Boating In DC at Key Bridge Boathouse

Great experience — went kayaking with a friend on a Sunday morning (definitely get there early to beat the crowds). The kayaks themselves were great, well kept — same with the life jackets. Extremely simple rental process, a short waiver to fill out and then they put you on the water — easy as that.
I’ve been kayaking in a few places along the East Coast, and this was definitely a great location to try it out. You’re right under the Key Bridge and can see the Washington Monument in the distance. Serene view of the city, but as you paddle further up the river you completely forget you’re even in DC.
Really enjoyed the whole thing and would definitely do it agin. Enjoyable for tourists and locals.

This place is a great place if you want to wander through the Potomac River with great views of Georgetown and then DC. We kayaked for about 2 – 3 hours and it was an amazing experience. The prices are great, we paid about $ 33 for the rental of 3 kayaks. It was very easy to get your kayak– you have to fill out the form, but you don’t go through an orientation or anything.
The person that took our reservation was extremely friendly and nice. He excelled in customer service. I had just bought a new pair of sunglasses and needed Croakies because they weren’t in stock at the store I bought my sunglasses at and Eli Schuster went above and beyond and let me borrow his pair while I was in the water. With staff this friendly and accommodating, I will definitely rate 5 stars and continue to be a loyal customer of this kayak rental. Recommend this place to anyone!

Paddleboarding at the boathouse was really great. A little pricey for what I’m used to, ($ 22/​hr for stand up boards), but worth it.
You can see the Washington Monument and part of the Lincoln Memorial from the Potomac.
The water isn’t the cleanest, it is kind of gross. But not awful.
There also are not a ton of beautiful trees (there are a ton of trees, just not beautiful ones) or anything. It’s average as far as sights go. Especially with the brownish water.
Some logistic things: wear sunscreen, locks for lockers are 2 dollars (you can bring your own), parking is free for 2 or 3 or 4 hours depending on where you find a spot, you have to fill out a waiver on the picnic tables when you get there (BEFORE you get in line), and you can bring a dog with you if you want! They have life jackets for dogs.
4 stars because the staff are professional and it was quick and easy to be on my adventure. ALSO, thanks to the staff guy who recommended Good Stuff Eatery for late lunch.

So much fun! My husband and I got a double kayak (we also brought our little 15 lb Lhasa Apso!), and we had such a great time. Parking in the area has a four-​hour limit, which is plenty of time to wait about 35 minutes in line, sign the waivers, get your life-​jacket, and kayak for a good chunk of time. We went halfway around the island and back.
The staff is super helpful, sweet and nice. The only reason I didn’t give five stars is because when you cash out at the end of your time on the water (they charge you after the fact, based on what you rented and how long you’re out on the water), and the «members» (season-​pass holders) just cut the line to pay. They should have a member’s line and a separate line for us common folk. Other than that, an awesome way to get some exercise, get some sun, and a relatively inexpensive way to spend a beautiful day!

I have kayaked around here so many times and it never gets old. I have gone on dates with girls and they always enjoy kayaking around this area. Now I go with my wife and we love still love kayaking around here even though we have come here so many times. Going around the island is great and a pretty good work out too. We have never stopped and gotten off but go around the island and love the views. I highly recommend everyone who visits DC come here at kayak this area! Parking can be a hassle on a busy day but you will find some street pay parking eventually. I would bring some water on a hot day to keep in the kayak. The staff is friendly and always helpful in getting in and out of the boats.

Always a great time! We had our daughter’s 16^th birthday party for about 20 kids and everything worked out great. Early in the season and after some huge rains so the river was very high. Parking can be a major challenge but worth the hassle.

We chose a perfect day to go kayaking! It’s so easy to rent a kayak and get on the river. Sign in, leave your ID, sign papers, pick a life vest and get into your kayak. They are really helpful with everything and help you get in and out of the kayak. It was so much fun!
We took a lot of pictures with our phones and polaroids. We got stuck at one part of the Potomac River because the river was so slow, we were trying to get closer to the Lincoln memorial. You can get really close to take pictures with the monuments and cherry blossom trees.

UPDATE: Boating in DC has been renewed to run the Key Bridge Boathouse, and according to their website they’ll soon have other locations like Fletcher’s boathouse and Thompson’s. So all is well! (The recommendation to bring your own life jacket, especially toward the end of the season, still stands.)
OLD POST: I feel the need to warn people (like Angela M, who said she bought a season pass). Boating in DC is great, I had a season pass last year and bought another in December. However, in February **they lost their lease to the Key Bridge boathouse.** They do still have the Ballpark and National Harbor boathouses. As of now they do not know if they will be able to convince the new managers of the Key Bridge boathouse to honor the season passes sold.
Their website now has been updated to only reflect the two boathouses they manage. However, there is a big picture of a tyke kayaking in front of the Key Bridge at the top. And their Facebook page is called KeyBridgeBoathouse. They have continued to send out emails soliciting memberships without even mentioning that the Key Bridge boathouse is no longer part of the deal. The price of the memberships is the same even though the main boathouse is no longer included.
So while the kayaking is good and the boats that the company provides are fine (though bring your own life jacket, especially by the end of the season, because they get kind of rank), don’t presume that you’re going to be able to use Key Bridge with your season pass. Also, who knows what the boat/​paddleboard/​price situation will be with the new managers.

Awesome activity in DC where you can see Georgetown and Arlington from the river paddle boarding or kayaking. They rent for a reasonable price for any activity in this area. It’s seasonal and they open when the water temperature is high enough. You can confirm by calling them. The staff is young and dynamic, very helpful and smiling. Now go have fun !

A nice, fun way to sight see DC historic monuments in the water by kayak. Get ready to get tired and watch out for the motor boats.

These guys and gals know how to handle a crowd: don’t worry if the line is forty people long on a beautiful Saturday because you slept in two hours longer than you expected.
The price ($ 20 per hour for a double kayak) is super reasonable and their season passes are a great deal with a student discount (if you buy it now it is good for the rest of this season and all next season and is paid off after three trips). The season pass includes other passengers in your boat.
Bring your pooch too! All humans must wear life vests at all times while on the water and the boathouse has a large variety in dog life vest sizes for your four legged friends.
Highly recommend this place for groups (I went 4x this summer and 2x last summer all in groups). Group discounts can only be made for outings during the week and it is a bit tough to get in touch with them and actually organize a discount.
This is a great DC activity and you can easily see the Kennedy Center and Lincoln memorial from the water. We have also done this to watch the memorial flyover of historic airplanes.

Since I’m a professional at this now, I can break down the system for you.
1. Wear sunscreen.
2. Upon arrival, DO NOT — I repeat — DO NOT GET IN LINE FIRST. Go straight to the picnic benches and sign waiver forms.
3. Get in line to provide your waiver form and ID. Only one ID is needed per group. Choose one: single kayak ($ 15/​hr), tandem kayak ($ 20/​hr), stand-​up paddleboard ($ 20/​hr), 2-​person canoe ($ 25/​hr), or pedal boat ($ 30/​hr). They give you a 10-​min grace period.
4. Put on on the smelliest (read: B.O.) life jacket.
5. Grab your vehicle of choice and go. I like going in the direction of Roosevelt Island, but YMMV.
6. Return the vehicle.
7. Wait in line to pay. The line can be very long during peak hours, so save 10 minutes for this. You can use plastic or paper, but plastic is preferred.
You’re welcome.

Despite the insane Labor Day weekend crowd, my boyfriend and I had an awesome time kayaking up the Potomac! We took the metro here– from Rosslyn its a ¾ mile rather scenic walk. I believe it’s a similar distance from Foggy Bottom as well. There is parking, however, it’s very limited and fills up quickly, particularly on the weekends and holidays. Despite the seemingly endless line to register and get a boat, it moved quickly, mostly due to the friendly and helpful staff! You need to fill out release papers, and while they are on site, you can also print them out ahead of time to speed up the registration process. They do have lockers and will rent you a lock for $ 2.00, however, on the day of our visit, they were so busy they had no additional locks to rent. The staff made sure both of us had a sit-​in kayak though since there were watertight compartments in those water crafts only. The staff assists you in getting off the dock and then you’re free to paddle to your hearts content (as long as you didn’t go past the Lincoln Memorial in the direction we chose).
Prices are very reasonable– $ 15/​hour for single kayaks,$ 20/​hour for doubles, $ 25/​hour for a canoe, and $ 20/​hour for stand up paddle boarding (which I’m excited to come back and try!). They offer classes as well as tours too. They are very dog-​friendly and we noticed multiple boats had brought their pups out on kayaks or canoes. The only negative comment I have is that returning the boat after your hour is a cluster-​at least on the day we were there. There wasn’t enough staff to assist everyone who was coming in as well as going out at the same time. Eventually, another fellow kayaker helped me tie up my boat and get out, but I was sitting for quite sometime before he did so. Since they only give you 10 minutes leeway on your hour time, I could see this presenting a problem since your time is only considered finished once you go to the tent and make your payment. Other than that small hiccup, I had a great time and look forward to returning frequently in the future!

I have been here before, I think back when it was Jack’s, but had an equally good experience made better by good company. This most recent time we got lost trying to find paring for the Mt Vernon Trail and ended up here. We got a two person canoe (great idea for a first date, you get the opportunity to actually have a conversation and to do something fun while having the security blanket of not having to face each other!) And the pricing was really reasonable, less than $ 40 for a two hour date. We parked at a meter and walked the whole waterfront too. Take bug repellent and bathing suit bottoms. They have hand sanitizer! All in all a great choice. We may come back and bring the dog, hey offer life jackets for your four legged friends. We just have to make sure she won’t freak out in a canoe.

Been here twice and absolutely love it. I went to the Georgetown location. It gets pretty busy on Saturdays. The single kayaks seem to fill up fast but if you don’t mind paddling with a friend then you can surpass the line.
They only let you stay within certain parameters so you can go north toward where most of the boatss are parked, or you can go the other way past the Georgetown waterfront and towards the memorial bridge.
Very beautiful location. There are a couple big rocks if you paddle north that we saw some people jump off of.
For the experience it was very cheap. An hour is only 15 bucks and you can see quite a bit.
There is a food boat docked in the middle of the water called Nauti Foods. It’s fantastic. They take bites from the best eateries in DC. Support them!
Bring your own water proof or plastic bag for your stuff. They charge 3 $ for a rental and the bags r tiny.
I recommend this to anyone young old new whatever. Beautiful experience

Really happy with my first experience at Key Bridge Boat House on Thursday afternoon. The overall atmosphere of this place is really awesome. The employees are super friendly and laid back. I recommend bringing your own lock because they’ll let you use their lockers for free! (Or you can rent a lock there).
I went Paddle boarding with my two other friends and it was a great workout. I will definitely be coming back before the end of the summer!

Finally after years of wanting to try some outdoor aquatic adventure on the Potomac, I rented paddle boarding from here last week. I had a blast! I was a little nervous about how easy it would be to keep my balance on the board, especially since the Potomac is not the cleanest of water sources, but it was surprisingly easy. There are approximately 3 – 4 miles of the Potomac you can paddle around, which will probably take 2 – 2.5 hours to do going at a leisurely pace. You do not need to be in great shape to do this, so have no fear and get out there!
The place rents out paddle boards, kayaks, and canoes for $ 15 – 20 per person per hour, which is bit pricey since you’ll most likely spend at least 2 hours on the water. Included in this price is a life vest. They also offer lockers for rent if you need to store wallets, small purses, phones, etc. I would definitely recommend not taking any valuables with you on the water just in case you fall into the water. I got there at 12:30 and had to wait about 15 minutes for a paddle board. There was no wait for the kayaks or canoes.
I don’t know if this is always there, but there was a boat in the middle of the Potomac selling ice cream, drinks, and snacks. Very nice little mid-​paddle treat :)
The staff was young, friendly and enthusiastic despite having to spend multiple hours out in the oppressive DC heat and humidity.
Overall, great way to spend a summer afternoon.

This place used to be cool; they used to let you go a little over your time and not care. They were chill and relaxed. Well not anymore. Go even slightly over and you’re gonna pay for it– so wear a watch and at least buy a groupon (they always have them).
no showers, no changing curtain/​room, no bathrooms

I can’t say enough about this place. I have been a handful of times… and finally decided to buy a groupon for a season pass and am so glad I did. Whether you find a groupon for the season pass or just buy one, it’s completely worth it. Unlimited rentals for kayaks, SUP or canoeing. So great to be able to go out as long as you want without paying by the hour. Also with the pass, you can have up to two people with you and they can get 20% off.
Aside from how great the pass is, everyone who works here is so nice, helpful and knowledgeable about everything related to boating! I’ve been beyond impressed everything! Can’t wait to spend a lot time here this summer!

WOW!!! Key bridge boathouse rocks!
Want to get on a kayak on the Potomac for $ 15/​hr? Come to Key Bridge! Literally located under the Key Bridge and once you get there, you feel like you stepped into a magazine cover.
Relaxing colorful adirondack chairs on the decks, cabin style colorful picnic tables, a little cabin that streams twangy and relaxing music. all while looking out at the Potomac.
We actually scored their $ 10/​hr amazon local deal, and used it for a weekday after work. DC is so accessible and what I absolutely adore about the city. There’s free 3 hr parking along the road (which is just a little past the main street in Georgetown).
We got a double kayak and spent a fab time exploring the area. You have both the city background with key bridge, Washington Monument, Kennedy center, etc in one view and the forest with sandbars on the other view.
Staff is super friendly and signing in is super easy (get in the water within 10 minutes!) They have porto potties to use, a hose for water, they also provide all the life jackets, paddles, and boats. If you need a little help getting in the water, they will help you.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
PS — they also have SUP Yoga, SUP body work, and of course SUP (stand up paddle board)! :)