Family Kayak Adventures in Marin and Northern California
One of the activities we love to do is kayaking. It's a fantastic way to experience nature and peacefully explore local waterways. What we love most about it is that it's an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages! Tandem kayaks often have a third seat for a small child, and kids can easily pick up the skills needed to paddle their craft through the water. It's fun and great exercise, and it's a fantastic way to relax and connect with nature.
For beginners, all these kayak rental outfits offer the sit-on-top style ocean kayaks, which are stable, lightweight, and easy to paddle. The only drawback is that you can get a little wet while you're paddling, but then that's part of the fun. We've kayaked on lakes, bays, and rivers, and each type of location offers a different experience.
Here's our list of businesses that offer kayak rentals in Marin and the Bay Area; we included Monterey Bay and Lake Tahoe, too, since they're vacation hot spots where kayaking is a popular and fun activity. Most of these outfits offer guided tours, but renting a kayak and heading out on your own is surprisingly easy. Rentals usually include basic kayaking lessons and safety gear like life vests.
Many of these businessesare on-water, so you can rent your boats and get paddling right away. Off-water shops are always more than happy to help you load up your kayaks en route to your launching area.
Tips for beginning kayakers:
- Wear hats and use sunscreen, since you'll be out in the open for much of the time.
- You're going to get wet, so avoid cotton clothing and opt for quick-drying clothing like workout shirts and board shorts.
- Try to go in the morning when winds are calm. It will be an easier and more fun experience for all.
- Make sure you get a dry bag to stow your valuables and anything that you don't want to get wet.
Marin County Kayaking
The calm waters of Tomales Bay in West Marin, where you can paddle to spots like Heart's Desite Beach, and Richardson Bay in Sausalito are perfect for kayak adventures. More favorite spots for kayakers are the waters in San Pablo Bay off China Camp State Park and the sloughs around McInnis Park in San Rafael.
Blue Waters Kayaking, Point Reyes Station
www.bluewaterskayaking.com
(415) 669-2600
Blue Waters Kayaking offers kayaking tours and camping trips in Drake's Estero, Tomales Bay, and other West Marin locations. They also offer take-away kayak rentals in Point Reyes Station (next to the gas station) and drop-off rentals at Miller Boat Launch in Marshall.
Tomales Bay Expeditions, Inverness
www.tomalesbayexpeditions.com
(415) 798-2040
Tomales Bay Expeditions offers kayak rentals at their site on Tomales Bay in Inverness, as well as a variety of kayak tours.
Sea Trek, Sausalito
www.seatrek.com
(415) 332-8494
Paddle Richardson Bay and the Sausalito waterfront! Sea Trek's rental shop is located near the Bay Model in Sausalito and offers kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals.
101 Surf Sports, San Rafael
www.101surfsports.com
(415) 524-8492
101 Surf Sports offers on-water rentals at their location on Third Street in San Rafael, on the San Rafael Canal.
Sonoma County Kayaking
The Petaluma River and the Russian River in western Sonoma County are popular places for kayak excursions as are the county's lakes.
Clavey Paddlesports, Petaluma
www.clavey.com
(707) 766-8070
Clavey Paddlesports in downtown Petaluma is located just two blocks from the Petaluma River. They rent single and tandem kayaks as well as stand-up paddleboards and rafts and offer kayaking classes.
Petaluma Stand Up Paddle
www.napavalleypaddle.com/petaluma
(707) 658-2423
Petaluma Stand Up Paddle offers kayak and SUP rentals as well as tours out of the Petaluma Marina and Lakeville Landing. They also offer Tomales Bay bioluminescence tours.
Johnson’s Beach, Guerneville
johnsonsbeach.com
(707) 869-2022
This old-school getaway on the Russian River in downtown Guerneville offers single and double kayak rentals right on the beach. Read more about Johnson's Beach.
Watertreks, Jenner
watertreks.com
(707) 865-2249
Located at the mouth of the Russian River in Jenner, Watertreks offers kayak tours and rentals for the river and the Sonoma coast.
Howarth Park, Santa Rosa
srcity.org
(707) 543-3753
Sprawling Howarth Park in Santa Rosa is home to Lake Ralphine, where you can rent kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for bargain prices. Advance reservations are required. It's a great place to try out kayaking. Read about visiting Howarth Park.
Spring Lake Regional Park, Santa Rosa
parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov
(707) 539-8092
This small lake in Santa Rosa is another perfect place for beginning kayakers who want to take it easy. Kayaks are available to rent by advance reservation only from 11 am to 5 pm daily.
River’s Edge Kayak & Canoe Trips, Healdsburg
riversedgekayakandcanoe.com
(707) 433-7247
River's Edge offers a self-guided "Rio Trip" on the upper Russian River for ages 4 and up.
Lake Sonoma Marina, Geyserville
www.lakesonoma.com
(707) 433-2200
Lake Sonoma Marina rents single and double kayaks. Rentals may be made online in advance or same-day at the boathouse.
San Francisco Kayaking
City Kayak, San Francisco
citykayak.com
(415) 294-1050
City Kayak rents kayaks from their waterfront location at Pier 40 near AT&T Park on Friday–Monday. Reserve kayaks online in advance; walk-in rentals if kayaks are available.
Monterey Bay Kayaking
Monterey Bay, with its abundant marine life—including sea otters, seals, and whales—is a fantastic place for nature-loving kayakers. You can paddle from numerous locations, including Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Moss Landing. Kayaking is especially fun in Monterey, where you can explore Cannery Row, the kelp forest, Monterey Harbor, and Fisherman's Wharf.
Monterey Bay Kayak, Monterey and Moss Landing
www.montereybaykayaks.com
(831) 373-5357
Monterey Bay Kayak offers kayak rentals and tours in Monterey and Elkhorn Slough Reserve in Moss Landing.
Adventures by the Sea, Monterey and Pacific Grove
www.adventuresbythesea.com
(831) 372-1807
Adventures by the Sea offers kayak rentals at Cannery Row and Breakwater Cove in Monterey and at Lover's Point in nearby Pacific Grove.
Kayak Connection, Santa Cruz and Moss Landing
www.kayakconnection.com
(831) 479-1121 (Santa Cruz)
(831) 724-5691 (Moss Landing)
Kayak Connection offers kayak rentals and tours in Santa Cruz Harbor and Elkhorn Slough Reserve in Moss Landing.
Venture Quest Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz Wharf
www.santacruzkayak.com
(831) 427-2267
Venture Quest offers guided kayak tours of Monterey Bay as well as kayak rentals from their private dock on the Santa Cruz Wharf.
Capitola Boat & Bait
capitolaboatandbait.com
(831) 423-1739
Kayak and SUP rentals are available at their Capitola store.
Lake Tahoe Kayaking
Calm and crystal clear water makes Lake Tahoe a fantastic place to kayak. Most kayak rental outfits on the lake offer rentals from April or May through October only, with actual dates depending on the weather. Many top Tahoe destinations, like Emerald Bay, have kayak rentals on-site.
Kayak Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe
kayaktahoe.com
(530) 544-2011
Kayak Tahoe offers kayak rentals from South Lake Tahoe, including Vikingsholm/Emerald Bay.
Tahoe City Kayak & Paddleboard, Tahoe City
tahoecitykayak.com
(530) 581-4336
Tahoe City Kayak offers on-water rentals at Commons Beach in Tahoe City, Sand Harbor State Park in Incline (NV), and can deliver your rental boats to a Tahoe location of your choosing.
Tahoe Adventure Company, Tahoe City
www.tahoeadventurecompany.com
(530) 913-9212
Tahoe Adventure Company offers kayak and SUP rentals on the beach in the Tahoe Vista Recreation Area.
West Shore Sports, Tahoe City (Sunnyside), Homewood, and Tahoma
www.westshoresports.com
(530) 583-9920 (Sunnyside and Homewood)
(530) 525-9920 (Tahoma)
West Shore Sports offers kayak rentals in Tahoe City's Sunnyside area, Homewood, and Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park in Tahoma.
Tahoe Paddle & Oar, Kings Beach
tahoepaddle.com
(530) 581-3029
Tahoe Paddle & Oar offers direct-access kayak and SUP rentals in Kings Beach on Tahoe's North Shore.
