My Evening Kayaking on The Detroit River

Last Saturday I kayaked the Detroit River. It was something that I always dreamed of doing, but I didn't know how to bring that dream to fruition until I discovered Detroit River Sports. This kayak and paddle board tour company offers tour of one of Detroit's most beautiful and overlooked entities, the Detroit River.

We arrived at the Greyhaven Marina at 6 p.m. and changed into comfy workout style clothes inside the onsite bathrooms. We joined the group of 23 people (plus four guides) that we would be kayaking with and got a quick rundown of the dos and don'ts of the river. We strapped on life jackets provided by the company and loaded into the kayaks one by one or two by two, depending on each person's preference. After everyone was loaded in we took off on an adventure.

First we went through the boat canal and saw an upscale side of the city that features huge homes with large yachts parked in the backyard. We saw the old Fisher Mansion which has been converted into a Buddhist temple and heard tales of how these particular canals helped bring 80% of the booze into the U.S. during prohibition. Then, we took to the river and fought some pretty intense waves to get to a small island and see a whole different side of Detroit, where people are BBQing, bonfiring, and riding boats on the river all day long. Everyone smiled and waved at us as we paddled by and we got to see a new side of the city of Detroit. Finally we went back out onto the river to paddle towards the sunset as the sun went down over the city of Detroit. It was one of the most breathtaking visions I have ever had.

The tour was only $40 a person and was worth every penny. It is a bit of a challenge, but not difficult. Make sure that you wear something comfy and expect to get a little wet. There are three different kinds of tours to pick from, this includes a daytime canal tour, a sunset tour and a Belle Isle tour for the more advanced kayakers. This is a must try Detroit! Get out there and start paddling, we guarantee that you will have a great time and see the city in a whole new way!

~S