Canoe Outfitters of Fla

Canoe rentals were rather pricey ($ 35), though the scenery is beautiful enough to justify it, perhaps. They’re not very «on top of the ball» as they say, as they charged us for a canoe, and when we went to the canoe launch area to get our canoe, we were told they were all rented, so some sort of communication between the front desk and the providers needs to be established (walkie-​talkies would be a good start). I also wish the man at the front desk that took our payment had kept his mouth shut about the alligators, mating season, and how many you can see out there (15, he claimed). It was enough to frighten my friend so much that when we went over a log while on the Loxahatchee River, he begged to turn back around, thinking we had gone over an alligator. He was in a true state of panic, which only served to tick me off. It was embarrassing to hear people say «turning back already?» When we turned in the canoe, the old man admitted to being guilty of exaggeration, but unfortunately, his little joke ruined my day. Thanks a lot!

Gorgeous place to get in touch with nature! Very lush. Interesting wildlife– Minus seeing alligators! The current can be a bitch on the way back but I still loved my experience here.

We love canoeing/​kayaking here. Its a beautiful ride to the dam where you can pull up your vessel and have a bite to eat. The ride back can be hard because of the current but it gets easier each time we do it. There is no entrance to Riverbend Park and the prices to rent at Canoe Outfitters are reasonable ($ 27 for a canoe) and the vessels are well taken care of. The kids who launch your canoe/​kayak are nice kids. The last time we went we saw two alligators hanging out on the bank and lots of birds. Its a beautiful place to relax and hang out.

Wonderful day trip. Really beautiful. Very easy. We have a little one, are old and out of shape, and this was an extremely easy event for all three of us. Perhaps the reviewer who said upstream is too difficult was alone, and that made a difference. We had zero issue upstream. I think that part took us 45 minutes? Plus the breeze is nice when you’re working a little harder.
We saw a beautiful owl, several falcons and many alligators, and I can’t say enough about the cypress trees and beauty of the area.
It can get busy with inexperienced canoe-​ers, but, come one, give people a break. We helped out whenever possible.
***Update: When we went back the following weekend, we were talked out of doing the whole trip. We were told it would be too difficult with little ones and that we’d have to get out of the boat 7 or 8 times to lift it over fallen trees. We were also told we’d never make it the last two hours out in the sun against the current. So, we decided not to do the whole trip and not have them pick us up.
Well, after beginning our trip and not having to lift the boat out once, we called them from our cell phone and told them we were going all the way and they’d have to pick us up. I told him we’d planned on making the full trip and we wanted to follow through with that because the trip was easy for us.
At any rate, we were so happy we did the whole thing because we saw manatees and had a GREAT day. It was long and going against the current was a bit of a challenge the last 45 minutes or so, but so worth it. The first part was also challenging even though we didn’t have to take the boat out of the water. We had to duck under many trees. But again, it was fine and we reached the first stop in no time.
I’ve had a lot of experience canoeing so I think this should be taken into consideration before talking people out of a fantastic day out on the river. But I suppose people do get tired and run into problems so they try to keep these types of issues to a minimum.

This place is awesome to go and visit! The kayaks are very reasonably priced, and the trail you take is beautiful! The scenery is amazing, and being able to go over the dam is a neat experience. If you are not ready to go over the dam, they have ramps you can take your kayak over instead. The only thing I would change is allowing to rent kayaks past 2. I realize they close at 5, but even taking the kayak out for 3 hours would be great!

We did the kayaking trip down the river and back up today. It’s was fantastic! Like the others have stated here, it’s a little rough coming back because of the current.
5-​star, thumbs up for their service with smiles, great attitudes made us feel at home.
It was so cool to just take in all that beautiful nature right there all around you. Perfect.

This is a very fun trip (and how to do it is adequately described by the other reviews). And the Loxahatchee is indeed a very cool place to see wild flora and fauna. It’s worth the outing.
That said, I have three interrelated complaints.
1: It’s crowded. at least on the weekends. It’s crowded because it’s good, but don’t expect peaceful wilderness, at least unless you go fairly far downstream.
2: It’s a rough paddle upstream (which is why a lot of the crowds won’t go as far downstream). I’m not a weak person, and I’ve been paddling several times before, but there were moments when I didn’t think I was going to make it back to the take-​out at all.
3: Apparently sometimes they have a long-​distance one-​way paddle, where folks from the concession will come pick you up at the end, and you avoid the upstream paddle. But don’t rely on this. Be sure to get somebody on the park on the phone and ask explicitly whether they are doing this at the time you want to go, because they often aren’t and it can be hard to predict in advance.
Even with those complaints, it’s still a good trip.

Note: Canoe Outfitters of Florida is located inside Riverbend Park and has no separate sign. Look for the trailer on your left when you enter. Efficient and friendly service.
The Loxahatchee is a very cool place for seeing cypress trees, small alligators, turtles, and birds. After renting individual kayaks ($ 25 each for the day on a weekday, not sure if it varies on weekends), we enjoyed a leisurely paddle down this slow moving river. Very beautiful and shaded.
The swampland is not conducive to taking a break for food or snacks on the shore, but two wooden «dams» make natural stopping places.
The river conditions seem to vary considerably depending on the season and when the most recent storm occurred. During our trip the river was very calm and an easy paddle in both directions.

If you have never kayaked on a river in South Florida the self guided tour in Riverbend Park is a great day trip. It’s the closet thing to a whitewater river I have seen in Florida if you exclude the water parks. You put in at Riverbend Park (no entrance fee) and you rent your kayak at Canoe Outfitters of Florida. This is also the take out and believe it or now, you paddle downstream and upstream on the way home (it’s not as easy as you would think if the current is flowing). The trip on the scenic Loxahatchee River is incredible.
As a former whitewater river rat, I would recommend renting single kayaks for everyone. The double kayaks are difficult to maneuver unless you have done it before as well as the canoes. You’ll also be dodging branches, logs and bridges. There is a dam with a small upstream portage where you carry your kayak on a well-​maintained wooden deck. The rapid was great for surfing!