Parking: This location has plenty of parking lots…read moresurrounding the lake. Easy to access and seem moderately safe. I have never had an issue finding a spot. 5 stars. Water: I've never gotten in the water, so I can't judge this.. not a fan of lake water. Dam: Cool place to come for an easy outdoor walk to unwind and relax or to workout (many people run the steps up and down the dam). Everything here is free. Other: There is a frisbee golf course that people were actively using while I was there. There is a lot of easy hiking trails and scenery to enjoy. Conclusion: This is a good place to come with a family or friends. Get outside and have a picnic, go fishing, boating, take a hike, or play frisbee golf. It does get cold here in fall/winter as the wind comes off the lake, so wear a coat. I'm tired of the cold, debating running away to Mexico.

Grew up a 10 min bike ride away Good memories playing with…read moremy friends Ran the steps by the reservoir training for soccer

Hughes Outdoors is awesome! They are helpful and very responsive with communication. We rented 3…read morestand up paddle boards and joined with two people who already had boards to have a super fun Sunday afternoon on Howard area of Alum Creek. Hughes Outdoors made it fun and easy to try something new. Hughes Outdoors is the perfect company to help you plan a super fun day with your friends, family members or a special date with your partner.

Hughes Outdoors is fantastic. They were waiting on us when we arrived and were very personable…read more The kayak launch dock at the loading ramp they use is so nice. Easy in and out and Hughes Outdoors helped us get situated. This area of Alum Creek Lake is a no-wake area and very calm and peaceful. I highly recommend this kayak outfitter. We will be back for sure.

I would highly recommend Hammerhead Watersports to anyone looking to have a good day out on the…read morewater. The owner and founder, Steve, was super accommodating. Even though they had not officially opened for the year, he went out of his way to make sure we had a kayak to go out with and enjoy the good weather. We called him mid-morning and he met us with a high quality Kayak only a few hours later! His communication was great & they made everything easy - within 15 minutes of arriving at the dock we were out on the water. We love to Kayak, so we have been to a number of different "big-box" corporations in the area, and Hammerhead Watersports has the family-owned feel of a local business that we like supporting. If you are looking for a great price, quality equipment, and to support family-owned local business - look no further!

From the owner: Alum Creek Campers! We are especially designed to cater to you. We offer delivery and pickup to…read moreyour location free of charge! We are a local family owned business that specializes in paddle sports! Whether it’s your first time on a kayak / SUP or you’re a seasoned vet, we have what you are looking for! Need a break from screens? Call or email us today to reserve your paddling adventure!

Nice day out on the lake. I'd recommend using them. I…read morefound there communication to be lacking, but otherwise we had a good experience.

Very friendly staff & clean boats. We rented a 5 person pontoon for 3 hrs & was concerned it would…read morebe too long but it was the perfect amount of time to go the entire length of the lake & stop along the way to fish. If you don't plan to fish or swim, 2 hrs is plenty.

This was such a fun activity. Windrose is easy to get to right in Downtown Columbus. They have a…read moretent right by the water and provided everything you need. There was a kind and instructive staff member who helped us get in and out of the kayaks. She provided a route for us as well. I did notice when we got out of the kayaks she was thoroughly inspecting them, possibly for any cracks or holes. We already had a blast but knowing they are being very careful will make me a repeat customer. We paid $30 for a one hour ride. I felt like that was a very fair price. It was beaming hot and the route had little to no shade so do dress appropriately if you are visiting in the summer.

Lovely experience on Saturday late afternoon! Easy to book and easy to find. Lovely row through…read moredowntown area. Staff helps you out into the water and one gets to enjoy the river and the city of Columbus! I would highly recommend

My fiancée and I had a wonderful time on the river! The staff was great, very helpful, and clear on…read morethe process. The kayaks are well maintained and it was awesome to spend a few hours enjoying our trip without any worries. I docked one star only because of the launch point. Only one boat could go at a time, so it took a while to get going. If they could find a launch point with a wider area, more boats could get their trips started earlier.

I loved this experience. I did a 5.2 mile single kayak with a group of 6 others. It was superb. The…read moreroute was beautiful. The ride there was informative. This is an experience everyone should try! The online registration was convenient and user friendly.

great people and really understand what they are doing!! very respectful with a high knowledge of…read morethe ramps.

These folks do not understand ettiquette when it comes to utilizing public facilities. They…read moreroutinely block boat launching ramps taking an unreasonably long time to unload, they block both ramp lanes, crowd the dock and have no respect for common practices of using boat launches. These folks ruin the convenience of our great public facilities, have no respect for others, and set a bad example for other recreationalists.

First time canoeing. Family of 4 ( 2 adults & 2 kids)…read more 1 star: Friendly staff. 1star: Loading onto the boat was super easy and no issue. The river was maintained with nice spots to pull off for a rest. --1 star: the bathrooms at the front building were the dirtiest bathrooms I have ever experienced. Only 1 working toilet in the women's ( arrived at 9am) . --2 stars: unloading area at the end was not maintained. ( the staff member said what they had washed away in the spring) no where to pull your canoe to get off . Steep muddy hill to climb up. Someone in our group got hurt trying to get out when unloading . Young children were struggling to get up the steep hill.

Are you looking for fun and safe activity to do with friends or family while staying socially…read moredistanced from others? This is an awesome activity that checks all of the boxes! We visited Morgan's yesterday for the second time this summer. It's a great meeting spot for friends that live in Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Our first visit was on a Thursday and the second was on a Sunday. There was a big difference in the amount of people when going during the week versus the weekend. I would highly suggest a weekday visit if you would prefer less people. After a brief safety talk, you grab a life vest, paddle, and boat and you are off! We did kayaking on both of our visits, but saw a lot of people out on canoes and rafts. It is about a 7 mile trip and both times it took us about 3 hours doing a relaxing trip down the river with minimal paddling and a lot of floating. We packed a picnic lunch and pulled our kayaks out on a shady spot and ate lunch. This is not a technically different kayaking route. There are a few sections that are rocky, have some tiny rapids, or tree roots that you need to navigate, but all in all, it is a beginner level trip perfect for the novice and fun for all. The equipment is good, staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The price is also good for a budget activity ~$30 per person! Let's talk about COVID-19 precautions: Morgan's takes this seriously! They are by reservation only and have designated checkin times. For our weekend checkin when it was busy, a man greeted us when walked up and directed us to an empty table to fill out our group's waiver. Once done, we took to a table with one staff member to checkin. All of this was outside. During the week, this was done in the building, but we were the only group. There are social distance markers on the ground, limit to 3 people per the changing room/restroom, social distance on the bus to bring you back, and all staff wore masks. Thank you for keeping us safe!

My family and I have camped at Cowan Lake State Park twice now and will definitely be back for more…read moreoutdoor adventures. The campsites are a good size and are all in the woods, which we prefer. The bathrooms are super simple, but the women's restrooms are impressively clean. My husband did say that the men's restrooms were pretty much unusable though. I have not used the showers, so I can't speak to those. The price is good and I am happy to support a state park. We also haven't gone down to the lake or used any of the other park amenities yet, but look forward to trying them out. Each campsite has a firing and a picnic table and a paved driveway, perfect for our truck top tent. My only complaint so far is that the last time we stayed, there was a dog who truly barked without ceasing the entire time, with the exception of quiet hours because it was taken inside to sleep. I understand the dogs are allowed in the campground and that they bark, but we weren't able to relax, and the campground wasn't peaceful because the barking was that bad. I do wish there was some sort of policy for this. However, this won't deter us from coming back because I do believe it was a coincidence.

I was there to tent camp over a weekend. We had a decent time. They have 2 restroom buildings easy…read moreto walk to, and a shower house. We were in the main central area. It's a huge packed area with few trees, borders hard to discern and tightly packed. I would recommend getting a spot on one the little dead ends with trees and not 1,000 people. The area the park has on the lake is not very appealing tbh. The nature center was a good diversion and they also had movie night and mid day crafts available at the pavilion. I'd give those a 5*.

I had fun today. Very friendly instructors. Best fun I have had for $30.00. Water was little cold…read moretoday but I will definitely be back in a few weeks.

From the owner: Standup Paddle Boarding Sales, Lessons, and Rentals.read more