Kayak Pittsburgh Makes for Perfect River Exploration

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Kayak Pittsburgh Offers a Premier Rental Spot Downtown

From the moment you walk up to the Kayak Pittsburgh pontoon out in front of the convention center, you'll know this is a gem for all things kayaking (and standup paddleboarding).

The process of renting is incredibly streamlined, with tickets being purchased online (although, we walked-up and purchased on a less busy day, and filled out waivers on our phones), moving on to an equipment station where you get fitted for a life jacket and paddles, and before you know it you are loading into a kayak in a slightly raised dock just at the water line- we had no wet feet here!

Despite not having a reservation in advance, the entire time for us to go from walking up to getting into our kayak was less than ten minutes.

During that brief time, we received excellent instructions on how to navigate the rivers, watch out for boats, and given general safety warnings when we should give some space between our kayaks and the shore. From there, we had an excellent two hour paddle around the three rivers, and really got to spend a great deal of time explroing from the Point, to the Smithfield Street Bridge, and back towards the Mr. Rogers Statue and PNC Park (where they just won a day game with fireworks going off- watch out for the ash!).

Along the way, we were really surprised by how many details of downtown's architecture and bridges we hadn't been able to see, or in many cases, appreciate longer, when on boat tours. This was a nice perk of taking a two-hour rental, as an hour rental would likely be just enough time to get down to the Point and back. So if you are able to justify the cost, add on some time to see more!

Now, we could keep gushing about how fun it is to kayak on the rivers. But for this one, we thought we'd dive into some more practical tips to keep in mind before hitting the water.

Tips and Advice for Kayaking on the Three Rivers

After posting about kayaking on the three rivers on our Facebook page, we had one question pop up multiple times- is it difficult for beginners?

The answer is, mostly, no. But there are some things to keep in mind, so we thought we'd end this one with some tips on dealing with river currents and boat traffic. 

The river currents are highly variable and are generally most impacted by recent rains. The more water that falls, the higher the rivers rise, and the faster the currents are. We kayaked after a dry spell and thought that a normal current wasn't too strong, all things considered. That said, Kayak Pittsburgh also monitors this and closes rentals outright if the currents become too strong. For us, if it's been 3-4 days since a significant rain and the rental station is open, we'd probably consider going out, as that is exactly what we did.

When on the water, you'll also be told that all other vessels are to be given the right of way, and it is best to stay as far away as possible from other boats as you can. Normally, this is fine. Most boats, other than those who are fishing, are not going to get close to the sides of the rivers where kayakers are told to stick around. Their wakes, on the other hand, absolutely will. Thankfully, the area around the confluence often has speed restrictions on weekends, so most boats travel quite slowly on those days. But there is a tradeoff here- weekends mean boats travel slower, but there is often more boats on the water. 

Personally, I'd rather deal with the wake of a jet ski zooming around the waters on a weekday and have fewer boats overall, but your mileage may vary on what you prefer and see during your specific outing.

Even with this, it is best to keep aware of when boats are coming up and down the rivers, and if you choose to cross to the other side, be sure to check far down the rivers in both directions before making your crossing. Even with speed restrictions they can come upon you quite quickly. 

Finally, if you are a bit more inexperienced, just keep in mind that returning to the Convention Center in a loop like this requires you to go upstream to get back, so you will need a bit of energy reserved for the last paddle all the same. 

Overall, kayaking in downtown Pittsburgh is a whole lot of fun and, depending on river flow and boat traffic, isn't too challenging. But if you are still worried, consider renting a kayak at North Park or another nearby lake to get some practice without currents and boat traffic before hitting the rivers.

Kayak Pittsburgh operates a seasonal floating kayak dock outside the convention center in downtown Pittsburgh.