broken paddle guiding co.

We went on the Sunset Paddle in late October 2014. We booked this trip as part of staying at the Turning Waters BB&A in Wabasha. The trip was very nice and though the weather was tough during the day it was not bad at night and turned out to be a great night to be on the water. Pulling the boats out and stopping in for a beer was a nice way to end and the food at Read's Landing was good, especially for some hungry paddlers.

We are not experienced kayakers but wanted to take in the natural environment of the upper Mississippi. From the first phone call, Broken Paddle staff were friendly, responsive and made this a wonderful experience for us. We felt very safe traveling the waterways and enjoyed every moment. Our guide, Mike, brought us homemade apple cider from his apple orchard.

We had a sunset tour with Michael and although the weather wasn't the best, we still had a great time. Michael is very personable and an excellent guide. We enjoyed the view and learning about our surroundings. The hot tea he brought along to warm us up when we took a break was much appreciated. We look forward to doing another trip when we are back in the area.

We enjoyed the late afternoon "Raptor" tour with Michael. Not a lot of wildlife to be seen, but that's not something that is under anyone's control. A very interesting 3.5 hour paddle through the backwaters - through flooded forests and tall grasses. Definitely an "away from it all" experience - we did not see another boat, canoe, or kayak once we were away from the dock. Relaxing and meditative - not an experience that you'll have many other places. Recommended.

I have gone on two sunset tours and am currently working on getting back as soon as possible! Richie is a pleasure to speak to on the phone and makes sure you are as ready as possible for your trip. Jay and Alex were both terrific guides, and I loved taking in all of the knowledge they had to share about plants, animals, the history of the river and surrounding areas, and many other interesting subjects. I had never kayaked before my first tour, and I always felt completely safe and comfortable. I can't think of many other things to do that offer the opportunity to get in some physical activity, take in fresh air, relax, think, chat, laugh, meet new people, sight-see, and learn--all within just a few hours. There's something really special about being on the water at the vantage point a kayak provides, and I can't recommend it enough!

I did the sunset beach tour and it was better than awesome. Michael was our guide and he was super friendly, incredibly knowledgeable about the river and all it's inhabitants - even if he didn't know what a twain was... :) This was only my second time ever kayaking and I found it to be a relaxing and peaceful trip. We stopped at a sandy beach and watched the sunset while we enjoyed some explosive homebrew that Michael himself concocted. I would definitely recommend BPG Co to anyone who has ever considered kayaking.

My husband and I did the sunset tour from Wabasha. It was a great experience, we got to see some beautiful scenery and race a storm to the brewery and then have some delicious beer and nachos. I would definitely sign up for a longer tour since I really liked going slow and talking about the wildlife. We paddled under the train bridge right as a train was riding over, saw a bunch of eagles and learned about flowers. Recommend these guys to anyone and everyone. I also recommend their partner B&B Turning Waters!

Our group had never kayaked before but our guide, Michael, quickly put us at ease. We did the sunset tour which started on the Chippewa River and then finished with the Mississippi River. We all had a great time. Michael was full of information about the rivers, the plants and wildlife in the area. He was a great guide!! The scenery was gorgeous and we were treated to a beautiful sunset over Lake Pepin. I would definitely do this again.

My wife and I took the kayak raptor tour from Wabasha and we loved it! Our guide was informative and educational the entire time while providing a relaxed environment. The tour was great - we really enjoyed the back waters and all the sites you wouldn't see with other tours. We were beginner kayakers and had zero problems, I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys the water and siteseeing!

Our guides Michael and Alex were the perfect combination of capable paddlers, nature geeks and storytellers. Our group included novices to experts and we all had a blast. The backwaters of the Mississippi were breathtaking and we learned some nifty paddling techniques. Spent the night at Turning Waters B&B which was the perfect place to cap off a perfect day.

What a great tour! We did the morning raptor tour and it did not disappoint. Not five minutes in we saw an adult and juvenile eagle. The back waters of the Mississippi are gorgeous. You forget you are in Minnesota. Almost like a green fairytale land. Micheal was amazing. Funny, knowledgeable, laid back. He made the tour great. Worth every penny!! Definitely going again and requesting Micheal!

What a great day to tour the Mississippi in the kayak. My tour guide Michael made the trip extremely enjoyable. Perfect weather, nice relaxing tour in the backwaters, took in many sights of bald eagles, turtles, "fly catchers" and a few others I forget the names of.Would love to try the sunset tour sometime. I am a beginner kayaker and have been out on a few lakes and was leery of the tackling Mighty Mississippi by myself. No longer. I will be out there again!Thank You Broken PaddleHighly recommend. :)

We had a wonderful experience with Jay as our guide on our sunset beach kayak tour. We had the perfect night, and with Jay's guidance, we learned about the area and the wildlife around us. Broken Paddle is a very well run company with knowledgeable and personable guides, and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We stopped near the end of our journey to watch the sun set from a sandy beach on the Mississippi - what a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary! Thank you Jay & Broken Paddle Guiding!

Our first Kayak lesson with Alex was excellent. We felt comfortable enough after the lesson to be able to Kayak safely even though it was a very windy day. We thoroughly enjoy the educational information about the environment that Alex shared with us. We would definitely recommend kayaking with Broken Paddle Guiding Co. Bruce and Linda

Paddling on the Mississippi was the highlight of our Minnesota vacation. Michael knew so much about all the wildlife and plants that we learned not only about paddling, but the region's ecosystem, too. Neither my boyfriend nor I have extensive kayaking experience, but Michael made sure we were well-prepared to go out on the water. Having such a personable and knowledgeable guide turned a great paddling excursion into and awesome one!