What a great idea! 11 inexperienced women (ok 2 of us had kayaked before but only 1x) created wonderful memories last Saturday. The weather was perfect. The scenery was breathtaking. We basically had the river to ourselves. Bailey was awesome. She helped us launch and did pick up. DEFINITELY will do this again. read more

This was our 4th year canoeing and kayaking El Camino Real Paddling Trail with Bastrop River Co. We have brought a large group of fathers and sons with the Troops of St. George, Troop 22 from Austin, to enjoy the 6-mile paddling trail since 2023. Lee and his team have always been an absolute pleasure to work with, and each year it seems easier and easier to get out on the water to beat the summer heat. Their boats are all very well maintained, the instructions are clear, and the communication before, during, and after the trip is great. We cannot recommend the BRC enough for scouting groups, church youth groups, or just friend groups. read more

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Great experience. Outfitters prep you well! Doable for all skill levels. Lots of turtles on the river!

I've lived in Austin the past 10 years. Anytime anyone visits, this is where I take them. It's the perfect amount of time, the weather is so pleasant, the scenery is beautiful, the water seems clean (WAY cleaner than Town Lake), and everyone who works here is SO so so nice. Mia in particular is so hysterical. read more

We did the short trip. Start at the park and kayak downstream for six miles over smooth waters. You'll spend 2-3 hours on the river plus any time you spend swimming (if you can find a spot that's deep enough) or taking a break on the sand bar at about the three mile mark (which is good place for a snack break if you bring something to snack on). Allow additional time for checking in and for the ride back (which is provided, of course). If you ask, they'll give you a small "dry box" to keep a phone and key fob in. Bring plenty of drinking water and sun screen. Enjoy! read more

Bastrop River Company - Kayaks parked on the sand bar at the three mile mark. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

We were looking for a hometown adventure, and boy did we find it!! Several miles of beautiful scenery, nature and water! Ended up with the ending being in our neighborhood!! Thanks BRC for making that Saturday special! Looking forward to many more weekends with you guys!! Next time, ima look for the ball caps you have! read more

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We enjoyed our kayak through Colorado river. The company provided the water box/container and life jackets. And you can purchase bottled water and they have it in a cooler. We decided to do this activity last minute and it was a plus that they provided what we needed and they were very accommodating. Trinity was very helpful and took pictures of us as well. And Lee met us at the pick up point and told us of his travels and story. It was a good day to kayak, it was very beautiful and peaceful. Would definitely recommend this activity with this Bastrop River Co! read more

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My kids and I love Bastrop River Company. We secured an early time slot on Labor Day. We *could* go to Townlake, but we prefer kayaking in this section of Colorado. It feels like you are out in the middle of nowhere, and watching the birds and turtles as you skim by in smooth water is peaceful. There was a little breeze, plenty of sunshine, and we were the only visible people on the water for miles. read more

I had a great time on the El Camino Real route, a six-mile trip from Fisherman's Park in Bastrop. The staff was helpful and friendly, explaining the uses of equipment, the route, and when to call for pickup to return to the park. Riding down the Colorado River was terrific fun. The current was smooth except for a few fast sections. The greenery along the shore and, in some case, in the river, was fantastic. read more

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This happened in August 1, 2022 and I thought I had posted this review. Becareful when you paddle, the markers that are managed by Bastrop River Co. to tell you where you are at are not managed well and hard to see. My personal and only experience was using a service where they will pick you up if you bring your own paddle or kayak. After 2 hours of on the river, I made a call to verify my location because I had not seen any markers but our communication wasn't going well. I couldn't tell the owner my exact location and I had asked if he could send me a picture of the map because the one I took was blurry, my fault for not checking prior to leaving. The owner was didnt have any patience and kept puting me on hold. He then determined that I wasn't going to make it in time for pick up and that i didnt follow the rules. They refunded my money while on the call and said I had to figure out a way back to the take starting point. Also, that I was no longer abe to use any of thier services. I had to paddle back up stream against the current with my service dog which took me 3 hours and then wait for the owner to come back to give me my keys, the owner drove a blue jeep wranger. I looked at the map they had to see if I could figure out where I was at I saw a landmark that seemed familiar. I showed the owner and said this is all I wanted to know because I had not seen a marker. He then told me, "oh you were there? You would have made it in time. You couldn't tell me your location so I wasn't going to come get you. Your still banned and faulted for not knowing where where you were was." For someone who voluntered to seeve my country proudly, I have never been disrespected like that. USMC Retired read more

Fun afternoon on the river thanks to the Bastrop River Company! The kayaks were well maintained, the river was easy to navigate with my 12 yo and Lee picked us right away and drove us back to our car. Reserving ahead of time made it all super easy. read more

The short trail was an amazing ride along the Colorado with the kayak. The people are really nice and provided all of the essential equipment needed for excursion. My only recommendation is more extensive cleaning of the life jackets. read more

The owner was very helpful and accommodating. We had a nice kayak trip on the river. It was a very nice experience.

Lee got us all set up and was so nice. We did the 2-3 hour kayaking and it was so fun! Perfect for beginners. I'm pregnant and I hadn't seen any reviews for this trail and it was totally fine and safe! We went early on a Friday and it was so peaceful. read more

Had a friend down from Connecticut that wanted to go down the river I rented a 2 seated kayak had a great time. The service was great would recommend Bastrop River Co. I lived in Bastrop all my life and floated a fished the Colorado river most of it. Thanks read more

Good service. Clear instructions. Comfortable kayaks. Beautiful route.

Amazing company! Super easy to get signed up and on the water, me and my girlfriend took way longer than we should have and the amazing employee Justin was super patient with us, brought us water cause we were in the sun for so long, and didn't even charge us late fees. We are very grateful for them! read more

Our trip down the river was amazing yesterday. Rented a kayak and had two we brought. Personnel was amazing, as always. Good times had by all. read more

My sister and I did the El Camino Real short paddle trail, which took "2-4 hours" - it took us four hours but we were almost deliberately slow to enjoy the scenery! We saw several unique birds, some fish, turtles, and even a few cows. It was a very nice paddle with no rapids or other obstacles and the crew was very nice. Even on a busy holiday weekend this stretch of the river was not particularly crowded- except for the beach are where we were picked up. That was pretty crowded, but I don't blame folks cause it was a nice spot! read more

The personnel was friendly and knowledgeable. Our whole team enjoyed the 6-mile trip and how easy it was to navigate. Wish the water was cooler, but that just means coming back in September or October for another run! read more

Faulty equipment Poor customer service Bad attitudes from those employed with the company Would give zero stars if applicable Would not recommend to friends, family or even enemies. read more

Great time, great service!! Efficient booking process, very organized crew. Pickup at the end of the river also super smooth. My fam and I had a great time kayaking, and would do this again. read more

Amazing experience today and worth every penny. Great customer service, laid back atmosphere, and beautiful tour. 100% a place where you can relax and have everything taken care of if you want to kayak or paddle-board the river. Best part was you feel like you're in the middle of nature and the only people on the river! Not crowded at all on a hot Sunday afternoon. read more

Leaving one star based on customer service. We booked the short trip kayak tour with a confirmation that showed 2pm - 6pm. Arrived and they told us no we have to be off the river at 5pm. When we asked about the conflicting information the lady acted like we were crazy. They kept rushing us along. The trip itself and the atmosphere were serene and beautiful. We enjoyed it a lot but felt rushed to meet the 5pm deadline. But we did it - we called for pickup prior to 5pm. When the pickup got there, they barely said two words to us. They were clearly agitated. I posted a google review to tell people that I would not recommend booking the 2pm so you don't feel rushed and received the most unprofessional reply. What the actual hell? Definitely recommend taking your business elsewhere. read more

Bastrop River Company - Owner response - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

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What a nice way to spend the afternoon. There was a little mix up on when we called in to let the staff know we were close to end. We got an answering machine telling us to leave a message with our name / location. After waiting at the end about 20 minutes, we called again and they didn't know we had left a message. The pickup came as quick as possible. Perhaps they should adjust their answering machine setup. At any rate, it was a nice kayaking experience. I would definitely do this again. read more

We rented a double kayak and enjoyed our time on the water. Friendly staff and great location. Loved that they provided a dry box and it was nice that they offer to hold your keys for you. Hope to come back again. read more

What an awesome experience. Lee was there waiting for us with our kayaks and he provided a water-proof container for our phones. He told us exactly when to call us and then he was there waiting for us when we were supposed to get out. He loaded our kayaks and then drove us back to our car. It was a flawless experience. During our kayaking we saw geese, turtles and COWS! read more

Bastrop River Company - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

Love this place!! Been on 2 kayaking trips now with them and it's always amazing. Staff is friendly, equipment is great, and even the vans are super nice for the ride back at the end. Very happy with this company and will continue to use their services! read more

**Giving 5 starts but feel like I need to give a heads up to some**. This was our first kayaking experience and we might be hooked. The people that run this were great and their equipment was all in good shape. We did the "shorter run" which we were told 2-3 hours and figured that meant if we pushed it then 2 hours and took our time it would be 3. We started out going very slow and enjoying ourselves. Water was pretty still and calm and the route they go over with you before hand seemed pretty straight forward except for the "mile markers" which we never did see the first one. After a couple hours and not seeing any markers, we figured we were more than half way....we were not. At that point we saw the #2 marker and realized we still had 4 more miles to go!! The wind then picked up, blowing against us and the next 4 miles we were at a constant row. We didn't bring anything as far as food and didn't make plans to stop along that way because we figured we would only be there for 3 hours max. Not the case and it took half the day. Maybe it was just us, we don't know how others did but if we did it again, we would know what to ask and what to plan. How are the winds that day and what direction are they going? What is the water level because I guess that can make a difference on if the water is flowing with you or not? These are questions they said to ask next time. As I said, the company and people themselves were great and I do recommend the trip. Just plan for a possible half day instead of 2 hours :) read more

Bastrop River Company - Sisters first Kayaking experience! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

I was in Austin (from Chicago) and wanted to get out on the water. A quick Google search resulted in several options for kayaking in the area but this one was on the Texas Colorado River instead of a boring lake. I met Lee at Fisherman's Park in Bastrop and launched form there. He thought of everything. I forgot water, he already had some pack in ice and on board!! I was worried about my phone, he already had a "dry bag" secured to a lanyard on board!! After helping me launch, he snapped a few photos to email me and a few more as i pulled in down river. Lee was on time, friendly and an all around nice guy. We even went to Billy's BBQ and had lunch together. If you are within 100 miles of Bastrop, go here to kayak then head into town and get a bite to eat or say hello to Larry at Larryland guitars. Good times... read more

Bastrop River Company - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

I have kayaked here twice and this is the second time that the same employee was rude to us. It started when we were 10min late to arrive and the first thing he said was, "you're late." Then he went on to threaten us with, "For every 30min you are late coming off the river, you will be charged $20." I'm not sure why this guy is allowed to work with people. I don't write a bad review last time because everyone else was really nice and we had a good trip but come on. read more

This place is great and very family friendly, family of eight was happily accommodated. It was great fun. We are definitely coming back. They have great options and I highly recommend the cooler tubes. There is a wonderful shallow beach area to stop at along the way and splash around. read more

Bastrop River Company - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

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Great way to experience the Colorado River. Staff was friendly, informative, and timely. Equipment was in fair condition.

The reservation process was straightforward and easy: the ability to read and sign the waiver in advance was beneficial and made the check-in much more efficient. Employees were helpful, professional and went above and beyond the call of duty (detailed explanation of the trail and instructions, taking and sending photos of our group beforehand and as we were launching, providing Gatorade to one who was suffering from low sugar afterwards, etc.). The whole ride itself was calm, relaxing and fun. A great time all around! read more

Sshhhhhh - don't tell anybody about this great activity or they'll all want to go! It is such a pleasure to kayak the Colorado with BRC. I don't think there's a a kayak trip to be had that's as scenic and peaceful as this one! From on line booking, to checking in, paddling a few hours and then the quick return - everything is a breeze. Highly recommend read more

This is an awesome place to get away! They're flexible, affordable and sincerely want you to have a good time. They've been open for just over a year and everything is great from my view! I was glad they DIDN'T have those terrible, orange, over-the-neck PFD's. I'd recommend the 14 mile Wilbarger Trail. read more

Bastrop River Company - Beautiful scenery! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

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Hassle free, equipment was in good condition, route was clearly marked and explained. Would recommend and would definitely book again!

Wonderful experience all around! The animal welfare organization I work for, Save An Angel, worked with Bastrop River Company to organize a kayaking trip for our leadership team as a team building activity. They were extremely professional, kind, and prompt. We had a fantastic time on the 6-mile kayak tour, spotted tons of wildlife (including a family of baby raccoons!), and enjoyed a beautiful morning on the water. Thank you Bastrop River Company, we will definitely be back! read more

Bastrop River Company - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bastrop, Texas

We had a great time. After 3hrs of paddling I hav full range of motion in my left shoulder. Thanks for a great time!!

Really enjoyed the experience. We did the two hour tube float and found the operators and our fellow tubers to be very pleasant and relaxed. As for the Colorado River itself, we went in early summer while discharge of the river was 1100 cfs, winds were 9 mph from the south, and we still made progress downstream with little effort. read more