On The Water With Paddle Station
- motheruncomplicated
- Jul 13, 2020
- 3 min read
Our family is always on the hunt for new adventures. I constantly scan google, Instagram and Facebook looking for activities for us to try. About a month ago I found Paddle Station on Instagram and reached out to them to plan our next adventure.
Paddle Station is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta. They offer single kayaks, double kayaks, standup paddle boards (SUPs). Small, medium or large rafts accommodating between 2 and 12 people. There are a ton of different options to suit your needs. From having a girls day, mens day out, family day with kids or enjoying some alone time all to yourself! There is an option for everyone. Once booked you will receive a confirmation email with attached waivers to fill out prior to your float day. This ensures less hassle when you arrive. Before leaving we made sure we had all necessities.
OUR LIST OF 7 MUST HAVES FOR RAFTING: 1. Food! We packed a lunch and made sure we had ample snacks for the kids. One tip I can offer is pack everything in ziploc bags. Soggy sandwiches are not fun for anyone.
2. Hydrate. Make sure you have lots of fluids on hand as it gets hot on the water.
3. Sunscreen. Even if it seems like a cloudy day this is an absolute must. The reflection off the water can give you a sunburn you won't quickly forget.
4. An extra ziploc bag. For phones, keys and anything you don't want wet. If you do happen to tip over in the water those are items you definitely do not want to replace!
5. A small garbage bag. Perfect for easy clean up after your float.
6. Wear sandals. You will get your feet wet at some point whether it's getting in the raft or out or a few splashes from the waves.
7. Lastly I recommend taking a small blue tooth radio. This is one item we forgot in our rush to leave. Having a little music playing adds to the day!
We opted for taking two vehicles and leaving one at the end point. If this doesn't work for you another option is to call an Uber when you are finished to get back to the start point and retrieve your vehicle. The start and end location are both easy to find on google maps. Click HERE for your start point and click HERE for your end point.
We arrived 30 minutes before our departure time. NOTE: Please give yourself enough time to find parking. The park is very busy on the weekends.
We gathered our things and headed over to the main area to check in. There were lots of staff on hand to assist so check in was quick and easy. After check-in Marc, I and the kids were fitted for life jackets. They have sizes for all ages. After fittings we made our way to the safety talk. Staff gave all riders a run down of all safety protocols. Each raft is also equipped with a safety pack incase of emergency.
Once we learned the do's and don't of the water, staff escorted us down to our raft. We used the round 4-6 person raft. The kids were excited to see how many other people were out on the river. We loaded into our raft and were off. Note: Here is why I suggest sandals see photo. Getting in and out of the raft is a guarantee you will get your feet wet.
After we launched out into the water we were there with a huge group of other people. It felt like a big community of friends out to enjoy the day on the water. People lined the shores enjoying the views. There are also little islands and inlets you can pull over to sit, relax and enjoy the scenery or a have a picnic. Not long after take off the kids insisted they were hungry and needed to eat. Thank god for being prepared! They munched away as Marc and I kept an eye on the river and the track we were supposed to stay on. The kids even all took a turn paddling the raft around the shorelines (they thought that was pretty cool).
The scenery was beautiful. Rafting through downtown Calgary was a wonderful and different way to explore the city.
Paddle Stations end location was very easy to find. Flags are posted which makes it hard to miss. Staff are on hand to help you dock and load out of your raft. Our total trip time was 2 hours. We had an amazing day. I highly recommend adding a day on the water to your list of must-do's this summer.
Note: Paddle Station is taking all necessary precautions in regards to Covid. Staff are masked, social distancing signs are in place at launch area, and every rental is fully sanitized between groups.
For more information check out Paddle Stations FAQ click HERE.
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