Skip’s Huron River Canoe Livery

I have had a good experience every time I have paddled with Skip’s. The section of the Huron River they serve is probably the prettiest so they are extremely busy – most summer weekends they are fully booked well ahead of time and are always hopping. When I call to reserve a canoe or kayak they are always very clear on the rules – get there at least 20 minutes ahead of time, be back within a specific timeframe (always more than adequate), bring a $ 20 cash deposit – and I have always found the people friendly. Once when the weather ended up looking really iffy, they gave us a raincheck we were able to redeem at a later date.

Oh man are there horror stories about Skips. So much so, that –no joke– my girlfriend was too scared to call them and deal with them over the phone.
From all the reviews I read, it seems things start to go badly when 1) you show up late 2) you attempt to change a reservation or 3) just talking with them too much in general. Skips seems to have a monopoly on this part of the river, so they have little incentive to provide any modicum of customer service, since they usually are fully booked for most of the season
Knowing this, I kept it real simple. I used by «I mean business» voice, called, set up a reservation, showed up 30 mins before, and off I was, on a big yellow bus.
Once we were on the river, it was super fun! We were even lucky enough to snag a sunny day. The river is pretty shallow, so you might scrape a couple times, but that adds to the fun! When you get tired or just wanna hang out for a while, there are some pretty nice sandy shores that we romped around in!
4 stars, because my experience was great, since I kept it simple and short. Deal with Skips as you would an awkward hook-​up, who left their wallet at your house.
Brotips!:
–DOG FRIENDLY!!! This was so much fun for our guy. However, be sure that your dog will stay in the canoe. It would be super annoyed if he/​she keeps jumping out/​barks at the sight of any creature.
–You will pass by a cider mill that sells bomb donuts and cider. Stop for a quick snack!
–Watch out for glass in the river. It would be smart to wear river shoes if you plan on getting out of your canoe.

Sometimes I love calling up a business and made to feel like im stupid. If you also cherish such an experience, then Skips’ Huron River Canoe Livery is just the place to call.
Just to be clear, my experience on the phone was bad enough for me to want to go just a few miles down the river to Argo Livery, who were more than acommodating for even a mad-house’esq weekend.
The guy on the phone firstly, answered it like I was interupting him. Secondly, he was put off by the fact that I asked him about Saturdays or Sundays. I dont have to narrow it down and figure everything out before calling you! Thats what your there for! And lastly, he cuts me off to tell me that if im not experienced then I should come at the end of the summer when the water level is low. That last statement turned out to be untrue when I called the Argo Livery. Also, Im no expert, but Ive seen the «rapids» on this river and Ive seen the depth and there is nothing a sensible person with a simple life jacket cant handel.