Took a weekend trip to Red River Gorge and decided to go kayaking one day. Didn't do my research on the river water levels...so my bad. Only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because all the employees were super nice and helpful. It'd be more of a 3 honestly. I called Sunday morning and reserved 2 kayaks for my fiancé and I, gave them my name and picked the 1pm time. Got a bit lost and called their office, told them exactly where we were and they gave us clear directions. This probably happens often lol. We ended up being about 20 mins late but parked, paid, checked in and got our life jackets and paddles quickly. Water levels are low. I repeat, water levels are low. They make it clear if this happens...once you get there. So definitely check online! If the levels aren't high enough you don't do the 7-8 miles...you go 2 miles up river and then back. With many areas where you have to get out to carry your kayak over the rocks because it's so shallow. Wear something on your feet that aren't old navy flip flops! It's much easier on the way back. But do your research and be prepared. At the turn around point there were a bunch of people hanging out at the big rock. Maybe too many for us still, but looked like a good time. We both enjoyed it and hope to be back when the levels are higher! Kudos to the friendly staff! read more

Red River Adventure - Red River Adventure Kayaking - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Stanton, Kentucky

The experience was absolutely terrible. There were 4 of us and one kayak had a hole in it We werent able to finish the trip. The kayak had to be drained of water every 15 minutes. The customer service was terrible when we got back and explained what was wrong. The lady we spoke to said we didnt care if we were not happy. They have 3 people outside. No one inspected the kayaks even though they stated they know they have holes in them. They didnt adjust the paddles and show you how to adjust the seats. I would not recommend it. Poorest kayak trip we have ever been on. read more

I booked 3 nights primitive riverfront camping online. Was a great price but now I see why. Check in says 1:00pm online. I showed up at 2:15 pm and there was no one there to check me in. I saw one other person there as well waiting to check in, and this person told me that it was 3 o'clock check in. So we both continued to wait another hour. There were three different phone numbers that I tried to call, one of which nobody answered, another one kept cutting me off, and the third one I kept getting a busy signal. So by this time it was 4 PM and I needed a place to camp so I called the campground down the road that was willing to take me last minute, no problems. I then proceeded to send an email to the email address given on the website explaining my issue, and that email got kicked back to me undeliverable. I am now out $33, and would not recommend this place to anyone. It very much gave me a horror movie vibe. read more

This Place is Amazing!! Rented my kayaks online. $50 bucks a person is definitely worth it!! Was provided a kayak paddle and life jacket. You watch a short video, then you're dropped off 8 miles up the River. The driver an tour guy was very nice. His son was adorable believe he was 6. It took us 5 hours but we took our time and enjoyed every minute. This is a great place to take In Mother Nature relax and enjoy the ride!! I've read many reviews about the water being low but I checked the weather and forecast before booking!! Red River Gorge was Awesome!! read more

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The best kayaking spot I have been to so far. The staff were some of the most friendly, welcoming, and helpful people I've ever met. The owners and staff treated everyone as if they were old buddies. The campgrounds were great and had tons of room for parking, hammocks, and tents. Also there was a volleyball court in the back. They have firewood available for sale and several fire pits on site. They also had extremely clean potter potties right by the campsite. The water was a little low so we had to get out and push our kayak 3 times but only for a short walk then right back to kayaking. There was also a giant rock surround by 17ft deep water in the last two miles of the trip that had a ton of room to stop, hangout, and jump into the water. Overall a great kayaking route with a lot of great views, amazing staff, and a fantastic atmosphere. read more

Red River Adventure - On of the views from the river. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Stanton, Kentucky

Great place to camp if you are staying at The Gorge and want to be close to the River. No electric hook ups but they provide a fire ring. Porta pot restrooms on the grounds. $10/person per day. Dog friendly. read more

The adventure kayaking tour was extraordinary for its views and self-pacing. The jumping rock and swimming hole were incredible to swim near and jump off of, and would highly recommend it for everyone to stop at. However, the lack of communication with the staff left me frustrated. I was not told you need to be there 30 minutes prior to the shuttle time, and they began to blame other employees for the issue. Plus, the guides did not inform me how to use the equipment well for beginners. read more

The most ridiculous, unprofessional people I've ever interacted with. They seriously need a lesson in conflict resolution. We brought our pup here to go kayaking (as they are dog friendly). As soon as we walked into the office with our dog, a dog that was sleeping in the office went after and started attacking my dog. My fiance had to put his body between the two dogs while I yelled for someone who worked there to intervene. It took multiple yells before someone came to their senses and grabbed the dog (not leashing it, just putting it to a different corner of the office where it promptly fell asleep). Thankfully no bites landed and no pups were injured but we were all very shaken. My dog is very used to going to dog parks and interacting with strange dogs / has been a doggie foster sister, etc. so she is very good at de-escalating situations, but the situation could have been different with any other dog. Because it's normal for dogs to get into tiffs, I was mad that this company made me a) verbally confirm my dog was leashed before entering the office and b) sign a waiver to confirm my dog would stay leashed the entire duration BUT, they irresponsibly let a dog that apparently no one present owned or is responsible for, just wander around unleashed. As I was explaining to the staff at the office that this is unacceptable, this woman comes barreling out of the trailer next to the office screaming, telling me the dog didn't attack my dog, she saw the whole thing on camera, it's not their dog, they're not responsible for it, and if I don't like it I can leave. I responded emotionally by calling her a b**** (definitely a mistake, admittedly), which bruised her ego and made her flip out even more. She told me to leave and that she would call the cops on me if I didn't--all because I called her a b**** in an emotional/adrenaline filled moment which I then almost immediately apologized for. The woman's husband came out while she was flipping out / threatening to call the cops on us for requesting that they leash the dog and tried to assess the situation. The conflict resolution he came to was "well I'll just put the dog down". WHAT?!? What are you talking about?!?! We just want the dog leashed and out of the office, we are not claiming that our dog was bit, not threatening to call the cops (like the woman) or press charges, we just want them to follow their own written policies! The husband sends the wife to go get his gun, and she goes to the trailer and retrieves his pistol. This continues where he keeps threatening that he's going to shoot the dog, until I get my phone out and my fiance vehemently tells him not to shoot the dog. He changes his tune, he says because of how much my fiance doesn't want the dog shot, but I see him glancing at my phone and I feel like he's only changing his tune because he doesn't want this recorded. This made me so uncomfortable - either he was fully planning on resolving the conflict by killing a pet (not something anyone was asking for or suggesting) or he was just getting his gun out and viewable as part of some macho show of arms. Either way, truly irresponsible gun ownership. Ultimately, the husband apologizes, says we can kayak (while the wife is absolutely seething in the corner). I appreciate that he eventually came down to level headedness, put his gun away, and listened to what we were actually asking of him. We thank him, and tell him we will absolutely not be supporting his company and leave. read more

Great times and a friendly staff! Jump rock is a must! This place is easy to find and plenty of places to park. Equipment was newer and well maintained. Highly recommend Red River Adventure! read more

Red River Adventure - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Stanton, Kentucky

Great primitive camping. Offers unique activities but the customer service was the best. Veteran owned and appreciated! Fletcher who lives on the campground greeted us as you would expect but the follow ups to check if we were having a great time is what I really enjoyed. Will be back. read more

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Fantastic kayak trip for our family. Customer service here was fantastic! We took our time along the way. Be prepared to paddle some, as the river is slow. We also had a few spots where we had to drag our kayaks a very short distance. It was a fantastic family day! If you are looking to do a kayak trip while in Red River Gorge, I would highly recommend this company! read more

We did not have a great time with this kayak trip. We normally kayak for 2-3 hours for about 6 miles. We rarely get stuck on rocks kayaking. On this excursion, we were told to paddle upstream until we could no longer reach. We we told with the higher than normal water that we would only have to get out a few times to push through rocky areas. That was wrong. We had to pull the kayaks over several sand bars and high rocks. We ended up wading more upstream than paddling. Going back downsteam was pretty easy and fun. I recommend to the owners to find another place for kayakers and canoers to put it to allow for a longer and more pleasant ride. read more

Caution, make sure you check the river conditions before going, We went a couple years ago, payed for a kayak and was told the river is over there..... so we had to pretty much walk our kayaks up river then try float back. Next day we skipped renting and just walked the river. I like the idea of kayaking the Red but unfortunatly the water level can get very low. read more

Not impressed with any aspect of this. People were not too friendly at all, very robotic and not really answering questions too well. MANY kayaking places drive you up to a place that is suitable to paddling with the current. Ok, I did not do near enough research, but this company does not do this. We tried anyway, but paddling upstream is not as easy as some would like to think. We really tried but was not really told that this was strenuous. Big and COSTLY lesson learned. $180 for four of us. Arrived back around an hour later and asked if possible to get partial refund. Probably knew it was unlikely, but just thought I would ask and the girl there gave me a sneer and said NO we don't do that. Oh well, last time I will go back read more

After inquiring about renting a campground in a near-empty campground, multiple people told us that they had vacancies. Then, one lady told us they were full. It was late in the day and rainy and was supposed to rain that night--if they were full, they obviously had vacancies now due to the rain. The same lady, when my partner was out of earshot, laughed at me and made fun of me--even calling me an idiot for not booking in-advance and said our plan of getting picked up at the camp with our canoe in the morning didn't make sense. She took the opportunity to mock us and roll her eyes. They would not even let us use the WiFi to contact someone to pick us up, and our car was only 10 minutes (10 miles) away and none of them would let us pay them to shuttle us even though we relied on their advertisements that they offered a shuttle to where our car was. They laughed in my face and told us to walk 10 miles on blind curves in the rain where there was no median next to the road and HITCHHIKE. it was thundering and lightning off and on, and getting back in the river, we would only be able to stop at the next campground ran by the same company--plus, with the storms off and on we wanted to get out of the rain and get food. When we were finally able to get one bar of signal to get someone to drive an hour to take us to our car, the campground was still 1/4 full. It was approaching 7pm and obviously the campgrounds were not full And wouldn't be full. Neither my partner or I were rude, argued, nor did we raise our voice at any point even when we were insulted to our faces. 0/10 will NEVER recommend nor do busines with this company. read more

Visited for Bachelorette trip, awesome kayak and canoe rentals! Very affordable and a great 8 mile trip, relaxing course with pretty views and intermediate challenges. read more

Great experience! All workers were previous service members in the military and working for a good cause (veterans)!!!!

I went kayaking for the first time at Red River Adventure with a group of people from Berea College and it was an awesome experience. I felt like Ken Braden prepared my group adequately to feel comfortable on the river although it was the first time for most of us. He gave us extensive information on safety and showed us warning spots on the river so that we did not get in a dangerous situation. We were treated with respect while being taught how to kayak and I could not have asked for a better experience. The scenery was more than beautiful and I would recommend jumping off the cliff if you are not afraid of heights! Go to Red River Adventure for a great kayaking or canoeing experience! read more

It definitely is an adventure! Being a very cautious person, it was life changing for me, to take the time to visit the Red River Gorge Adventures and experience water in the real natural way that it exists. It was very awesome. I took a 4 mile kayaking journey on the Red River Gorge which is located in Menefee County in Kentucky along with 10 other equally adventurous colleagues. Ken Braden and his family who run the business are very helpful in preparing visitors for the journey. They provide quality kayaks which were actually very comfortable and easy to relax in, safety jackets and paddles were also provided. Ken spent a good amount of time describing the entire process of experiencing the river, explaining the dos and don'ts and the what-ifs. He was very patient with answering questions and showed much concern for our safety, even though he did not have to. And so we are on the river! Paddling back and forth, dodging tree branches hanging from the trees and yes the best part was the cool, relaxing breeze with the beautiful sunlight, shining down from between the trees, it was just amazing. We also had the opportunity for a dive into the river from a large 25 feet rock into the deep part of the river, and also battled our way through rushing waters around an island. At the end of awesome journey, your famished body but hyper mind is dazzled with fresh hot dogs and drinks which are for sale on a concession stand. All you needs for that moment are met! The entire experience just cannot be really be described, it must be experienced personally for the full effect... if you really like being in the water, you might want to spend some time in Wolfe County Kentucky one vacation! Jennifer Mante read more

I am a Berea College Student and I visited Red River Adventures on or around June 21, 2010. I had never been kayaking before and this was my first time. I ENJOYED IT!!!! It was a wonderful experience. I went with a program and it was about 11 of us that were able to have this experience. It was a wonderful place to bond and begin to trust in your team. If we had never participated in teamwork before then, doing this activity allowed us to do that. Even the customer service was really good! I would encourage anyone who is in need of an adventure to visit Red River Adventure, you will not be disappointed. read more

We had a great time, close to everything. The staff are friendly and very helpful. Nice clean camp grounds great times. Planning on going back soon!!! There doing great things for our Veterans and I encourage everyone that reads this to go see for yourself. read more

Ladies & gents this truly seems like a good kayaking adventure in one of the best national forests in the US. Be advised that unless you go after a torrential downpour you will be dragging your kayaks or canoes in shallow creeks and over rocks the entire day. There is not one mention of this issue in all of the other reviews so I question the objectiveness of the others on here. read more

Prior to our trip to Red River Adventure, we contacted the company for information on the Adventure Tour kayak trip. We were told reservations were not required but that they sent boats out between 10am and 2pm. On the day of our trip, we arrived around 10:15am and walked up to the desk excited to kayak in such a beautiful setting. We were told a group had just left and to come back at noon since that's when the next group was heading out. We were disappointed but had a chance to squeeze in a hike on a nearby trail. We returned 15 minutes prior to when the staff advised, just to be told the last group had just left for the day. After being proactive prior to the trip and following all of the staff's directions, we were denied the chance to kayak not once, but TWICE. The lone worker was not accommodating in the slightest, he didn't offer to let us go out anyway, didn't give us a voucher for a future date, didn't attempt to call someone to see if anything could be done. We were highly disappointed in the attitude of the staff and the extremely poor customer service. Simply a disgrace. read more

Worst experience! The young girl in charge of giving us directions was too busy telling us to look for 'beaver sticks' and petrified wood, that she forgot to tell us where to turn around at! What was supposed to be a 2 hour trip, took my husband, myself, and 2 children NINE HOURS! Partly because we had to drag the canoe through shallow water, I had lost a shoe while trying to climb the edge of the river to flag down help and was forced to walk over miles of rocks barefoot, and we were hungry and dehydrated. The worker refused to acknowledge her mistake and even had the nerve to charge us a late fee! Worst customer service ever! read more