I figured I would start off my staycation with a nice day of kayaking so I figured a nice paddle from Kent to Cuyahoga Falls would be fun. I went online to Paddletheriver.com to book the trip with Burning River Adventures, making the reservation was easy, you can even do the waiver online to make the trip easier. Since I have my own kayak booking the 6 mile trip only cost $15. I arrived at the Waterworks Park in Cuyahoga Falls without much trouble, it is a couple of miles from the downtown exit of Route 8. Burning River does not have a permanent building at the park, but they do meet you at the boat ramp location with a van with trailer and a mobile office. Check in was easy and the driver helped me to load my kayak on the trailer, he also pointed out where to park and the bathroom nearby. When the other groups who were going had arrived we got the safety talk and advise on how to paddle the section of river we would be covering. We then loaded up the van and headed out. We got to the Middlebury Road river access point which is the put in for the 4 mile trip that the rest of the guests were taking. Not only did the driver get everything unloaded, but he got into the river and all of the people loaded into their kayaks and going on the river; this was very helpful as the put in seemed a bit steep. I did note that they put GPS trackers on the rental kayaks so they would know when they were coming to the takeout location and could help them out. After that we drove the rest of the way to the Kramer Field river access location in Kent; I was hoping we were going a bit further up river to the John Brown Tannery Park location, but the difference is only about 1/4 mile. The put in here is very narrow and steep so I was glad to have help getting my kayak to the river. Once to the river I had time to get myself all setup and launch right under the bridge. From Kent downriver to Cuyahoga Falls in an interesting run, there are nice mellow stretches with some occasional rapids. The river mostly stays in a shallow ravine with plenty of woods and vegetation. The feel is that you are in the wild even though you are actually passing through some fairly populous cities. You do pass a number of houses that back up to the river, but they are few and far between. The river overall is a great paddle, with nothing too challenging; with the water levels pretty high from recent rain there was one small section of whitewater just as I was coming into Newton Falls that did give me a pretty sizeable spash. During the trip I saw a number of Blue Herons, some turtles, deer and a falcon. The bridge at Newton Falls is being rebuilt, but it is easy to still go underneath. Arriving into Waterworks Park you still have about 1/2 mile until you get to the takeout ramp. Luckily the driver was there to help me get out of the kayak and then get the kayak up to my car. I would recommend Burning River Adventures as a great outfitter if you are looking to get out and have some fun paddling on the Cuyahoga River. The run from Kent to Cuyahoga Falls is a nice section of the river. Burning River uses very nice sit on top kayaks which are easy to get on and off. The staff is friendly and knowledgably, plus they do a good job of getting newer kayakers on the river in a safe manner. For those who have their own kayak the cost is very reasonable to get a shuttle up river and your car is located at the takeout which is very convenient. Get out there and enjoy yourself. We are lucky enough to have some great recreational opportunities in this area and the Cuyahoga River has opened up a lot of places to access the river. read more

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Visited Burning River with my kids to go kayaking down the Cuyahoga River. Upon arrival, they were only offering one of the three trips, which was the 2.5 hour excursion. We were short on time, but we did it anyway. We decided to paddle the entire time to speed it up. The driver who took us up stream was friendly and he chatted with us during the drive. Then he put our kayaks in the water and helped us board them. After paddling the entire time, it took us less than 1.5 hours to complete the trip. My daughter was happy because she had plans that evening. The river was scenic, there weren't a lot of people on it, and I'd definitely do this again. There were some shallow areas in the river where my kayak touched the bottom, but I was able to paddle out of it. Good times! read more

What a fun time! They do all the work getting kayaks in and out of the water- can't beat these prices either. Wonderful trip! And thanks to the young woman who helped us check in, you were very friendly read more

Couldn't decide between this and another kayaking group and am so pleased we decided with Burning River Adventures! With all the extra fees, it costs about $40 a person to single Kayak. You can choose between a short, medium, and long 3 hour tour. We did the 3 hour and it was the perfect length! By the time we were exhausted and reading to be done kayaking, we got to the end. Reservations are required, instructions are clear, instructor was nice, and equipment was clean. Definitely would recommend! read more

Burning River Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

What a great experience. I was a little unsure about going on a kayak trip. A few friends talked me into it and I am so glad they did. This place was great they took all the correct measures in social distancing since that has to be the new norm. Kayaking for the first time here was a great time very peaceful and serene. I highly recommend this place for first time kayaking. I did get stuck once but I guess that is to be expected for going out on your first trip. Life is an adventure everyone has a time when you just get stuck. Our guide who took us to the drop off spot was awesome. She was funny and gave us a lot of tips for our trip back down the river. Sometimes you have to try something once because it might be your new favorite. read more

Burning River Adventures - Girls kayaking trip - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Three of us turned to Burning River Adventures for a kayaking trip recently. Easy to book a time online and pay in advance, however they are the only company so far that I know of that is charging a $5 cleaning fee because of Covid-19. Meh it is what it is. We picked the Middle Trip of 4.5 miles and two hours. Single kayak is $25. We showed up at the back of the park at Water Works and friendly staff gave us a brief overview then took us on a mini bus to a spot down the river where we would start from. Our reservation was for 1:30pm, we got to the launch spot around 1:50pm, and arrived back to base around 3:20pm. So you're really only on the water for an hour and a half, which is still a decent little paddle on the river. I would say most of the stretch of the Cuyahoga River that we did was pretty shallow and you will scrape the bottom of your vessel a couple of times. I think we were lucky in that it did rain the night before and the morning of so that did help out the water level a little bit. The first half of our trip was peaceful and beautiful. We saw lots of turtles sunbathing, a crane, and just basked in the warm sun and the quiet loveliness of nature. We even experienced a couple little baby rapids. The second half of the trip is where the tubers start coming in and that was not so great. They can't steer so they are just floating all over the river like bombs you need to safely avoid. A lot of them were tied together in large groups which made it harder to move around since they were blocking most of the river. Several had radios loudly playing so no more peace and quiet. I'm all for sharing the river and for people to enjoy being outside, but I'll be honest this was a bit of a bummer to encounter. I would recommend BRA and checking out this part of the Cuyahoga River, but I'd strongly suggest going during the week to avoid the tubers. They just take away from the relaxing experience in nature and you'll find yourself having to focus on zigzagging around them and trying to get away from them as fast as you can. Last comments would be that it would be great if BRA had some water on had to purchase for those who forgot theirs. Also, if they had a couple shirts on hand for purchase as well. I liked their Paddle The River Ohio shirt that I saw online, but it appears you can only purchase it when setting up a kayak trip. In the end we all had an enjoyable time and I plan on trying BRA out again! read more

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Everything was wonderful. Had a fantastic time on our kayak trip. There were many packages to choose from, but we chose the 3 hour ride down the river. It was just the right amount of time. The parking lot was a little bit difficult to find, but we eventually did. The 3 hour tour (6 miles) is basically a "float" with minimal paddling which is right up our alley. It was a very hot day, so this was just the way to cool off. The scenery was breathtaking and the ride itself was very serine. We went on a weekday, so unsure how busy the river is on weekends. We will definitely be back! read more

Burning River Adventures - Our view (and my feet) down the river - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Well organized... nice area to kayak with a great array of wildlife peaking out to greet you. read more

Burning River Adventures - Duck family crossing - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

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I had a couple of great experiences with Burning River this year. They offer several distances along the Cuyahoga River so all experience levels can be accommodated. Don't be intimidated by the longer trips, they are manageable for anyone as long as you pack a snack and lots of water. If you want to bring your phone for photos and videos, they rent a waterproof carry case - or leave your phone at home, you're probably on that thing too much anyway. read more

Burning River Adventures - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Went on two trips this summer and one last year. I definitely recommend. The staff was helpful and friendly to get us on the river and back off. Very peaceful trips except on July 4th but we still enjoyed ourselves read more

I've been going here twice and will continue to come here! It's a very relaxing experience and they make everything stress free. They help you get in the water and get out of the water and will even help you strap in to the other tubes. I also love that the tubes have a cup holder and a headrest. read more

Did the mid-time float. 4.5M of lazy, relaxing good time. Hardly paddled our du-yak and finished in 2:15. Saw some wildlife not as much as we'd expected but nonetheless it was fun. I'd recommend the 900am float if you want to get outdoors and breath in the fresh air. read more

Nice little set up they have. But the only drawer back is they don't have kayaks for larger people. The kayak they had for me was undersized and made the kayaking harder then my other kayaking adventures from other places. The River was beautiful and was definitely worth the price. They said it's an average of 3 hours. But it took my group 4.5 hours. Easily would be 5 stars if the had large kayaks just in case or even info on them only have having one size kayaks. read more

Fantastic way to beat the summer heat! This team is wonderful to work with and everything is easy - from registering to parking to the route. We can't wait to come back for a longer paddle! read more

I had an amazing time on the 4.5 mile (2 hour) kayak rental trip! The service was very professional, prompt, and centered around client experience. We selected the 9:30 time slot which was a good choice because halfway through the trip we encountered the mass groups of tubers. They are clumped together and take up space, but it wasn't a problem to navigate around them. Of the total 1 hour and 40 min we were on the River I think we were only bothered with that situation for maybe 20 min total so it was fine! It is definitely a different experience when at the beginning you have lovely peace, quiet and enjoying all the nature around you and then have the loud tubers who are playing music and stuff, but not a real issue for me. The majority of the trip spent enjoying the peace of the river and the adorable ducks swimming around was INCREDIBLE and I am still so excited about how much I loved it!! The kayaks were also pretty comfortable, I have rented before from another place and I hated it because the kayaks were so uncomfortable to sit in. These ones were totally fine as far as a kayak can go with comfort. read more

Burning River Adventures - The cute ducks swimming around! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

What an awesome experience in our backyard. My wife and I enjoyed the Thursday night kayak experience where you start at Roses Run for drinks and a bite to eat then take a quick paddle down to Brust Park in Munroe Falls. The team was organized and handled the COVID restrictions well. It was great to spend time with the group plus paddle off ahead for some quiet time to catch some wildlife including spotting a beaver. Highly recommend taking an adventure right here in Akron. read more

The kayak ride was a lot of fun! We had a little trouble finding the place but we called their phone number and they directed us. We did the medium length ride and it was plenty for us. I would have enjoyed it more if the water had been a little higher and faster but we can't control the weather. read more

This service was amazing. The Cuyahoga River is beautiful, and these kayak tours were so peaceful, yet exciting. The occasional rapids added fun to the trip. Will definitely go again. read more