New Paddle Share Stations Bring Kayak Rental to the Minneapolis Riverfront!
Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 12:06PM
A rendering of the new paddle share station coming soon to North Mississippi Regional Park
Via an August 4 e-newsletter from the Minneapolis Park and Rec Board:
Pilot program will allow park users to rent kayaks and explore Mississippi
New agreements between the National Park Service’s (NPS) non-profit charitable partner Mississippi Park Connection (MPC), the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) created a pilot program that will bring “paddle share” stations to Minneapolis’ Upper Riverfront this summer.
The NPS and its partner, Mississippi Park Connection, hope to launch the pilot program in late August, pending all necessary permits and approvals. Read more
About Paddle Share Stations
Paddle share stations are similar to a bike share stations like Nice Ride Minnesota, but there are some differences. Once the program launches, users go online to www.paddleshare.org (not available yet, targeted for late August) to reserve kayaks for a specific date and time, review safety precautions and a safety video, sign a waiver and pay for the reservation.
Once the reservation is paid, users will receive a code that unlocks a station on the selected date and time at either North Mississippi Regional Park (near Kroening Interpretive Center) or the MWMO Stormwater Park and Learning Center, enabling them to get all necessary equipment (kayak, paddle, life jacket). Check with the NPS for times staff and volunteers will be available onsite to help explain the paddle share program and share information about the river and the national park.
Users can paddle upriver or downriver, but the rental equipment must be returned to the return station at Boom Island Park (on the southern edge of the park next to the existing canoe racks) before the allotted time is up. All stations are aligned with Nice Ride Minnesota bike share stations so users are able to paddle downriver and then bike back to where they started. Check Nice Ride bike availability and transit schedules at www.rivertripplanner.org.
