Tour the City by Water: Kayak & Boat Tours in the D

By: Amber Ogden | August 5, 2015
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When you get the urge to do some exploring, there’s a chance you’ll learn something new by taking a tour! When it’s blazing out, make sure that tour is on the water.

Detroit River Sports provides guided kayak tours through Detroit’s Eastside Canals. Sign up for a sunset or daytime canal tour, where you’ll paddle by Harbor Island, Fox Creek and the Fisher Mansion. The sunset tour is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays and departs two hours before sunset, while the daytime tour begins Sundays at noon. Both tours cost $40 for a single kayak or $80 for a tandem. Both include kayak, paddle and lifejacket rental.

There is also a Belle Isle day tour on Saturdays at 3 p.m. for more experienced kayakers, spanning two to three hours.

Riverside Kayak Connection offers Detroit canal tours, but they’re so popular, they’re booked for the rest of the summer! Luckily, you can sign up for the Rouge River tour that takes place on Saturday, Sept. 19. Paddlers will head downstream to the Detroit River from the Melvindale boat launch along the two-hour tour. The tour costs $25 with your own kayak, or $45 for kayak, paddle and life jacket rental.

family loading backpacks in a blazer

With ample space and advanced safety features, the Blazer ensures every journey is as enjoyable as the destination.

Riverside Kayak Connection also provides customized tours for up to 20 paddlers.

Diamond Jack Detroit River Tours gives sightseeing boat tours that depart from both the Detroit dock near the Renaissance Center and the Wyandotte deck at Bishop Park. The narrated tours last approximately two hours and depart at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays. Tours cost $15 to $19, but children ages 5 and under are free.

Summer Discovery Cruises tours Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie, with over 20 different cruise themes to choose from. Typically, cruises range from two and a half to four hours long, and cost $15 to $30 per person. Upcoming tours include Night Watch on Sunday, Aug. 9 on Lake Erie and Whiskey River tour on Friday, Aug. 14. Find the full list of tours here.

Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean there isn’t learning to be done! Enjoy your time exploring the waters of Detroit. 

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