Blackhawk River Runs canoe rental was awesome from start to finish! They provided great guidance of how to navigate the river and provided phenomenal customer service with detail to cleanliness. I highly recommend using them if you are looking for a fun day on the Wisconsin River with 2 pickup times to provide plenty of flexibility. read more

Blackhawk River Runs - Beautiful canoe ride down the Wisconsin River! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mazomanie, Wisconsin

We had a perfect rental and canoeing experience! The Blackhawk River Run team was extremely professional. They were very helpful with upfront reservation communications, provided great instructions on how to navigate the river, had our gear ready, had a very clean restroom and clean bus. They were timely on our return run pick up. Our group had a blast and Blackhawk River runs made everything seamless. Can't wait to go again!! Gorgeous river experience! Amazing! read more

Blackhawk River Runs - On the river! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mazomanie, Wisconsin

We had a fantastic experience with our overnight trip outfitted by BRR. In my pre-trip phone calls they were patient and detailed with the information provided. When we walked into their beautiful cabin / office the potbelly stove was kicking out a little heat on that chilly morning and the panoramic view of the river through the wall-o-windows was fantastic. The woman who helped us was so friendly and gave us a thorough briefing to prepare us, including helpful details about what to expect from the river. The black-and-white map they provide is a little tough to read. Color would be better. I do like an aluminum canoe best (which is what BRR runs.) The PFDs they provide by default are the orange rectangle type II, but when I asked if they had a vest-type they accommodated. The basic orange are fine if you're leaving them in the boat, but really get in the way if you wear them while paddling. Because s#!t can go wrong fast on a river like the Wisconsin I prefer to wear the PFD most of the time. Our pickup was prompt and the van was clean and in nice shape. I've done many different stretches of the Wisconsin now and I do think the segment between BRR and Arena is the nicest I've done. It's more distant from roads, so without that truck noise it feels more remote. The shore and bluffs are pretty on this stretch too. It's a small and personal operation which is great when it's quiet. I could see them struggling to attend to everyone on busy weekend days, though. Our canoe had clearly see lots of trips - it showed evidence of many repairs and made me question its reliability a little bit. That said, it did not appear to leak at all, so... I do like like renting from a down-river outfitter so there's no need to get back for a specific shuttle time, so BRR has that going against it, but all-in-all this place will likely be my go-to for future trips. read more

At $50 a canoe, they are charging about $20 too much. I've rented out from several Wisconsin places, and $40 for a kayak, $30 for a canoe, and $20 for a tube is pretty common. They had several dozen unrented canoes on a Saturday. We missed the pickup spot, and paddled by it, as did others in our party. It's now actually inland, not really on the river. There are no markers. You have to haul your aluminum canoe about 50 yards across a sandbar to get picked up, they are pretty heavy. Counted 24 tracks in the sand that day. Can't believe I paid $50 for that workout. When we got in the van, we were packed like sardines with people not wearing masks. Didn't feel safe. Used to get 60 to 70 people to go once every summer, but not anymore. I'd come back if they lower the price. read more

AWFUL. This was my 6th time taking this sandbar camp trip and first time using Blackhawk River Runs. Do not give thanks to Blackhawk River Run for the beautiful scenery, they just provide the canoes and pick up times. There are other great companies on the river that we're more useful. Reason 1-We had only 2 scheduled pick up times to choose from. Other companies wait and pick you promptly when you're finished. What happens if there's a storm? You're 15-21 miles out on a river. Not many people can gage how long it will take them to paddle 10-21 miles. It's not fun being rushed or waiting for a ride. Reason 2-I'm from Chicago and no one informed us we cannot clamp a small 5mph motor on the canoe, to my surprise it's unlawful unless it's registered. Instead of telling us or even giving a warning we were threatened it would be confiscated. It was an uncomfortable experience. Reason 3- When we arrived at the destination on Sunday, we were the only customers, there were 3 people working this canoe shop sitting down and I wasn't acknowledged for about 15 minutes while one woman was on the phone. There are other options of canoe companies on the river, I've used Wisconsin canoe co in the past and I've never had an issue. This is a wonderful trip to take, just make sure you don't use this company. No need to be on a time limit or deal with unfriendly people. read more

AWFUL. The women who at the front desk is completely rude and anything but professional. (not that you would expect too much out of canoe rental). You would think they would want to retain business considering these canoe rentals are a dime a dozen, but apparently, Blackhawk River Run has plenty of business to spare with the way we were treated and talk to like children. Not to mention I used a trolling motor on my canoe for this trip, which later we were told by Blackhawk River was "ILLEGAL and we were so lucky "Warden" didn't take my motor away. So what did Blackhawk River do? They reported us to the Wisconsin Departments Of Natural Resources AFTER our trip. The violation is $235! Thankfully the Warden issued a warning probably cause they only had my first name and address. If I did bring an electric motor on the river I can assure you being from Chicago, IL I wasn't aware of the laws pertaining to Wisconsin's waters. Anyway please take your business elsewhere, I'd suggest Wisconsin Canoe Co. Unless you don't mind to be threaten numerous times about missing your pickup time ($25.00)fee and wait 5-10 minutes to pay while the lady finishes her private phone call. I don't write reviews, but this place is the exception. read more

I've been on two overnight canoe trips through Blackhawk River Run, both times I had a blast! The price is great! The people are really friendly and the parking and bus shuttle back were uber convenient... I love camping on the islands, its like your own little world we always go in a big group... I would suggest that everyone take a weekend off and go canoeing... read more

Blackhawk River Runs - The island we camped on... - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mazomanie, Wisconsin

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I rented a couple canoes from them and these people were great! You can rent canoes and then go as far as you want down the Wisconsin River. The river is wild and full or sand bars and secluded islands. We went out for over 2 days and were charged $90 total for the canoe, life jackets and a shuttle ride back to our cars. They picked us up on time and gave us a detailed map of the river. I have rented canoes in the area and their services weren't nearly as good. read more

Blackhawk River Runs - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Mazomanie, Wisconsin

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Blackhawk has again treated us great. They are extremely knowledgeable about the Wisconsin River and are a great company to work with. My group of friends has been using Blackhawk for many years. Blackhawk's crew are helpful, friendly, and extremely convenient. Multiple pick up spots and times are available. They do all the stuff that makes a canoe trip like this a hassle. These guys have been doing this for a long time and they are great. They are definitely worth using for this fun trip. read more

This was an extremely fun trip! I live in Chicago and was looking for "primitive" camping grounds in illinois, the closest one was Shawnee Park - 7 hours away. No one really wants to camp on top of someone else's camp ground, and this environment was great! We had an entire island to ourselves! We took 2 canoes out on the Wisconsin river for an entire weekend, parked for free, and bought several bundles of firewood for cheap. Really affordable, really fun! This will be an annual tradition! read more

If I could give less than one stars, that would be acceptable. So bad, wouldn't work with the group again. Never. Ever. So bad to work with, especially giving wrong info and trying to charge. Feel so bad for the engaged couple. Terrible lying people. read more

This company is great! My friends and I rent canoes to camp and canoe at least once a summer from here. Camp on the islands on the Wisconsin River for free! Park free and launch on site with a shuttle back. The owners are always sooooo nice and accommodating with us about reservations, bad weather, mishaps, etc. Fabulous to do business with which is why we come back EVERY year! read more

Blackhawk River Run is great - they have several trips to choose from, and are great about explaining the trip and arranging pick-up. They're a very helpful group, and I've never had any problems with them. read more