What a wonderful experience! Very accommodating and helpful! Seamless pickup and return. Thank…read moreyou for a great experience. Loved the scenery on the trip. Very relaxing too!

From the owner: We rent adult and kids kayaks, canoes, standup paddle boards, tubes and coolers for paddling or…read morefloating on the Cedar River.

Apparently there is a local legend about an "actual" bigfoot roaming the dense forests that fill in…read morethe space between the corn, soybean and alfalfa fields that line the local hills and valleys. The folks at BigFoot Canoe (and kayak) Rentals have never seen one, but you never know. Season 11, episode 9 of Finding Bigfoot on the Discovery Channel filmed an episode nearby - spoiler alert - they didn't find one. But it's worth the trip even without a legitimate chance of a sighting. We rented a canoe for trip from Bridge 16 to a landing a mile or so past Ion. Their website says this is the most challenging part of the river. I've canoed, tubed and kayaked in the Upper Iowa river above Decorah dozens of times, and this was our first experience on the Yellow River. For comparison's sake, I would estimate this stretch at about 15% more "dangerous" (relatively speaking) and exciting than a typical stretch between Bluffton and Decorah on the Upper Iowa. The staff told us that we had to know what we were doing to paddle the stretch, so they seem to agree with my assessment. A little faster, narrower, turnier, and more and slightly steeper rapids in places. It also seemed to have much less river traffic; we didn't see anyone else all afternoon. The staff at BigFoot were friendly and helpful. They returned my telephone inquiry call promptly, and were prepared for my arrival as scheduled. They seem to have plenty of kayaks and canoes, so pick your poison.

We came up from Illinois for a 2-day paddle and loved the Upper IA River. Hruska's took care of…read morethe canoe and camping. The livery service was always on time, good equipment, very helpful. The Bluffton Campground was very clean, green, quiet. All of the sites were within sight of the river. Good prices for the rentals, camping, firewood. Beautiful area by day and by milky way (incredible stars).

Stayed just outside of Chimney Rock Park, rented 3 kayaks for 2 days with shuttle. Service is…read moreoutstanding. Ridiculously friendly and accommodating. No need to rent anywhere else. Stock up on ice and snacks before you float at the takeout in Bluffton. Will patron them again and can't wait to come back!

Great day on the root river. Easy parking and drop off with root river outfitters. Would recommend!read more

This place is great for your tubing the root river needs! Next time I want to do a longer day on…read morekayaks! We did float root river June 20....it was very cold! As in your ass will be unpleasantly cold until you come to the section where the north and south root rivers merge (it's easily 10° warmer!). Friendly quick and easy! Don't forget the sunscreen!

My wife and I attended a paddling class with Pilgrim Paddles to learn techniques needed to paddle a…read moresolo canoe and be better at paddling together in a tandem canoe. We had basic experience paddling a tandem canoe but after taking this class and receiving great instruction on so many paddle strokes and techniques, we understood the nuances necessary to control a canoe in ways I never thought were possible. The instructor, Jeff, is incredibly knowledgeable and accomplished and has amazing patience working with new students. He also has a very strong safety ethic and ensures his students not only learn how to be a better paddler but also confident with safety protocols essential to manage conditions that increase risks when paddling a canoe. I highly recommend taking paddling instruction from Jeff and Pilgrim Paddles.

A couple of years ago I wanted(thought I wanted)to learn to paddle board. I knew Jeff from a group…read morekayak class some years previous. He attempted to teach me paddle board skills. He was successful teaching me the rules and safety protocol. He was patient and had a sense of humor with me because it simply was not going to be something I would accomplish. I have said to a friend that if I had to be lost in the wilderness, I would want to be with Jeff because he is experienced and level headed. Jeff is a thoughtful and masterful expert in his field.

We had planned for 10 of us to go tubing with this company. They ended up posting that the river…read morelevel was rising and they would be closed the day before we were supposed to go! So I sent a message just to make sure that this included the day we planned to go and they told me to check back with them the next day to see if we'd be able to go or not! I asked if I could message them at 7 am and they said yes and that they would be "watching for my message!" So I sent a message a little before 7 asking how the river was that morning with no reply! So I sent another message about 45 minutes later that said it was ok if we couldn't go, but that we had a 2 hour drive so I wanted to make sure either way...again no response! They didn't respond the entire day! Communication is so Important for a business and while I completely understand that the river level is out of their control, a quick message back saying they'd have to stay closed is all I asked for!

this was such a fun activity!!! we were visiting town and LOVED THIS!! everyone should go try it…read more such a kind staff.

Lots of fun with beautiful scenery. We will be going back next year again for sure! Everyone was…read morevery nice and it was easy to set up the reservation.

We were here on a girls trip and decided to float down the river. We had a wonderful experience. It…read morewas about a 2 1/2 hour float. The flow of the water was perfect with a few tiny rapids. I recommend having someone in your group in a kayak. That way they can paddle you out of obstacles. They can also have room for your cooler. We saw bald eagle and and an owl. We all highly recommend this experience!

Broad selection and service. Although this business hasn't been around as long as Heather is in the…read morearea, it is now very well established in one of the best spots around La Crosse area to go to, for equipment, apparel, accessories, gear, and more.

Great service, highly recommend Island Outdoors for rentals, outdoor gear and fishing needs!!read more

my family and I had a blast. The only problem was the water was so low we did a lot of walking and…read morestopping to pull or push which made us have a lot of accidents with under water rocks and logs. I would definitely go again though!

Nice people. Reasonable price. Good pickup and transport to river. Easy day trip from Chicago…read more Very tame river. The only down side was all of the people in tubes with their music cranked as they floated down the river. Get there early to avoid this.

Very nice place by a river for RV and Tent camping! We dropped in and the owner was very nice! Our…read moresite was well maintained with a fire pit. Every site has electrical and water. The showers were camping clean. Nice facilities. I would definitely stay here again!