broad river outpost

You can't beat the price.Our group of 3 families did the lower Broad River in the individual sit-on-top kayaks. We had kids with us from 8 to 13 years old.The lower Broad River is a little long for the younger kids. My 8 year old was done about 45 minutes before the take-out and I had to tie her kayak to mine for the last stretch. BRO said the trip was 3 hours but that is optimistic with maybe all twenty-somethings. With our family group, the time on the river was more like 4+ hours. Part of this is the kids are moving slower and part of this is that any family is going to want to naturally park at some of the gravel beaches and splash around in the river. Bring food ... 4 hours with a lot of paddling is going to make everyone hungry.In September, the air and water temperatures are awesome. However the water depth and flow is low and slow. So the party was fairly constantly getting hung up on rocks. This wasn't a terrible thing but it did add to the day being long.Your fee gets you a sit-on-top, double bladed paddle, life jacket and a ride back to the start. The equipment was pretty worn but serviceable. The kid at the counter who took our money gave us a 30 second pep-talk and we were off.One interesting thing is the gear-office sits on a ~50 foot bluff above the river. BRO has a tarped slide dug into the bluff so you ride/slide your kayak from the top of the bluff down to the water's edge. Kind of cool and the kids had fun with the slide.

MISREPRESENTATIONS: I called Broad River Outpost a day before my visit and told them that I kayak frequently in Florida with my four children, but only in still water, and that I always share a tandem kayak with my 7 year old and my 3 year old. I expressly clarified that the water would be STILL, which I defined as going nowhere unless I paddle. I told her I would be visiting with three adults and seven children, ranging from 18 months to 15 years of age. I also broke down everyone's age, weight, and riding arrangements. The employee assured me that the upper river was still water (as I described) and that their tandem kayaks would accommodate my family's needs. Based upon their assurances, my group of 10 rented 5 kayaks, three of which were Ocean Two XL tandems. SHODDY EQUIPMENT: The tandem kayak I used was full of water the entire 5 hours. It repeatedly got stuck on the sandy bottom of the river, rocks, and logs. I had to get out of the kayak many times to free the kayak while my youngest child cried in fear. By the end, my 7 year old and I had to walk and drag the kayak the last one-half mile of the trip, and my 3 year old had to ride in someone else's kayak long before this point. The kayaks should have been retired long ago. They are not maintained, they leak, and are in need of repair.The life jackets are old, smell bad, and many are mildewed/moldy and very faded. MISREPRESENTATION OF UPPER RIVER - The faster parts of the upper river caused people to flip their kayaks and pile up on top of one another (I'm talking about people who were not in our group of 10 and were in single kayaks). Watching this drama unfold, my children were terrified. The employees' instructions regarding the river were incorrect and perhaps deceitful. We were also assured that INFANTS would find this an easy, lazy float down the river. According to their Facebook page and my phone call, the Wildcat Grill at Broad River Outpost (OPEN on weekends only) offers "a scrumptious BRO Burger, Canoe Dog, Skinny Dip Dog, Banhmi Sandwich and oh so much more goodness... all available in waterproof containers- perfect for a picnic mid way down the river." In reality, they only had hotdogs and hamburgers available with no waterproof containers - only foil. I didn't pack lunch for the kids based upon their false advertising (which included photos that looked nothing like the food they actually served). Shame on them.

Do not bring small children. Or at least be prepared. My boyfriend and I go kayaking all the time but thr was our first time on the broad. We made it a family outing and brought my sister and 5 year old niece with us. I had called and asked before coming if it was ok for a 5 year old and the guy on the phone said yes its a easy paddle. Lots of rapids and some with big drop offs. As an adult this was awesome! With a 5 year old not to much. Some of the rapids we had to get her out and pass her off. This is a great challenging river and a lot of fun but I'd leave the small ones at home. Will go again. Not to mention they had a great shuttle rate for your own kayaks. Its 5 dollars a person for the shuttle much cheaper than most. My sister renter her kayak for just 20. We did the 6 mile trip. Its took us about 8 hours with all the stopping to relax and swim. Make sure you bring a snack.

We had a great time kayaking! The guy who brought us to our drop in point showed us how to use the sit-on-top kayaks as paddleboards, and we had a blast with that! These people clearly care about the environment, too. The guy who helped us was about to head off to get his Ph.D. in environmental education, or something similar. Everyone was extremely nice, and their prices are so much lower than anything we could find in the Atlanta area. It was worth the hour and a half drive. We are planning our trips for this summer!

This place is awesome, especially when it has rained a lot so that the water is decently high enough for you not to have to walk any. My family and I have already been twice this summer and each time was a blast, full of laughter, and created a great memory. The staff are awesome, fun, and engaging! And afterwards, the Wildcat Grille on saturdays and sundays is THE place to eat! The woman who runs the grille is creative with her menu items, so friendly, and we raved about the hamburger sliders the whole way home.

We kayak down the Broad several times a year and Broad River Outpost provides a no-fuss, easy rental and transport of equipment. They have several types of kayaks and canoes and make it easy to take along your children or dogs. It is clear that their focus is on having people safely enjoy and appreciate the river so that it can be protected. The river is just challenging enough to be fun, with a couple steep drops and quite a few little runs. It is perfect for new kayakers and kids. If you're looking for challenge, you'll have to go north to the Chatooga, but if you just want an afternoon of fun, Broad River Outpost is perfect. Call first to make sure there is enough water if the weather has been extra dry.