Hudson River Recreation - Croton River

9/4/23. Croton River, nice sun, slight ebb tide, westerly breeze. Upsides- Good double kayak; helpful launch; lovely 1.5 mile trip upriver; easy return; nice swimming along the way, 72deg F water. Downsides- 0.4 miles to pay $4 for parking then return to launch area (all by car); 2-1/2 hrs on tandem was $105. Stick with 1.5 hr rental. They probably have a 5-10 minute leeway. Well run operation - you'll enjoy yourselves, as did we. Photo from 2019, slightly different kayak then. Same great river.

Our group had alot of fun. I, myself, a complete novice, am not that active so I wasn't able to paddle and get as far as I wished but the water was very calm and suitable for my level. Others in my group were able to move farther. It would have been nice if we had gotten advice/suggestions before we launched but I guess we looked like we knew what we were doing. I had trouble with direction and tired quickly but it was just nice to be able to rent the equipment which was in great condition. I plan to go for a few more visits and go on some YouTube sites to see how I can better my technique and get more out of the experience. It was so much fun especially going with family and friends. I highly recommend for anyone who loves just getting out into nature and wants to do something different from hiking. Side-note: There was a family, who had nothing to do with business nor with us, of four with 2 young kids, brought their own privately owned single kayaks, who were on their own, and the kids were miserable, kids had melt-downs and whined alot and seemed like they had enough of paddling themselves less than 15 minutes- so if you plan to go with kids, maybe just best to do a two person tandem kayak of adult and child and the adult should expect to do most of the paddling for a better experience for both - these parents were very patient and brought snacks on the kayak but the family ended up leaving sooner than they planned and probably will try single kayaks for another season.

Had a great time paddling here. Staff were friendly and efficient if a little too hands off - could have used a reminder to adjust the seats in our sit-on-top kayaks' seats before heading out. Noise pollution from Rte 9 is pronounced! But once you get upstream toward Paradise Island it's quiet and there's lots of wildlife to see. We saw herons, a bald eagle, and a doe and her fawn, plus some more common water fowl, during our 90 min paddle. Parking is extremely confusing, despite lengthy instructions on the HRR website. I recommend driving all the way down to the boat launch and getting clear directives from HRR staff upon arrival.