Elk Island Paddle Sports Rentals - Astotin Lake

Ranking: 5/5

Myself and my friends went out for a canoe paddle, we’ve never been canoeing before and the staff made it super easy to learn before we headed on the water. Great prices compared to others locally and lots of availability as well

Ranking: 5/5

My friends and me had a great time at elk island. The trails and animals were awesome but the best part of our trip was canoeing on the lake thanks to these people. We came with no notice and they were quickly able to get us all into canoes for a cheap price coming with life jackets and a quick lesson on how to be independent on the water. This is a must go to anyone that is planning to go to elk island and they deserve a much higher review.

Ranking: 5/5

My wife and I had a great experience at Elk Island Paddle Sports. The cost is quite reasonable and it was very easy to get our canoe.

I am not sure why there are so many negative reviews. The staff are mostly young but they are friendly and helpful.

Ranking: 5/5

Great service, was helped right away even while the staff were very busy. Would recommend to beginners to amateurs and anyone in between. It’s a must visit if you go to elk island.

Ranking: 1/5

They are a joke, i try to contact them via phone and no luck, via email and no luck. I arrived to astotin lake around 1pm and talked to the girl that i would like to pay in advance one kayak for 6pm and she told me that they aren´t booking that i should come at the time we want to kayak, we told her at 5.30pm/6pm if it´s possible and she told us that it´s ok.
So we arrived at 6pm and there was another girl, we told her that we want to rent one kayak and we talked to her other co-worker and she just told us "my manager let me go home because there´s not enough people renting" so we couldn´t do kayaking ..
saddly i left the country without enyoing this activity that i planned because i was a tourist ... i hope another company can took your place ..

Ranking: 5/5

Great staff + location, such a fun spot to go with kids or friends for the day. Keep in mind that renting is on a first come first serve basis during the weekends. They only take reservations on weekdays in the summer if it is for a certain number of vessels for a certain number of hours. Fair system in my opinion!
Also, most accurate hours/last minute closures are posted on their social media!

Ranking: 1/5

Terrible and Horrible Experience

My friends and I had an absolutely terrible experience at Ridge Wilderness Adventures at Astotin Lake, Elk Island National Park. We arrived as a group of ten around 2:15 PM, excited to rent some kayaks and enjoy our day on the water. What we encountered instead was nothing short of blatant discrimination and unprofessionalism.

First, when we inquired about renting a canoe, we were told that it was too windy for three people, so we agreed to wait for Double/Tandem Kayaks. We asked if we could fill out the paperwork in advance, but the staff refused, telling us we had to wait because there were no kayaks available at that moment. Fine, we thought—we'll wait.

We stood literally three feet away from the rental shop, making it very clear that we were waiting for the kayaks to come back. We waited patiently for 20-30 minutes. Then, three Double/Tandem Kayaks returned, and we expected to be next in line. However, to our shock and disappointment, the staff allowed people who arrived after us to rent the kayaks, completely ignoring our presence.

When we asked why we were being overlooked, we received nonsensical and dismissive responses. One staff member said, “We don’t have five boats, so we’re waiting,” even though we never asked for five kayaks at once—we just wanted to rent what was available in the order we arrived. Another staff member even had the nerve to say, “You didn’t talk to me, so I don’t know anything,” as if we hadn’t already spoken to multiple employees.

To make matters worse, manager, who clearly lacked any customer service training, told us that it was our responsibility to approach them when the kayaks returned, even though we were standing right next to the rental shop the entire time! We couldn’t believe the level of disregard and hostility we were shown.

We drove an hour to have a nice evening, but instead, our time was ruined by rude, inconsiderate staff who didn’t even have the decency to apologize. I’m shocked and disappointed by the way we were treated, and I strongly urge Ridge Wilderness Adventures to train their employees on basic customer service and sensitivity. Avoid this place if you want to be treated with respect.

Ranking: 1/5

I hope someone finds this review before renting here. It was an absolutely horrible experience we had here today, as we were greeted really badly and in an hostile manner. We went there to enjoy our sunday in the water. We went to the small reception of theirs and asked about the procedure. They told us that there were no double kayaks left, and we should wait until someone returned. So we politely waited in the queue in front of the reception. 3 double kayaks came back in and we thought the staff were arranging it for us. After waiting for another 15 mins, people who came back well after us were given the kayaks. Being so dissatisfied, we asked the staff what is happening and they told we didn’t come and ask for kayaks from them, which is clearly a lie as it was the first thing we did. The manager was very unprofessional and hostile and told us that it wasn’t their fault. But a normal manager would have apologized and accept their mistake. Please please please avoid this place and I wish such people be treated accordingly or guided better by the upper management to avoid such incidents. It totally ruined our Sunday, which we cannot have back!