Charles River Canoe & Kayak

Could’ve been a lot of fun but unfortunately didn’t really end up that way. The staff was friendly enough and after handing over a license and just a few minutes filling out the requisite waivers we were on our way in a double kayak.
The scenery was quite nice heading upriver but within 10 minutes or so we were bottomed out and struggling to get free. As we made our way a bit further we got stuck again and this time it took over 15 minutes of shimmying and pushing off the bottom with our paddles before we had to turn around and call it a day.
While the rental establishment can hardly be blamed for the low river I do expect them to be aware of the conditions and provide guidance toward having an enjoyable time on the water. When we pulled back up to the dock and told the employee we didn’t have that great a time he responded that the river is low so you need to stay to the right and in his opinion everyone renting should be told that before heading out. Ya think?
When we headed back up to the office to pay the guy running the show also asked how everything went but didn’t seem at all interested in the answer. Next time we go out I think I’ll head to Comm Ave and be sure to ask more questions.

Love this area of the Charles. If you’re a student, GET THE $ 80 SUMMER PASS! It’s the best deal– you can rent unlimited paddleboard/​kayak from June-​August.
The lodge is gorgeous design and the staff are pretty helpful in general.
If you need to choose between upstream or downstream, definitely go up. It’s much more nature oriented… You can almost forget you’re in the burbs!

This is my favorite place to paddle. It’s hard to believe it’s the Charles River. There is plenty of wildlife and no signs of civilization for long stretches. You can go 10+ miles upstream. There’s a very interesting feature called the «Long Ditch» that was cut by the Army Corps of Engineers for some reason. When the water level is right — and if you have lots of time and energy — you can make a loop. Ask for a map at the desk.
The kayaks stocked here are mostly the slower casual type, which suits the waters. Also canoes and standuppaddleboards. No reason you couldn’t use a faster touring kayak. There are no rapids, but the Long Ditch route could be difficult with a long boat. Their PFDs (life preservers) are good quality, and they are usually dry. You can get a fancy kevlar paddle if you ask, but the plastic ones are good quality. They have dry bags. A membership could be a good deal if you go more than a handful of times. You can use all locations.
Most of the employees are high school students on summer vacation. It’s a perfect summer job, and I have never had any problems in years of paddling from their various locations. Parking is 50 yards away. Look for signs just east of the park entrance.
This review is for the Nahanton park location. I guess each place is listed separately. I’ll copy the bulk of this review and hope this isn’t against the rules.

Took the kids and my mother out for a great family afternoon on the Charles. We rented one canoe and a two person kayak. The staff was friendly and helpful. They suggested which direction we should go in and helped the kids in and out of the canoe. The river is so pretty I forgot we were five minutes from the house. We’ll definitely be back!

I drive by here almost every day and have always wanted to try it. I am so happy I finally decided to check it out!
I went with 3 other people and we rented two double kayaks for 1hr ($ 40 total). They give you everything you need and the process is very easy. All of the staff members were very friendly.
They had kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards and people of all ages were there renting them. We even saw an older couple with their dog on board. So cute!
If you’re looking for something to do on the weekend or even after work on a weekday, you should check it out.

I have never been kayaking before in my life. I have to say that it was fun, relaxing, and a good arm work out. I went when they opened bright and early with a friend before work. It was peaceful and beautiful. The pricing was also very good for renting a boat for an hour and 20 minutes! I’ll definitely be going again!

I’ve kayaked before and it was in Hawaii in the beautiful clear blue ocean and maybe that’s why my expectations were a bit high. However, this place is not too bad. Kayak prices varies depending on if you want a single, double, or 4 people one. They also have stand up paddling which I definitely wanna try in the near future. Obviously they charge by the hour or by the day depending on what you want. The Charles River is too calm for me. I would rather kayak in the ocean were there are currents to make it a little more fun. Not bad for a first time kayaker or if someone is visiting the area though!

This is my new favorite location for standup paddle boarding in the area. Since there are no motorboats in the area, the water is very flat. I was able to get about 2 miles down the Charles before I had to turn around because it got too shallow. Good morning workout! :)

Took a stand up paddleboard lesson today. First off, the price is fantastic — $ 60 per person for a 90 minute lesson, and you then get a voucher good for a week of free rentals at any of the CRC&K locations, so you can practice your new SUP skills. The lessons are capped at 5 people per group, so you get a good amount of personal feedback from the instructor.
The lesson begins on land, with a brief overview of the paddle board and the terminology that will be used, and some basic introductions to get a sense of the group’s experience levels. From there, you move into the water. The lesson begins by kneeling on the board and paddling a bit downriver before standing. I ended up being the group’s sacrifice to the river — fell off the board early in the trip, but luckily it was the only mishap! Karen, the instructor, helped me to get back on the board and waited with me until I was able to get into the proper upright standing position. From there, I quickly got used to the motion of the board in the water, and the rest of the lesson was smooth sailing.
I can’t say enough about Karen’s instruction. She had a great upbeat personality, took the time to give valuable feedback on our form, and went at an appropriate speed. Anyone who can take a lesson with her should — she really made me feel comfortable on my first trip out!
I liked this location because the only other traffic on the water came from other clients — canoes and kayaks. No sailboats or powerboats that day! I think I would have been significantly more nervous in one of the more urban locations. As it was, getting my bearings on the SUP was challenging enough without extra variables thrown in!
Knocked off one star just because the facility is pretty bare bones. Valuables must be locked in your car or can be kept with you on the SUP in a water tight bag, but it would have been nice to have lockers of some sort (I just didn’t trust my iPhone in that bag, even though everyone swore it would be safe, so it got locked in my glove compartment. Hey, at least the crime rate in Newton’s pretty low, right?). There also isn’t much of a changing area for after the lessons, just a small bathroom (not an issue unless you end up in the Charles like I did!) The staff and value, however, are both worthy of five stars!

The tour upriver is very peaceful, but might be a bit dull for kids compared to the CRC&K’s more urban locations. There are grape vines all along the river, which would be fun in the fall except that I am going to eat them all before you get any.
You can only go down river for a couple miles along the Needham/​Newton line which I have found is actually long enough for kids and it’s more urban so they get to see things like cars and shopping carts dumped in the river, and the back of Panera Bread. Which they of course think is much more exciting than nature.
That trip ends at the dam just past Echo Bridge, which is a beautiful bridge with an old factory. Just past the bridge there is a place to pull your boat into a little park. This is an excellent spot for a picnic before you turn around.
My son (8) and I share a 2 man kayak. I’m 5’3″ with pretty bad upper body strength and I can handle the kayak without much trouble, so I think anyone could probably do it.
You get super wet and sunburned. Bring a zip lock bag for your wallet and stuff.

We went on a several hour kayak tour from Nahanton upriver to Dedham. The river was great, if low (CRC&K have nothing to do with it), and I was stunned to see so much waterfowl along the Charles.
The CRC&K staff is friendly & helpful. We are reasonably experienced kayakers, so we didn’t need much input, so I can’t comment on their support of newbies or youngsters.
Without a doubt, this was a great family activity that exposed us to the greater world in our back yards. Thanks to CRC&K for making that available to us.