Hazelbaker Recreational Services

... seven miles downstream on the Youghogheny River - Dawson PA to Perryopolis. Had to make an unplanned switch from canoe to twin kayak. It took some help. Overall the experience was memorable and calming. ... there were only a few rapids, none of them that fast or furious, but some had challenging rocks. Oopsy Daisy ! And the phone survived. Thanks to the two man rescue team from Hazelbaker (Max and Quay) who paddled up in and switched me over to a nice heavy weight two man kayak. But first they gave me a ten minute tutorial on kayaking and a pep talk. Thanks also to the couple from Pittsburgh who Paddled over and kept me company for awhile. Bye ! There was no repercussion. Only kindness and genuine customer service professionalism. No charge for the lost paddle. Thank you to the team at Hazelbaker's and thanks also to the kind and caring folks on the river who came to my rescue. See y'all next summer. Kayak please.

One of my favorite places in the world. The staff are great, the float is beautiful, and vibe is right! Just make sure to get there 30 minutes early AT MINIMUM and remember your ID at the end and you’re good to go 👌

One and only time I w ever gone canoeing and had so much fun! 7 miles went by quickly, with 2 adults and our 7 year old and my having never done this before and didn't know what to do at all, it took about 2.5 hours to go downstream 7 miles. We'll be back to do it again, possibly in kayaks the next time and will probably take little breaks and get out along the way. The water levels weren't too high or too low and we did hit some rapids but, knowing how to get through them from someone experienced made a huge difference. We certainly recommend this to anyone needing something to do on the weekend.

My friends and I have done many river kayak trips with the various companies around the Pittsburgh area. Price wise, this place was super reasonable. The river had several places shallow enough where you could get out and enjoy the water, but not too shallow that you had to drag your boat. The scenery was beautiful. The company itself though, was completely disorganized. We were told to arrive a half an hour early to make sure everything was in order and that shuttles left on time, but this was not the case. When they took you to the river to drop you off they took 30 to 40 people at one time. It was mass chaos with everyone trying to find a boat, a paddle and a life jacket. Then before you could launch you had to wait for someone to come around and write down the number on your boat. I assume this is for liability purposes, but I'm not really sure why because when you bring the boat back no one checks your boat off the list or gives you your collateral that you left with the office after checking the condition of your boat. The kayaks were TINY! I'm only five foot seven and I was very cramped inside. From my experience shopping for my own kayak I would guess that the weight limit on these boats is probably 225, maybe 250 max. If you're tall or heavy You won't fit. I extended the foot pegs all the way and I still couldn't stretch my legs out. Your knees would poke up through the opening of the kayak and there was no padding around the top so it would leave grooves in the sides of your legs. When your legs hurt too much you would take them out and put them on top of the kayak but then your tailbone would start to hurt after a while. I own two kayaks and I have probably rented from about fifteen different locations and I have to say these were the worst kayaks I've ever sat in. They have no bungees or compartments, so if you bring a cooler with you or anything else you're going to have to jam it inside between your legs. There are no markers on the river indicating the miles. You're told what time to come back, but you have no idea how far you have traveled. Seems like it would be pretty easy to put some mile markers or even tie a ribbon around a tree at the halfway mark. There is also no hazelbakers sign at the shore when you return, so if you're not paying attention you might just miss it. We got our boats out of the water and for some reason there was a canoe that was secured to a tree with a metal cable right by the boat return. The boat was several feet from the tree and the cable was only inches off the ground, so it acted like a tripwire that I caught my ankle on but luckily was able to catch myself before I face planted. Overall, I'd say if you're looking for beautiful scenery and a reasonable price than this place is good, but don't expect much more than that.

Wow. This was a great trip. Nice and easy river trip took about 4 hours. We stopped a few places along the way to hang out and have a picnic lunch. No one was playing loud music or obnoxious crowd. Wear closed toe shoes you don’t mind getting muddy if you plan on getting out along the way. The riverbanks were free of trash 🙏 and there were plenty of people fishing. A couple of places with some ‘rapids’ or big rocks to avoid if you don’t want to tip…but that adds a little adventure to an otherwise calm, lazy-river trip. Will definitely do this trip again in the fall to see the leaves change. Highly recommend.