apostle islands kayaks

We kayaked the lagoons and went out to see the Red Cliffs along the mainland. Sea Caves were in our sights, but we were overruled by the windy water conditions.

This is a lot of work in the wind. We had a good time though. Everyone was friendly we didn't get to see the caves due to wind which is beyond anyone's control. The reality is here you will pay less for this place than anywhere else on the island. We did a guided tour and the guide helped us learn to kayak before and helped during the tour. Quite a long kayaking trip so it's a good value.

The kayaking was fun. It was a work out but worth it. We did the self guided tour. My husband and I had both kayaked before and knew somewhat what to expect, but it was a more difficult paddle than we have done in the past. We had a tandem kayak which I wouldn't recommend, it was harder to manuever. It would have been nice if the kayaks had better seats since our backs got sore. The staff was very nice, but everything was unorganized. We got misinformation on where to meet and many of the other details. I'm a planner so I found that very irritating. But the shoreline and caves were beautiful.

I had made reservations for my boyfriend and myself three weeks prior to our kayak trip. We originally planned to take out two single kayaks, as that was one of three options on their website. So we get there at 12:30pm, which is when the company told us to be there, but the employee didn't get there until well after 1:00pm. We could have been hanging out at the nearby beach instead of standing and waiting for over 40 minutes. What was worse was that a group of young adults that made NO RESERVATIONS took the last of the single kayaks, even though we DID make reservations, so we were forced to go on a double kayak. The employee there said that we may be able to get a half-off discount, but when I called Ed about it, he said that he would only be able to do that for our NEXT trip to Madeline Island. Although I have little respect for the company itself, the kayaking trip was fun as we explored the caves and swam a bit.

In general was a good time for my own family, a great workout with beautiful up close views of Madeline Island shoreline and sea caves. Would not suggest for those not used to physical activity. The young guides gave very brief instructions on how to use the paddles but once in the water didn't help with tips much. They told us at the beginning they wanted to keep everyone in a tight group but that notion went out the window later. My family and I stuck together and were aware of our surroundings. We are fairly fit and expected it to be a good workout, and it was. Bu Ot I felt bad for the families with young children. They didn't seem informed or prepared to work hard. Some parents had to paddle their own weight and their child's. The youngest kids were very bored after about 45 minutes. I had concerns about the guides not communicating well with each other and the group. As I mentioned before, this was a great activity for my own family. Would recommend for active adults and kids who can help with paddling.

The trip attractions were wonderful; however, Ed needs to work on his customer service. With no small talk, he very bluntly and loudly came up to a friend and asked her weight in front of the small crowd gathered in front of his home/company. He then told her that he had concerns that she would float in a kayak. That was not a great way to start the trip.

The website does say trips/tours at 9:30 & 1:30 however we were told 11 am. Since we wanted a "no guide trip" and the weather/skies would be clearing that worked out great for us. Also I'm not a morning person and we had plans that evening, so the flexibility was good in our case. We've been to other islands, countries and when it comes to activities like these, it seems common that schedules are not "tight" as we expect in the office and our normal lives. Slow down and allow ample time when doing these excursions and plan for extra time. We were a bit wary since they wanted our phone # and we didn't have service at the campground, but he showed up as expected with the gear (kayaks live and stay at the beach) and all we had to do was walk down to the beach. We paid the day prior and had no issues. NO lengthy "sign you life away" contracts or deposits required as is common for most rental outdoor equipment. Ed gave a brief review of "how to" and off we went! We were asked to take our shoes off and it turned out I was quickly warm and this was fine. The wind blows toward shore so the location is excellent and safe. I would recommend this for families and older kids too, maybe younger if you stay really close to shore. He has more stable sit on top kayaks in addition to regular sea kayaks for this reason. The cliffs, rocks and adjacent bog/pond are equally impressive. To be out on the water is divine and really is a nice perspective. I am in shape but not a kayaker and was able to go several miles along the shore, across the bay and into the river, pond in 3-4 hours. (I've read 6-7 miles a good amount for beginners) Though it started out cool, we quickly warmed as the muscles get working and I was overdressed. I'd take a protein bar next time and do take water. I am glad we did this and feel ready to do more apostle islands next time!

I booked our kayak trip 3 weeks prior to our camping trip to Madeleine Island. The owner called me back & was very pleasant. He instructed my husband & I to check in at his office (a house) when we arrived on the island to get measurements (?) And to verify we planned to join the group the next day. We checked in with a young girl and felt confident that we were all set to go the next morning. I was very excited about this trip and have to say it was on the top of my list of what I wanted to do over the weekend. The Apostle islands have sea caves and awesome rock formations along the coast line that are best seen by boat. The day of our trip we waited, and waited and waited. It was almost a full hour after the start time that the owner showed up, with the other guests in tow. (Everyone else stayed in Bayfield, we were the only on Madeleine island) We approached him, letting him know we were here, and he sounded as though he did not recall our reservation or our recent discussion, even though we discussed in detail how we were the only people not arriving with the group. He did not bring any equipment for us, and told us to "run into town" where he had another shop that could equip us...meanwhile the rest of the group would be held up. We declined and after several locals saw the exchange they had only bad reviews for him. Apparently he has a bad rap, yet tourists keep using him! We wasted almost a full morning on this and was not able to book another trip while there. I was extremely upset and disappointed!!!"

I absolutely expect a snarky response from Ed for this review, but I like to help others make the best decisions on what to do with their valuable vacation time. Let me start by saying that I think Madeline Island is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited and that the trip I'm reviewing is our second trip to the island. I also don't doubt Ed's kayaking knowledge.However, I am a planner. We had multiple phone conversations with Ed prior to our trip and had made a reservation for our group of 8, well in advance. Ed continuously told us that he was thinking about changing his tours for the summer 2012 season and that he would get back to us. In desperation, after not hearing back about any changes, we made our reservations. When we stopped by Ed's place the day before our kayaking tour, he had no record of our reservation. Good thing we stopped by. We were planning to do the sea caves excursion, and had told them that we needed a three-person kayak as one person in our group is physically unable to use the paddles and another is a handicapped child with limited ability to use the paddle. We found out when we got there that they don't offer 3-person kayaks for the sea caves trip. So, we had to scramble to figure out a way to get everyone onto a kayak. Then, we found out that the "shuttle" that is supposed to take people out to the park, isn't even registered, so we had to drive ourselves. This wouldn't be a problem, except that the trip leaves from the state park, so we had to pay the state park fee on top of the kayak tour fee. So, at that point, we thought we were finally all set, but our trip got cancelled due to weather. Nothing that can be done about that. So, we rescheduled for the next day, and got cancelled again. So, we rescheduled for a third day! So, that's 3 additional state park fees for two different cars. Also, we found that his website had been changed in multiple ways between when we made our first phone call to him and when we went on our tour. Many companies reserve the right to do this, but good customer service entails letting your already-registered customers know when there are changes. But, then again, it's difficult to do that if you're too disorganized to keep track of the reservations. As we had already been through the paddle-selection process, we knew which size paddle each person needed. Ed even claimed to have written it down, but didn't bother bringing the list along and refused to consider that we could easily remember which paddles he had given us the previous day. So, we wasted a good 20 minutes, as he reassigned us paddles. Again, not a huge issue, but just another straw on the camel's back. We finally ended up at the state park beach and were all ready to go! But then we were forced to take off our shoes! My husband and I had both spent significant money on specially-made water shoes that are meant to be used in situations like this and everyone else in our party had the cheap water-sock type shoes. Ed had just purchased some new kayaks this year and although they were already scuffed-up quite a bit, he felt our shoes would damage them. For the first part of the trip, I did keep my shoes off but my heels were so raw from sitting in the sandy bottom of the kayak, that I had to wear them the rest of the time. If you want to put your kayaks on a shelf and admire them, then don't rent them out! The tour itself was fine, except for two things. First, we paid extra for a guided-tour(though we weren't really given a choice in the matter). Usually with a guided tour you get a knowledgeable, friendly, funny person who talks to you the whole time, tells you stories and history, and points-out things of interest. We got absolutely none of that, except for him pointing out a little cave called the Gnome Cave. Secondly, we were told it's too rough to go anywhere near the caves! The water was pretty calm throughout the trip, but I'm not an expert. Again, Ed seemed more concerned about his kayaks than about what his customers were paying to see. So, we spent ridiculously more money that we planned, wasted an entire day of vacation and STILL didn't get to see the sea caves. Keep in mind that if you're looking for a relaxing day, this is not for you. We paddled non-stop the entire time. I would've loved to stop and enjoy the beautiful scenery! There is at least one other kayaking outlet on Madeline Island. Though their prices are a bit higher, I would highly recommend trying them out.

My husband and I booked our kayak adventure for early June, which was before their "busy" time of year and we were the only two on our "private" tour with Ed. We found him to be very knowledgeable and interesting, full of good stories of life on and off the island. He transported us from the location on Main Street to Big Bay Park where we got a very helpful, short, lesson on proper paddling (to not wear-out our arms) and then we were off. We did have to do some portaging into the lagoon which did not bother us because we are young and fit, but it may bother some people. Also recommend to bring shoes for that part as well. I have heard that there are better areas of the Apostle Islands for caves (which is why I only gave it a 4 out of 5) but this was an enjoyable trip all around for what it was.For a hassle free and fine time I would recommend joining Ed on an adventure. We are not one to quickly judge, are pretty laid back and not picky and just like to have a good time. We did get to hear the story about the Jack N(Chris) call too, funny.

My wife and two little boys (3 and 5 at the time) rented a couple of Kayaks from Ed and Apostle Islands Kayaks last summer. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. Ed is a very entertaining guy with a unique background in academics and activism. He is also very friendly, reasonable, and knowledgeable about kayaking in the area. He graciously provided us transportation from La Pointe and gave everybody a very useful overview of kayaking near the islands, weather, and safety before we departed. This side of the island is generally very protected and thunderstorms/rain would have to be an immediate threat in order to justify a weather cancellation. Regardless, Ed is very cognizant of weather conditions and would not refuse refunds to anybody if he truly thought weather might endanger anybody on the water. My only complaint is that Ed was constantly flirting with my wife, but I can't blame him for that because she's easy on the eyes and fun to flirt with. If you're looking for a good time at the Apostle Islands and you're not so anal retentive that you can't relax and have a little fun, this is the right kayaking company for you!

You may have to knock on the door of the house a couple of blocks from downtown but the person you meet will leave you wanting to come back for another Kayak trip. Ed is the owner and tour guide on your experience. This is his retirement job and he is very good at it. He knows the island and if you have never kayaked this area you need to know the do’s and don’ts as you can get into real issues with weather and the temp of the water. Also ask about his 1960’s experience….you have to ask. He is not the cheapest in the area but is so helpful you will get value for money well spent.

This person had made a reservation for herself and her friend. On the day they were to kayak, she phone me about the weather. I explained that when the prevailing west wind is blowing on one side of the island then the other side - Big Bay on the east side of the Island where we kayak - is peaceful. I recall that the problem that morning was the possibility of rain in addition to the west wind. I was fairly certain that the rain would end around noon and that the afternoon would be lovely. That was the weather forecast and that is the way it turned out. Since this person was concerned about the weather, I did ask her to check back with me later to make sure that it was not going to rain in the afternoon, in which case we would have cancelled. She, however, decided a few hours before she and her friend were to kayak, that it would cost her too much to take her car to Madeline Island. As our website states, it is not necessary to bring one's car to Madeline to kayak with us, since we can provide transportation. She writes about "lightening, high winds, high waves or small craft advisory," none of which applied to our weather that afternoon. In fact we had 16 of the maximum 18 customers on the calm waters of Big Bay that perfect, sunny afternoon. Had she cancelled according to our guidelines, i.e. the day before, 2 others could have kayaked and her card would not have been charged. This person and her friend were not on Madeline Island, did not come to Madeline Island and probably have never been here, yet she writes a "review." Apostle Islands Kayaks has served over 10,000 customers over the past 7 years. Except for this person (and her friend), we have always pleased our customers, and we are proud of that. Kayaking for us is all about having fun on the water. And be assured, we do our very best for our customers.