Kayak Pittsburgh

Love it! Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. And what better way to see North Park Lake than on it. We have rented single kayaks a few times now and it doesn’t get old. It is a wonderful way to enjoy a warm summer day in the north hills. Today was a busy day and the line to get signed in and get a kayak was a long one but it didn’t put a damper on the morning at all. Me and the hubby always have a blast paddling all around the lake exploring the shore line and looking for blooming lily pads and watching fish jump out of the water, fun times! :)

This might be my new favorite place to easily rent a kayak and enjoy Pittsburgh’s summer weather. For a long time Kayak Pittsburgh’s North Shore location was my #1 choice, and while I still think kayaking on the rivers and around the Point is a real treat I think paddling on North Park’s lake is far more relaxing, and so worth the extra time spent on the road to get here.
Like the North Shore kayaking location this area is absolutely beautiful, but in a different way. Rather than our amazing city’s skylines there’s lots of trees, water lilies, and other sights you’d expect from a park. Be on the lookout for birds, fish and even deer — those sightings are fantastic additions to a slow and fun paddle. You can definitely tell a lot of work has gone into maintaining this park and pond, to make it so appealing to people and animals alike. Thumbs up as well to the staff here, who handled very long and expectant lines today with total professionalism and smiles on their faces through the heat and stress of getting so many people a boat.
So how to pick between Kayak Pittsburgh’s two rental locations? Just be honest with what you want out of your paddle that day. Both places will give you beautiful views — this one includes more of nature (i.e. nests, birds, fish, etc.) than the very active rivers do. And with no motorboats or currents to fight the lake is the very definition of serene, and it makes for a very welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of my daily life. I will definitely try to come back out sometime soon!

I love kayaking at North Park Lake. It’s an ideal place to take beginners, but it’s also very scenic and serene. I usually see 4 – 5 Great Glue Herons when I go, there’s a Blue Heron Rookery in North Park. I’s also nice to stop into OTB at the Boathouse, which shares the same building.

My husband and I have grown to love kayaking over the last several years, and this is currently our favorite spot to go! Though Kayak Pittsburgh at the North Shore is very exciting with stunning views of the city, we enjoy kayaking at North Park on a calm lake with the boat traffic around being other kayaks and a few canoes (vs. speedboats and barges in the city location).
I would give this Kayak Pittsburgh 5 stars except for the customer service. We have been here twice in the last several weeks, and the kids that work here could really use some better training. The process of getting life jackets and kayaks is very slow, despite my husband’s and my knowledge and comfort with the whole process. There are plenty of young people working, but they often seem very distracted by one another and not at all focused on the people renting kayaks. Despite this frustration, we plan to return quite a bit throughout the summer, and I hope this issue is resolved.