Our family of 4 adults (27 - 63), with very minimal experience, had a blast in Kayaking 101 with…read moreRainbow! Great instruction, personalized feedback, beautiful day on the water! Gave us the confidence and know-how to take out kayaks available at Airbnbs, and other places, in the future. Highly recommend!

Love this company. Great tours and independent rentals. I've been on several outings with them and…read morehave loved every one. They make getting out on the water easy and not stressful!

Friendly staff, easy booking process, and a very peaceful 3 hour float ! The river is pretty…read morestagnant, so you will need some upper body strength to get moving in some spots, but it is very relaxing for the most part. I was hoping to see some wildlife, but only saw a squirrel and a bunch of dragonflies! Highly recommended this company and would definitely do this again.

We went tubing over Labor Day weekend. Tar River Life is a great business and run well. The…read moreexperience for us was what I consider as "painfully fun ". I've tubed on many rivers but never one that barely flows. It seems we missed the memo about grabbing an oar. There were four in my group and we had two cooler tubes. We were all linked together. There were many times where we literally weren't moving. Each one of us had to take turns walking our group down the river and pulling the rest of us just to make progress. We were told there were sandbars located throughout our trip for us to enjoy the picnic I provided. The only thing we found eventually was a big rock that we got up on to eat. So I would rate Tar River Life highly but the overall experience would get maybe a two from me.

We did a family canoeing trip for an hour at Cape Fear River Adventures and it was nice. The…read morescenery was nothing exciting and it was full sun the whole time, but our daughter enjoyed the experience. I think tubing would be a little more exciting. Everything was very organized and well run. The grounds are nice too; there's some chairs to sit, relax, and watch the river while the kids play.

I enjoyed learning about the Cape Fear River for the Outfitter Assistances at the Lillington…read morelocation. I also saw River otters, Beavers wrestling on a bank while I kayaked between Boone Trail Canoe and Kayak Access Point to Deep Rover park. I was lucky and excited . I had a good time learning about the ecosystem, geography and cultural history of that area.

We rented a canoe from Frog Hollow for a couple of hours on the weekend. It was SUPER affordable,…read morecheaper than anywhere I've ever been and much cheaper than renting a boat by far. They provided everything we needed (paddles, life jackets) and gave us a quick 60 second refresher on how to use the canoe before we headed off. We were at one of the channels off of Falls lake, and they gave us advice on which direction was the best to go off towards. It was pretty hot out, but being so close to the water made it cooler and the shade lowered the temperature a lot too. Along the way, we saw turtles, fish, and a couple of herons. The whole experience was very peaceful, relaxing, and low-stress. It was a great day to spend a warm morning outside, although I would recommend booking an earlier or later time in the summer since around noon there isn't really much shade on the water. Will definitely come back for another paddle!

Frog Hollow is a gem for paddling enthusiasts!…read more As someone in my mid-40s learning a young person's sport, I've had two incredible 1-on-1 sessions with Jer on flat water, with another scheduled this week and I can't recommend them enough. Jer's technical expertise, constructive criticism, and what i consider endurance training have been invaluable to build confidence for white water. It's easy to think you understand the sport by reading, watching, and listening, but reality hits when you're underwater and upside down. Jer has been fantastic in sharing both the positive and realistic sides of whitewater paddling, making the experience both challenging and rewarding. I still remind myself "nothing worthwhile comes easy at first". Lastly, if you're looking to improve your skills, fix bad habits, and gain a deeper understanding of the sport, Frog Hollow is the place to be! Thanks, Josh

When you set out to kayak the historic Haw River it's hard to suppress speculative thoughts about…read moreyour adventure and wonder how it will all turn out. This was on our minds as my wife and I drove past an "entering Alamance County" road sign on our way to the Haw River Canoe & Kayak Company at Saxapahaw, North Carolina. A leisurely drive along Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Road parallels the Haw and suggests a hint of our forthcoming adventure. A tough bridge built for hard times stands over massive, craggy, dark gray rocks, chiseled into the river bottom by the waters bonding the town of Saxapahaw to the earth and the history of this area. On arrival, we could see paddlers struggling to sandwich their watercraft among the rocks around the Saxapahaw bridge. But we never foresaw when we left here, our memories would bear an indelible imprint of this place as "Aramanche" -- a place where Native Americans saw water flow through blue clay. One reason to rent a Kayak here is to unplug yourself from the present and reconnect with the past. In fact, the owner and his staff will tell you his fondest wish is for customers is to "unplug and reconnect." When you cast your eyes out over the Haw as you paddle a kayak, you'll see tranquil and rapid running waters, deep cuts into riverbanks and tree lines, and evidence of the dominating torrential waters that have run for millennia along this 110-mile river down to the Cape Fear basin near the Atlantic coast. The geological history of this place is violent. But there's more. There's tons of history and culture to absorb. Generations of native Americans and later, European colonists, are bound up in the history of this river. Native Americans ran The Great Trading Path that ran from Chester County, PA, along the Shenandoah Mountains roughly to where I-81 and route 220 meet near Danville, Virginia, today. From there, settlers found their way into North Carolina along the Haw. Why Go? If you're interested in American history, you'll visit to have fun and to bask vicariously in the river that was once part of the Underground Railroad. Along this river, Quakers would shepherd slaves from house-to-house, across the Ohio River, and into the free territories in the west. If you're a history buffwith an archaeological bent, you'll visit the Haw to find that blue-gray clay the Siouan Indians used as body paint. It was found in Saxapahaw, and the Indians called this clay "Aramanche", meaning, a place where "water flows through blue clay" in Eastern Siouan. If you're interested in seismology, you'll be curious about the natural fault line running from this area down to Charleston, S.C., that triggered the Great Charleston Earthquake of 1886. You can see this line on the surface under a little bridge in the nearby village of Glencoe, N.C., along Highway 62. If you enjoy riding the rapids as a Kayaker, you'll need to sign up for a class-III white-water adventure. The fault line that runs from Glencoe down toward the Cape Fear river basin features sharp drop-offs triggering the rapid waters adrenaline junkies crave. A guided tour along the Haw lasts about 3-hours. Go, unplug, reconnect with American history and, enjoy!

we were booked on Thursday @11 am. we were an hour away and it was raining. called the number…read moreposted online twice but couldn't get a hold of anyone when we called. left a VM. but no call back. we drove the hour and nobody was there. A couple of minutes later a nice young lady showed up. we agreed the weather was so bad the paddle could not go ahead. it is disappointing we had to drive 2 hours (there and back) for nothing when if someone had been proactive to contact us to say let's cancel. they need to monitor phone calls etc. or have a way to get in contact. We went back the next day when the weather was perfect. Lovely 3 mile paddle. Remember, you have to walk 1/4 mile trail to the launch with all your stuff including the paddles and walk back When done. There was nobody there to meet us on our return but no big deal I guess. They share the bathrooms with the business upstair. Very basic.

First and only visit took a bit of a drive from where I lived but did not disappoint. The hiking…read morewas fairly level with a great meditative and uncrowded nature walk. Deserving of good hiking boots to navigate the trail's obstacles.

Nice park with many trails of varying difficulty. A couple trails were closed due to a past storm,…read morebut we still enjoyed our hike along the river

Super nice, good selection for a smallish store, and incredibly nice staff. They also have a nice…read moreselection of touristy merchandise. I'll definitely come back the next time we are at Lake Gaston.

We recently purchased a Hobie Eclipse 12.0 from Lake Gaston Outfitters. When we visited their…read morestore for the first time, we were overly impressed with everything their store has to offer, it is just amazing. Next, Heidi and Dave took the time with us to explain all the features about the Eclipse. We eventually proceeded to purchase the Eclipse and it was delivered by Dave personally with what they call their "white glove" delivery service to customers in the lake Gaston area. Again, Dave took time to go over all the features for setting up the Hobie Eclipse. We are pleased to share that we have taken the Eclipse on the water and absolutely love the board. It is extremely stable, nimble to maneuver, and very fast. We thank Heidi and Dave for their patience and support as we made this purchase and look forward to doing more business with Lake Gaston Outfitters in the future! Gary and Tracy C

We just finished a trip down the Deep River, and it was so fun. I've lived here for almost 10…read moreyears and have never been anywhere near the river, and I'm also a little afraid of water (though I am a strong swimmer). I'll tell you the stuff I was worried about, and how it went! We went tubing. It's easy and fun to do, great with kids, and it's SLOW. More like S...L...O..O...O..W.. Which is okay. The tubes are big, and the cooler tube is really a must, even if you don't have a cooler. The water is slow (but you could see where the high water marks are, and thinking about this river during a hurricane is terrifying). Before going, I was concerned about: Snakes, rapids that no one knew about, underwater things, storms, biting flies, did I mention snakes? Spider webs. None of those things were an issue. This stretch of the river is really tame, and aside from the sort of treacherous climb down to the water in the beginning (it's manageable), it was extremely non threatening. I have one adventurous kid and one nervous one, and both had a great time. We saw a water snake for about 2 seconds. Zero bugs - I don't know why, but there were none. The bottom was pretty nice. You may want to bring a small paddle - tubes are difficult to propel, and it really is a long trip, 3-5 hours. We made it out in 4. There isn't a lot of shade, so obviously sunscreen. If you have a comfortable life jacket that you wear, bring that - they have the orange kind that are so uncomfortable. Really good time, and so easy. Go! Endor Paddle was a great host, he was extremely helpful getting everyone loaded up, didn't rush us, and made everything easy.

No frills for sure! Nice enough folks. Meet up at Deep River Public Park. This is where you park…read moreyour vehicles. Load up into van which ferries passengers down to the Camelback bridges where they provide inflated innertubes which you carry down to the river. Loading area is non-existent. The first 20 minutes floating down the river is bliss. THEN you will enter a war zone! Apparently there are (numerous?) gun clubs alongside the river and that is all you hear for majority of the rest of your ride! Thankfully no stray bullets but this is FAR from a tranquil ride down the river!

Natures finest!…read more Local park with free (but limited) parking. Walking trails. Kayak and paddleboard rentals. Birdwatching. Clean picnic and public bathrooms. Great place to go and enjoy nature.

Did you know they have a a super cute event room that you can rent? Me neither!…read more Came here for a baby shower and was floored by the view of the lake. So beautiful. It felt as if you were floating on the lake. The trail too is so fun, lots of people and a great way to get some light exercise in. Parking can be busy during the weekend but just trail someone and you should get a spot. Get your steps in here, your body will thank you!