more adventures, make sure to check out Avid4 Adventure Paddlesports Intensives or Kayak Intensives. Whatever you do, make sure you relax and enjoy the mellow day that you are about to share with your family!


Virginia Sanford is a veteran employee of Avid4 Adventure and specializes in programming for 5&6 year olds. When she is not with Avid4, she is likely off exploring, climbing, reading, or traveling.