Argo Canoe Livery

Just drove 45 minutes, and left work early to be able to kayak today. Arrived at 6:05pm due to traffic from all the closures to be told, «sorry last rental is at 6pm.» What a waste of my day.

Went here for the first time Labor Day weekend. I had called ahead and they don’t take reservations and did warn there would be long lines for the holiday weekend.
Waiting nearly 2 hrs for 2 single-​person kayaks but the wait was to be expected for a beautiful holiday weekend.
My friend and I had a wonderful time floating down the river. There are small rapids in the beginning and that’s about it. I even took my small dog with me.
The pick-​up was easy although be careful you may miss the small sign on the bridge telling you where to turn off for pick-​up. We hopped in the van and they took us back to where we started. The «canoe crew» does all the heavy lifting for you.
I wish there were more sunny days left this year so I could go again.

If I could rate this a negative star, I would. Just a simple inquiry with the bitch, Sheryl, turned out to be a big ordeal with her. She was of no help! If you can work with another company than Argo, please go elsewhere. Rude people and very bad experience all-​around. Stay clear of this joint! No help whatsoever!

Had lots of fun here! Some of the girls kayak’ed, while I tubed. It was a long journey down — approx 3 – 3.5h! I should have brought food for the river trip like some of the other people did!

Great fun and well run. A little bit of attitude from some of the young people working there. They may forget that not everyone knows the water or routine as much as they do. Hope to give it another chance soon!

I live practically on Argo and I love walking down there every day (and so does my puppy who loves to swim). We try to take advantage living so close and not having to park, which on a hot summer day is roughhhhh. Tubing down the Huron is fun, just be careful of kayakers and rafters on the cascades that have no clue how to steer and avoid tubers. Kayaking here is fun as well; we like to take the dog stillwater rafting up to the Barton dam to avoid the cascade crazy. Tip: go kayaking in the morning as they get hella busy in the afternoon, which makes for a long wait. It’s a great running spot too.

We visited over Memorial weekend and the number of people on the river was incredible. Very few moments where we weren’t within ten feet of another canoe or kayak and not quite the relaxing outdoor experience I’d hoped for. Next time we’ll save our canoeing for up north where we can truly get out and enjoy nature without the drunken frat boys floating down the river.

The Argo to Gallup trip is awesome and a great price. The cascades (7 little rock waterfalls) are a fun little detour past the dam. Be prepared: you will get a little wet. A tandem kayak for $ 22 or single for $ 18 is not bad. They bring you back to Argo in a van after the trip. You can also bring a tube and go down the Cascades and walk back up.

Horrible horrible horrible … As you see its 5:03 PM. Went on the website and called. Told us to be there by 5 PM for the river ride. Packed our bags, lunch, etc. Lady was REALLY rude (owner) and basically told us too bad … you have to PAY before 5 PM and we were too late because it was 4:50 PM. What a disappointing experience for my 12 year old for the holiday.

I absolutely loved it here! We spent a great afternoon picnicking and kayak/​canoeing with our family and it was a wonderful day in a beautiful environment. The parks have plenty of picknick areas and walking trails, and everything is kept up, beautifully.
The liveries offer several different rental options, ranging from paddleboats to rubber boats and the usual suspects in between (kayak, double kayak, canoes and tubes). I even noticed a bunch of water bikes at Gallup (where we got out). They require a deposit in form of your drivers license or car key, and life jackets are mandatory but included in your rental.
The actual facilities are super nice, bathrooms are clean and well-​stocked (there’s even autoflush! Fan-​cayy), there’s a limited amount of coin operated lockers for valuables (50 cents), and the rental station sells concessions for a fair price. Gallup has a nice playground area for small kids, also.
You have several different options for trips, our group opted for the one which takes approximately 1.5 hours, departing Argo and ending up at Gallup. Part of our group was in canoes and the other half went with sit –on-​top kayaks. The awesome thing about the kayaks is that your trip includes racing down several cascades to get to the point where the canoes launch.
The cascades were definitely fun and not that scary, there was enough ‘thrill’ without fear of tipping over. That being said, it helps if you have at least some paddling experience because you’re going to want to head down these puppies forward, which requires some maneuvering.
We saw a bunch of ducks, some small fish, some baby turtles and a big fat turtle on our trip. It is a very peaceful and beautiful thing to do on a sunny afternoon. I love that this river was clean, the water was clear and that the river itself was mellow. There is some current at a few spots but this is a very gentle flowing river, great for families with (small) children.

The lake and the cascades were awesome. The bad thing is the workers are young adults that could not give to craps about there job and treat there customers like crap. It’s a little pricey and they don’t mention that you could bring your own floats for free and not pay for there’s, if your kayaking or canoeing they usually do not help you out but are more concerned with talking to each other even though it’s there job and the last time I went I even watched two of there sharing a joint.
The lake is awesome, could care less about the workers

This is my favorite place in Ann Arbor. I literally chose my apartment based on its proximity to the park and cascades. I love taking my dog for walks down by the water. There is a short paved path to walk by the pond behind the dam, the cascades, and the river. There is also a longer trail which is partly paved and partly not that allows you to walk along the river north of the dam, which is about a 4 or 5 mile loop.
The best part is tubing or kayaking down the cascades. The kayak rentals are fairly cheap, but they fill up quick on Saturdays and sometimes you have to wait. You can also rent tubes or you can just bring your own. They also have stand up paddle boards to rent and paddle around the pond behind the dam. Or you can pick up a canoe below the cascades. If you take a canoe or kayak down the river, you get off at Gallup Park and get a shuttle back to Argo.
Some tips! Go early on Saturday if you want to kayak the cascades. Do not kayak the cascades if you don’t have experience kayaking, if you don’t know who steers in a two person kayak, then you shouldn’t be going down the cascades in a kayak. I emphasize this for my third tip, which is buy your own tube and go tubing! If you don’t know how to kayak, you run the risk of hitting a tuber, like me, especially on Saturdays when the cascades are real crowded. Also please do not bring glass to the park and leave your garbage, because you will ruin the boozing and cruising in the tubes for all of us!

My wife and I stumbled across the Argo Cascades when we were in Ann Arbor for a weekend trip, staying literally around the corner in an Airbnb rental. After brunch on the Saturday of July 4^th weekend, we walked down a trail and saw lots of people tubing and kayaking down the Cascades. Further down the trail, we found the Argo Canoe Livery. There were long lines that day and we had other plans already, but we decided to come back the next day.
What a blast! This place takes all the hassle out of canoeing and kayaking on your own. $ 22 gets you a two-​person kayak, paddles, a lifejacket, assistance getting in the kayak, and a trip down the Huron River to Gallup Park. At the other end, a shuttle takes you back to Argo Park. Going down the Cascades is a lot of fun, but it was a bit crowded the day we were there and lots of kayakers were running into each other (us included). After that, it’s a nice slow current on a wide river for the remaining 3 miles down to Gallup Park.
I consider this a must-​visit in Ann Arbor.

OMG! Tubing down the cascades is amazing. What a super fun thing to do. Just know You WILL get wet. I did not wear a bathing suit and got drenched but it is so fun and beautiful. There were folks so all ages canoeing, tubing, and kayaking. It is really comparable to a lazy river with cascade pools. Do not miss this great adventure when in Ann Arbor on a hot summer day!

Argo Park is amazing and the Canoe Livery made it that much better! The water is nice and still by the livery and the staff is wonderful to work with. My friends and I were unsure if we wanted to canoe or try the new paddleboarding. It ended up being about half and half and we had an amazing 2 hour time on the water. The equipment, including paddleboards, canoes, paddles, and life jackets were all in great shape.
Before and after the trip on the water, we sat out at one of the pavilions and enjoyed the water and sunset. It was nice and quiet but very safe and comfortable. I can’t wait to go back!

I live down the street from Argo and it’s AWESOME. in the summer time it’s a great place to go with my dogs and boyfriend to go canoeing down the river and i can’t WAIT for that new course to be built.
It’s so peaceful and the people who work there are always friendly and nice.
The trail around the river is amazing and not alot of people are out there especially in the winter so it’s nice when you are walking three dogs.

Fun place to paddle! They hooked us up with a coupla canoes but also have kayaks and paddle boats available. It’s a small pond but fun to paddle to the other end and back. Saw lots of swans, geese, ducks, and swallows along the way.

When I was in AA for recruitment weekend (that’s when you get accepted to a phd program and visit — they feed you and have you meet all the faculty you’ll never see again in a desperate attempt to convince you that Michigan is the best choice for you… then once you’ve signed on they make you slave away on tedious reseach projects for very little pay while you struggle to teach 50 freshman and prepare for oral prelims… but anyway, that’s another story).
So, as I was saying, I was in Ann Arbor for recruitment weekend and one of the faculty members, hearing that I like to canoe, exclaimed «don’t go to Chicago, they don’t have any good canoeing. Come here and you can go to Argo every day of the week.»
I was beginning my third year before I had time to visit, but my first canoe trip here, lazily paddling around, the sun warming my face, it made me glad that I decided to do my phd at Michigan. Yes, Argo Canoe Livery made it all worthwhile…
Anyway, you can also rent a rowboat, and if you have your own canoe you’re free to canoe here as well. Reservations are accepted. And if you don’t want to canoe, the walking trails are worth the visit in and of themselves. For those new to canoeing, they have organized canoe trips as well.

On a warm summer day, Argo is most popular for their canoe rental. That’s certainly a great option, but I’m here to tell you that the park itself is worth a visit on its own merit, even if you’re not aiming to paddle.
There are walking trails here that I have yet to fully explore, but the view and surrounding area are both really beautiful. This area of town, extending down Longshore, is one of my favorite more quiet corners. The picnic pavilion here is just right for a mid-​sized group, and there’s plenty of extra grassy space for blankets.

Argo is yet another one of Ann Arbor’s fabulous parks. The system as whole is cool for its interconnectivity. Argo is special because there is a canoe rental livery here. It also has hiking trails and good shady spots for picnicking.
I have a friend who enjoys combining picnicking and canoeing regularly; she invites folks to picnic first and then canoe afterward. When I visited on a warm summer day, college and high school aged people were crowded around the livery and many canoes were out on the lake. I know from experience that even if you’ve reserved canoes ahead of time, your rental may be canceled in the event of bad weather, so if the forecast is iffy, call before you go.