Camp Hi Canoe and Kayak

Love it here! Second time and will definitely return… we do the 7 mile trip… its definitely enough…10 is almost too much… took us bout 5 hr’s…always very quick to get us on vans and to the starting point The river itself is very clear. calm and pretty. The price is reasonable. cheaper than some closer canoe places near Canton. If you bring a fishing pole… We have also caught some bass Its a wonderful canoe livery… check it out!

I liked the fact they put the canoes in right at the water for you and help you when you return. That’s it.
What I didn’t care for was how disorganized it was (Sat — Jul 5). We were told to wait outside (after paying) that someone would call our name. A bus came & the worker said if your on the bus you can start getting on. No one called our name… so after it loaded and left I asked, apparent we were suppose to have got on that bus. PS — they did NOT call names. Waited — got on the next one — they drive you about 10 mins away. At that location they start to move canoes to the water — we offered to do our own. And that apparently set off the bus driver who was moving the boats. She complained LOUDLY that every was is in a rush today. Well after waiting more than 30mins after we paid we wanted on the water. NOT our fault — that you do not have some sort of first come first served.
I did find that once on the water there were a lot of bottle neck areas were inexperience canoers became stuck. There is a place that you can get off mid way to take a break — something they never mentioned. But that too was over crowed with those leaving and those coming. There were about 10 – 12 canoes/​kayaks just all try to maneuver around each other.
Lots of trees and rocks in the water. I am not sure how some said it was leisure. I was exhausted trying the paddle around everything. There is one part near the end where you think the water was moving to fast and rippling and a canoe should not be going.
We had heard a lot of folks ended up tipping that day and I can see why. I personally would not take young kids here.

Went canoeing this past weekend and loved it! $ 22 a person and you can bring small coolers to stay hydrated on the canoe. The short trip (7 miles) took a little over 3 hours, since we did a lot of drifting. The scenery was beautiful, hardly any houses or camps on the river like Mohican had. I will definitely be back!

Wonderful! We took our two Kayaks and had them drop us off for $ 26 for both. That wasn’t cheap when using your own Yaks but being that it was a 10 mile stretch we decided to go for it. I’m glad we did!
I’ve used several liveries in the area and I have to say, this is my favorite. If you are one of the Crooked River devotees, try going about 40 min from Kent into Hiram for this. It is well worth it! Miles of wilderness with trees to paddle around and through. Just woods, lily pads, and the backend of a farm every once and a while. The only other people we saw on the river was a group of Amish kids swinging on a rope into the river!
Well worth the money! You feel like you are the only people on the river. Once you reach civilization, it’s just a short mile or so to the end.
Highly recommend! :)

Great place to canoe! The staff was really awesome and the views spectacular. Really a great deal as well. The only down side was that there were several impediments in the water. I must have gotten smacked by low hanging tree branches a few dozen times but I suppose that’s not the staff’s fault ;) Overall a fantastic experience.

Bubble, babble, ribbit, splash, drink, sip, splash some more.
Sometimes it’s just nice to get out of the city and hear the sounds of nature. The lower Cuyahoga (or is it Upper? Lower makes more sense) is a great location, just a short drive from the downtown Cleveland area and well worth the trip!
There is ample parking and registration is fairly fluid. There are also plenty of available picnic shelters. What else would you want from a livery? Oh… Canoes? yea, they have those too.
The bus that brought us to the top of the river trail dropped us off and well, we were off! The river winds through an area flanked by trees, waterlillies, bog plants and the very occasional house. You really feel like you’re in the wilderness instead of someone’s backyard like some other livery river locations. We didn’t start seeing people/​dogs until closer to the end of the river and for the most part, that was through the faster part that whisked us right by them without much effort… not bad!
My only complaint is to get the group discount you need to reserve two weeks in advance and put down a deposit. C’mon, really? Maybe you could have mentioned that when we called two weeks ago to give you a heads up we were coming? They don’t exactly seem to appreciate repeate customers either. We like you, why don’t you like us?
Overall, that’s pittance in compared with our fun cabrewing trip. Thanks Camp Hi!

As much as I enjoy and appreciate the local MetroParks and CVNP, they cannot be confused with real wilderness. There’s always a parking lot or jogging trail over the next ridge or just beyond the trees, which is fine under most circumstances, but occasionally I need the narcotic of true wilderness. There is no substitute.
That’s why I kayak the Upper Cuyahoga river once-​or-​twice every year with Camp Hi Canoe Livery. Before the Cuyahoga winds through the urban areas of Akron and Cleveland (becoming the polluted, highly flammable, and flotsam-​choked embarrassment we normally associate), it actually enjoys dozens of miles of pristine, undisturbed condition in Geuaga County. From Camp-Hi’s10-mile trip drop-​in point at Russell Park, you can canoe or kayak through 7 miles of near-​perfect wilderness. Apart from being briefly bisected by Rte. 422, there is no sign of humanity anywhere. Only the faint rumble of distant traffic or the occasional aircraft provide any clue that you’re in the 21^st century. You can experience a level of peace and tranquility normally reserved for the dead.
In the upper section on the route, the river flows gently through a broad riparian plain, with water conditions ideal for paddling. It’s like Ohio’s answer to the trackless southern bayou… nothing but smooth and silent waters everywhere. The river is lined almost exclusively with silver maple, willow, button bush, and pickerelweed. Although this vegetation seems a bit monotonous by itself, when combined with large open patches of sky and water, the effect is like being in a 19^th century landscape painting. You feel like Thoreau on the Merrimack. Add to this effect the rich wildlife here… herons, wood ducks, rare dragonflies, painted turtles, and golden prothonotary warblers… and the masterpiece is complete.
Eventually, you will re-​enter civilization, but by the time the first house appears on the riverbanks (…heralding the last 3 miles of backyards filled with cheap patio furniture and nautical-​themed crapola), I’m usually satisfied with my dose of wilderness. Just before you return to Camp Hi, there’s a small series of rapids that will raise your blood pressure just a hair, but nothing to really worry about. Just close your eyes and paddle.
If you want to avoid the floating armies of Skynard revivalists and other amphibious rednecks that invade the river during the summer, I suggest a late-​spring or late-​fall trip. And get there early in the morning so you have the river to yourself, before the rest of Camp Hi’s customers wake up from their Natty Lite-​induced comas. The livery opens at 9 AM.
As for Camp Hi itself, I have no complaints, their main endowment being service to this wonderful stretch of river. It’s your standard canoe livery, operating in a state of mild disorganization and semi-apathy…paddles and life-​vests and waiver sheets flying everywhere. If you ever find anyone touting an «upscale canoe livery», um, please be sure to let me know.