Detroit River Sports

What to expect: My wife and I went for the first time on the sunset canal tour. We arrived a little early and found that we would be going with a group of about 12. They had a basket in the building for us to lock up our belongings such as wallets and car keys. There were thankfully clean restrooms for us to use after driving about 45 minutes to the place. Especially before a 2 hour kayak trip. There were two employees who guided the group. The guides gave us life jackets and paddles and gave us a quick tutorial on how to navigate a kayak etc. With the help of the guides we individually boarded the kayaks which requires a large step down off a dock so I would not recommend for the overweight or physically fragile. Once we all boarded we paddled down a canal out to the Detroit River and then down to another connecting canal. The water on the river was a little choppy that day but that made it fun. Several beginners in our group managed it easily. We went by many homes, past a couple nature parks and under a handful of bridges. Some homes kept up nicely and others showing evidence of urban decay. We had waterproof, floatation covers on lanyards for our phones so we were able to snap photos and quick videos along the way. Our knowledgable guides stopped us at a few spots teaching us about historical sites such as the Purple Gang house during prohibition and the Fox Indian Massacre. We were far up stream from the city, and Belle Isle starting out on the border of Grosse Pointe Farms so the city was close enough for a beautiful sunset but not as close as I initially thought it would be. Expect to get wet. My shorts were soaked when we were done. All in all it was a wonderful experience and something I would definitely recommend!!!

We saw 4 Eagles, Belted King Fisher, Osprey, Trumpeter Swan, Green Heron, Blue Heron, Cormorants all on one tour to Peche Island. Highly recommend this experience!

We had an absolutely wonderful first experience this weekend with Detroit River Sports and especially with our guide, Brad! We booked a private tour with a mixed group of youth and adults, with experienced and inexperienced kayakers. Brad was incredibly considerate and accommodating of what worked best for our group and tailored our experience accordingly. We had the best of both the canals and the Detroit River and absolutely loved it! Brad was a fantastic guide! He was personable, patient, shared fascinating facts — kept the group engaged and enthused our entire tour. Everyone from our youngest to oldest has a great time! We highly recommend Brad and can’t wait to book our next tour! Such a cool way to experience Detroit’s canal district and appreciate Detroit from a new perspective. Thanks Brad and DRS!

Had an excellent experience exploring the Detroit River and canals with Monica. What a beautiful way to see our stunning city!

So much fun! See Detroit in a whole new way. Our guide Monica was fantastic - she made the experience easy and next level enjoyable for our group which included several first-timers! I can’t wait to come back and do it again!

We had an amazing experience, it was our first time kayaking ever! The tour guides were so patient and you can tell they love their job! Thanks again!

I would definitely recommend taking a kayak tour with Detroit River Sports. My wife booked us the canal tour and it was awesome. The guides were very knowledgeable about the history canals and islands we saw. We are looking forward to booking another trip in the future.

This was an awesome experience! We did the historic tour. There were 3 amazing guides with us. I have some kayaking experience. There were several people with no experience in our group, and with the guidance of the staff they did great. It was a perfect mix of easy canal, and a bit more challenging river kayaking. I will be back to do a different adventure soon!

Yay!!!!! Finally did it!!! I've been wanting to Kayak the Detroit canals and out to the Detroit River! Detroit River Sports offers several options to accommodate small groups and individuals.They provide all equipment needed for the tour. The guided tour is about 2hours. The staff are fantastic and very informative. I'm not an expert kayaker but was able to easily navigate the waters. The Detroit River is a bit challenging to navigate due to the current, but the guides are there to help if needed. I learned a lot along the way as we stopped periodically to learn some history about Detroit and the homes we encountered on the canals. I had a blast and want to buy my own kayak!

This is a tale of two guides, Kim and Jill. Kim was fun, energetic, and a joy to be around. Jill was a very negative person who never encouraged. She was very rude and critical. She needs to work on her teaching skills. Instead of yelling and berating she could try informing and helping. She made our tour unpleasant. Kim was a delight and overall a better guide. The tour itself was ok. It was pretty crazy getting out of and into the channels, not for a beginner. Once inside there were a few interesting things we learned.

First time experience and the guides are wonderful, very patient with rookies. We did the sunset canal adventure and fellow who explained the history of the area made it very interesting and had great stories to tell. They offer different tours and I'm looking forward to trying them all.

From online booking to check-in, Detroit River Sports were A1! Their off Riverside near all the Good Fishin! Guides are awesome! So when the weather is GORGEOUS, check them out! You get a 2-hour paddle tour to the canal at Grayhaven and Great views off the River! With some 'large-body' of water wave....Even a wee bit of history about eh 'Doggy who got a whole pool that didn't Swim!' Lucky pup... Some interesting deets if you did not know. Of the Twenty-two 'List-of-Phun Water Sports!!' Kai'Yaking ranks number Two!! Yes and yes! It is a lot of Fun! * only $45 per-paddler * Safety Training * Signaling Whistle [check] * Morning to Dusk Tours [Google'em or www.detroitriversports.com] So if looking for an organized event on waves. You found it! Eh good time you will have. Great for weekend fun with group of friends, gurl-time or solo. A little tip, masks are only required on land. When in the Canal, were cleared to remove face-coverings. Oh and paddling against the current was that deal!! Madd Respect!!

We had a great time on the sunset kayak tour. This is the first time my friends and I have been kayaking. The tour guides were helpful and thoroughly explained how to maneuver the kayak. With that being said, my friend and I had lots of trouble getting the hang of it. We were far behind the rest of the group and a guide had to come back for us. I was shocked when we left the canal and entered the open water with other boats, but it was an exhilarating shock. This is definitely a fun activity for locals and out of towners to enjoy.

Last weekend, we did the Afternoon Canal Tour with Erin as our guide and we had an amazing time. She took us out on the Detroit River and then on a leisurely paddle around some of the canals. Erin gave some interesting history of the canals and how the neighborhoods on the canals have changed and developed at different points throughout the trip. The kayaks felt really stable out on the Detroit River (and there were a lot of boats out that day--so there were some bigger waves). They had us wear masks on land before we got in the kayaks and they sanitize the kayaks between trips. It all felt very safe. I will definitely be taking out of town visitors on their trips in the future. Make sure to tip your guide at the end if you enjoyed!

A-W-E-S-O-M-E Right off the bat I want to address the negative reviews - disregard them. I don't want to speak to the experiences of these two people but, I can tell you we went out on a Friday night with 20 people and every single one of us had an awesome time FWIW. Pro Tips - Bring - Something for your phone - Change of clothes - Bug spray - Sun screen - Beer (or water if that's your thing) So, let's address the elephant in the room - the place is sketchy as fuck. Don't let that scare you though - for real. I left a $70,000 truck loaded with Louis Vuitton bags and wallets out front for 3 hours and when I came back it was just as I left it. Apparently these guys just used to launch where ever for a couple years and recently bought this burned out launch on the cheap with hopes to turn it into a bar/restaurant down the road. Looks are deceiving, you're totally safe. If you are novice kayakers like us and are on the fence about something so bold, let me assure you this is totally doable. When we went out there were little kids, old ladies and more people who have never kayaked than those who have. Not once did any of us feel we were in over our heads. If you have canoed but not kayaked, they aren't the same. Turns out, kayaks are really tough to tip over due to their flat bottom. That gives you a really stable feeling even out in the Detroit River. The tour itself was really well organized and slightly educational. If you are interested in the history of the city at all you will probably learn some stuff you didn't know and also find yourself in areas that you didn't know existed. It was a really great experience. Not quite a bucket list activity but something fun to do in the city and definitely something I would absolutely do again in a second. It really gives you a different perspective on Detroit and lets you get some decent exercise in the process.

The tour of the river is magical and the guides are incredible. It's a perfect way to spend a summer evening on the beautiful water and canals of Detroit. I cannot say enough about this wonderful company, with their amazing staff. I highly recommend!!!!

1000% must do! My husband and I did the kayaking tour followed by the farm to table dinner. First and foremost the tour was great and extremely informative! Marie was an awesome tour guide and her knowledge and passion for her job, made our tour that much more enjoyable. Now onto the food. Coriander Kitchen and Farm OUTSTANDING! The food was so good, I was licking my plate. I can not wait to come back again.

I recently did a full moon tour in October. Of course things are somewhat dependent on the weather & clouds cooperating, which they partially did, you can't judge the business on things they can't control. It was cloudy with the moon peaking out every once in a while. The weather itself was super mild for an October night though, so the kayaking itself was great. The canals and lake were very calm. As far as the tour itself - I thought it was nice, but not great. I guess I expected some chit chat, info, banter - something about what we were doing or the canals we were kayaking through, even some info about the full moon would have been welcome. The guides were mostly quiet except to tell us when to turn. We pulled out into the lake and then sat there for about 10 minutes (or more, no watch) without any instruction on what we were up to. I guess we were just supposed to be gazing at the moon. Eventually headed into the Greyhaven canals - again - no dialogue, which would have been nice. The other recommendation I would make to them would be to make sure your guests are fitted and comfortable in their kayaks before getting in the water. They basically started launching kayaks and then said all right - you're next.... and then you'd hop in. After I was in and paddled away from the dock I realized my seat was not adjusted well at all. It was pushing me forward and hitting me in the small of my back. I was uncomfortable for the whole tour. I asked one of the guides to help me adjust my seat and he said he didn't have enough leverage to do it after I was in and he was afraid he would tip me. My back was aching by the time I got out. I also had to ask how to adjust the foot pedals - no one offered the info upfront. I've been in other kayaks and they're all different - so I think a little up front fitting to each person would be helpful. The person I was with ended up in a smaller kayak then me but was twice my size. I live in the area and am familiar with the launch spot - I bike down there all the time, so the location didn't bother me, I'm happy they're fixing it up.

I'm so glad that there is a water sports rental place on the Detroit River. I gotta say though, SUP in the canals is super fun, but not for the most wobbly newbies. Detroit River kept me right on my butt, being so wavy with the boat traffic.

This was a great kayak adventure on a warm evening in September. Kayaks supplied were excellent. We paddled on the river to a few canals and were given talks by our two guides Julie and Una (sp). They were friendly, knowledgeable about the area, and timed the tour perfectly so that we'd be out on the Detroit River at the right location and in time to see a beautiful sunset. Fun time.

We did a sunset kayak adventure for $40 a person. The location of this place is in a sketchy area. But the experience was excellent. We had a beautiful kayak on the Detroit river and through some canals and got a tour of some history of the area from our tour guide. The Detroit river portion can be a bit scary for some. The water was relatively calm for us but any choppier and I would have been too nervous to be out on the freezing water. However, it is an adventure for those that like to be, well, adventurous lol. Ride was about two hours long.

We really loved the sunset crew with Chase as our guide. We are beginniners and were able to keep up, even on the river, where there were some fun waves. The history was fascinating too! A hidden gem! Definitely recommend, even for novices.

Very disappointed, over 20 kayaks on the sunset tour which makes it very slow. We did not get to see much and NO information as to where we were, why the canals where there, what are they used for niw, ir how the coastline was established. Sunset was behind us as we went upstream. We only stopped at three spots for a brief story. Pick another company as your tour guide! It was $80 for a tandum and guide. Not worth it.

We did the sunset cruise. It started with a quick kayaking lesson. There were three guides who went out with us. They gave us fun history and facts about the city and places along the route. The views were incredible and the trip was very well organized. I will go again!

Marie helped schedule a trip on a busy Saturday. Had a lot of fun on the SUP one hour tour. Highly recommend.

The BEST! Had a great sunset kayak trip last night. Waters were calm, sky was cloudy but the ride was perfect. The guides do a great job of describing the history of the canals and the various points of interest. There's really something special about sitting low in a kayak in the Detroit River watching the sailboats go by . . . saw a large freighter at a distance . . . Felt safe and secure in my kayak. Second time out with Detroit River Sports and I look forward to my next trip. I would highly recommend this great adventure!

wonderful experience to see the city from another angle. They are adding a restaurant and remodeling. Should be even better in 2020

We just got back from our kayak tour and had an absolute blast! We had originally scheduled our tour for three weeks ago but it was canceled due to rain. The staff was very accommodating with the rain make-up trip. The tour guides were a lot of fun and very knowledgeable about the canals. I definitely recommend taking a tour and will likely bring out-of-town guests in the future.

It was exciting to kayak on the choppy Detroit River, a different kind of adventure than kayaking on a lazy river like the Huron. When we went it was only $15 an hour which is pretty reasonable. The area where you take off from is rough looking, but don't let that deter you. We had a great adventure and learned on our own what to do and not to do next time. If your afraid of water or can't swim go to the Huron River instead. There is a decent chance of dumping on the choppy Detroit River. Also, make sure your phone and keys are secured in waterproof container. They sell them there. I'll definitely go again. Read Mike S's review before you go. It's perfect!

Had a great time on a private tour with Maria. It was full of information about Detroit and reflected her respect for the culture and communities of each unique neighborhood from Dearborn to Hamtramck. Will be taking another tour soon.

Excelllent kayak trip and wonderful customer service. Everyone in our party really enjoyed this experience. The guides were outstanding - very personable and shared a lot of interesting history. I was especially appreciative of their kind and gracious service. I made a mistake with our original booking for a party of 8 and we weren't listed for the evening tour. Despite it being a busy evening, they could not have more more accommodating. Highly recommend this tour!

Good luck getting a hold of them or getting a response to your messages. It's a shame because there are very few options for kayaking in the city.

Don't think twice! Do it! What a great experience. Very organized company with great guides who are knowledgeable about the city! You won't regret it!

Great experience! Staff was nice and intelligent. They Let the kids go on the tandem. Great family day! Fun exploring the canals in the area and a definite wild experience getting on Detroit river with a kayak!!! Will be back!

Just about every employee was rude. The actual tour was disappointing. The food after the tour was horrible. Don't recommend this place whatsoever.

Sucked. We reserved by phone and planned the entire afternoon and evening around them. We pulled into the park east of the belle isle bridge and could not find them anywhere. They don't answer their phone. They had our number and could of called us. Don't bother with them. They'll disappoint you. Messed up our whole day.