The White River in Arkansas offers cold water paddling on the
hottest of Summer days.
Oklahoma Float Trips Planning
Canoe and Kayak Spots in the Oklahoma Area
About
Us
My wife Dianne and I love paddling our kayaks in the rivers and lakes of Oklahoma. However, it can be quite a bit of work planning and executing successful boating trips.
Whether you seek tame-water or whitewater, getting the
right info at the right time can be difficult. On this
website we are trying
to collect a long list of great Oklahoma area kayaking locations,
paddling clubs and other recreational paddling resources.
Our Kayaking Website
Knowing what bodies of water are worth paddling, knowing where to find the put-ins and take-outs,
monitoring the river levels,
arrange shuttle services and finding
camping spots or other local lodging resources
can be tough.
OklahomaRoadTrips.com is here to help.
We also buy quite a bit of kayaking gear, so expect to find
some reviews and recommendations especially for kayak
fishing equipment.
If you live far from a big-box
Sporting Goods store, like we do, you may appreciate the Amazon.com links to paddler supplies like
kayak spray skirts,
light-weight kayak paddles,
kayaking t-shirts and even
Kayaks for Sale. We get a small bit of change from each
sale to help keep this website free for all.
Where to Kayak in Oklahoma
Links on the
Menu to the left will take you to specific pages with
information on each of the major kayaking paddling locations
around Oklahoma and in the Ozarks.
On this site, we try to help our fellow canoeing fans find
the information they need to find the best canoe trips and
kayak adventures around Oklahoma.
Canoeing and kayaking on the Illinois River & The
Lower
Mountain Fork River got us hooked on paddling lakes and slow
rivers...even the occasional fast water journey. We hope
you try it it too! You don't need a helmet to be a
helmet-wearing extreme sports guru to have a great time
kayaking.
Can't find any kayaks for
rent where you live? We can help you
buy a kayak. However, I always recommend renting them a
few times before buying. Renting kayaks is a good
introduction to paddling as it is usually only available on
safe, easy waterways. Also hauling kayaks is no cakewalk,
leaving them at the takeout and heading immediately for the
nearest BBQ joint is a fine luxury indeed. Also lake
paddling is very different from running rivers with
whitewater, you will want to choose your boat accordingly.
Sometimes,
Dianne and I even leave Home Sweet Oklahoma to paddle in
Arkansas,
Missouri or
Texas.
Most years in
Oklahoma, you will find there are some sunny 60 degree days ...sprinkled
throughout the winter months. For winter paddling, Dianne
and I look for sheltered waters you won't find on many tourist maps.
You can find them listed on our
Oklahoma paddling blog
and leave us your comments and tips as well. Get in on the
discussion, maybe you will meet some other local kayakers.
Let us know which Oklahoma rivers and creeks you enjoy
paddling by leaving a comment on our blog. If you have a little time, check out our
online stores listed below. They help pay the hosting costs to keep
this Oklahoma Kayaking information available online for free.
Scenic Rivers in Oklahoma
There are six eastern Oklahoma rivers covered by the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers
Commission: The Barren Fork River, the Illinois River, Flint Creek, Lee Creek, Little Lee Creek and the Upper
Mountain Fork
River. I've been told that the Barren Fork River is all
commercial and offers no float trip opportunities for Oklahoma paddlers.
Sad news, if it is true. If it isn't, shoot me an email via the
Contact Us link on the menu in the top left-hand column of this page
or leave a comment on our Kayak Oklahoma Blog.
This site is authored by paddlers and for
paddlers. We provide location information for Oklahoma kayaking and canoe
enthusiasts, camping spot reviews, river reports, kayak
launches, outfitters lists and more. We do get a
small commission from Amazon.com and Google for the
click-through ads for the products on our site. However, if we
endorse a product... it is because we used it. We don't do
paid endorsements.
Remember you must have an OKC Boating Permit to use
Lake Overholser, Lake Hefner or any of the other water resources in the
Oklahoma City area.
Kayak fishing is just starting to catch on here in
Oklahoma. Since most of it is done on flatwater, you usually can't
find many outfitters supply info on this topic. We will be sharing
our kayak fishing adventures on our Kayak Oklahoma Blog and on our
Kayak Fishing page.
Family Kayak Trips in Oklahoma
For our family, kayaking is quickly changing from a hobby to more of a lifestyle. Since we have to manage quite a bit of Oklahoma kayaker resources, I thought it would be handy to have the whole thing on the web and maybe some other folks could benefit as well.
Expect us to post campground reviews, trip reports, Oklahoma paddling photos and news about great outdoor fun happening all over the Ozarks. Although we live in NE Oklahoma, we love to visit our Ozark neighbors and we occasionally even stray into Texas.
Anywhere you find water can make for fun chasing sunsets in
your kayak. I get some of my best low light shots at
Dripping Springs Lake near Okmulgee, OK.
Your local lakes and river may have additional
permit requirements that go beyond state boat stickers and
boat registration numbers. Texas doesn’t require
registration of paddle-powered canoes and kayaks.
Oklahoma Flatwater Paddlers- Another great group for Oklahoma
kayakers looking for company. Paddling is safer and more fun with friends, meet
some of ours! Now, they are on Facebook, too!
The
Oklahoma Paddle
Sports Association (OK-PSA) - bringing all Oklahoma paddlers
into one collective organization to represent the paddling community
on issues of importance to all paddlers, to provide training
opportunities and networking between paddlers.
Kayak Fishing for Catfish in Oklahoma
You can check out a collage of catfish
pictures from Dianne's adventures last summer on our
Deep Fork River page.
UPDATE:02-11-2012 Did you know that
Oklahoma was home to a small gold rush in the 1800's?
In Oklahoma, tales of buried Spanish gold abound, ranging in
location from the Great Salt Plains in the western part of
the state to the forks of the North and South Canadian
rivers near Eufaula.
Last Summer, Dianne and I enjoyed an
exciting whitewater
kayaking float trip at Turners Bend on the rushing Mulberry
River in Arkansas. Visit our
Mulberry River outfitters page. This river is rainfall
dependent, so Spring and Fall are the best seasons for
kayaking it.
Try some
flatwater kayaking on
Oklahoma's lakes! Wondering what could be fun about
baking in the sun in the middle of a huge lake? Flatwater
kayakers seek out the skinny water. We look for the
backwater creeks and narrow, curvy, tree-lined channels of
water that motor boaters avoid.
Learn more about fun
attractions in Oklahoma's Green Country at
GreenCountryOK.com!
Got a specific Oklahoma float trip destination in
mind? We have detailed pages on many Oklahoma waterways.
Most Okies float the Illinois River, but that is only the
beginning of great canoeing spots in the Sooner State. Want
to talk paddling? Hit me up on
Twitter,
Flickr or
Facebook - Username: FreeWine.
Choosing a Kayak Paddle - Colors Count
Choosing a new kayak paddle can be tough but very
rewarding. There are many things to consider as you try to
arrive at the perfect compromise of weight, stiffness,
durability and price. Kayak paddles are made out of plastic,
aluminum, graphite, kevlar, carbon, wood and fiberglass. The
materials used in the kayak paddle construction have major
impacts on the weight, stiffness durability and price of a
kayak paddle. I think the wood kayak paddles are
especially lovely.
If you are into whitewater kayaking you will need a shorter
kayak paddle than one designed for flatwater kayaking.
Touring or flatwater paddles often come in a two piece
option, which offers easier storage and transportation, but
a new point of potential failure. Symmetrical blades use
more energy but will pull you through the water quickly.
Asymmetrical kayak paddle blades require less energy.
Fiberglass blades are light, but I don't like the way they
sound scraping against rocks & gravel. I take my cheaper
paddle when heading down rockier rivers.
For recreational kayaking, I prefer straight-shaft,
2-piece kayak paddles that are light in weight and look good
in pictures. My Carlisle kayak has bright yellow blades and
a shiny black shaft with no grips. Dianne has a silver
& black Day Tripper kayak paddle, a great kayak paddle for
the price. We sometimes trade paddles for pictures because
my paddle actually matches her kayak much better than it
matches mine.
Browse Kayak Paddle features and prices. Since good
paddles are very light it is easy to buy them online and get
the maximum choice of colors.
About
Us
