clarke outdoors

Convenient place to rent stuff as well as purchase. offer kayak floats down the Housi at reasonable prices.

Clarke is a great service for kayaking and canoeing on the Housatonic. Their team is fun, happy, easy to interact with and the river is beautiful. Overall a great afternoon!

A group of 12 of us rented mixed canoes and rafts from Clarke outdoors. They were very accommodating and organized. They delivered us up stream on the Housatonic and met us 6 miles down for pick up. It was a day well spent.

Wow! What a GRRRREEEAT experience... floating down the Housatonic river in western Connecticut on a sunny and extremely pleasant day.The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful in late summer, and the river runs slow ~ mostly shallow, with mild rapids that are easily negotiable, even to the novice paddle boater or canoer. We floated lazily downstream, paddling through the rapids and then coasting through the calm stretches, escorted by two, and then three, Great Herons that flew along... alighting on the surrounding trees and overhanging branches from time to time. We stopped for a break and refreshments at Cornwall, approximately halfway down our 10-mile run (er, float..?) before having to reach the end of the trip and surrender our gear... and head back to reality!!A definite "Must-do" item for anyone who likes the outdoors.(but watch the weather!!)

Friendly staff & 'easy to use' fun in the outdoors. My Bro in Law Brought myself, my 4 daughters & Hubby to go canoeing with this business. It really was a great time! Not a lot of movement on the river, so we got some serious exercise but that was what we were hoping for. Kids had a blast!

This is a great outfit--very reasonably priced, super helpful and friendly staff/owner, and a beautiful stretch of river. We went on the first launch of the day and didn't see another person the entire trip; we did get to see a lot of wildlife, though (herons, ducks, etc). Rapids are all a lot of fun and easy enough to navigate without a guide if you have a bit of experience. Their building has a well-stocked store and complementary showers, which was greatly appreciated since we went out a coldish/drizzly day. I highly recommend Clarke Outdoors if you're looking for river fun in a beautiful piece of nature!

Very friendly staff and accomodating. Their vans are a little skank inside, and I am hoping that they can buy some new life jackets soon, because the ones they provide are kind of gross and smell like sweat. I recommend bringing your own if you have them. The river was low, so they brought us to a different spot than they normally bring their customers. It was a great experience, we had a blast! The river was quiet and relaxing. They made it very easy to leave when you were done. They had you park your car at the end where you would finish, and then you could leave the equipment on the side in the grass, and then you wouldn't have to wait for them to come pick you up, you can just leave in your own car on your own time.

Clarke Outdoors offers solo and guided tours on the Housatonic River! Kayaks, rafts, and canoes are available. Prices are extremely reasonable. Their store is also a good place to stock up on gear. We rented a canoe and had a great time. You follow the boat truck and park your car where the trip ends. Then you driven to starting point. There is some road noise and some housing at places along the river, but it is mostly tranquil and very charming. Many farms still operate in the area and it's fun to drift past the cornfields.