canoe escape

My wife and I have been on four different trips down the Hillsborourgh with Canoe Escape. They were all wonderful. Only once did we fail to see alligators, but even on that trip, we still enjoyed the indescribably beautiful scenery. On two occasions, friends from out of town have joined us, and they loved it too. The staff at Canoe Escape are very friendly and knowledgeable—take the paddling tutorial before setting off, and you'll be a paddling like a pro by the time you finish. We highly recommend the two hour downstream journey (Trip 1).

My husband and I went for a two hour kayak trip down the river and saw tons of wildlife. It was a great way to spend time together and enjoy the serenity of Florida nature. I highly recommend visiting the park. The staff are knowledgeable, curteous, and nice.

A friend who had taken the trip with others several times took me to the Hillsborough river. We took a tandem canoe unguided. Probably saw about 30 alligators, lots of turtles, birds, and even a good sized deer. It was a gentle paddle, mostly downstream. We went in at Sargeant's Park and out at Morris Bridge Park comfortably in two hours.

We were a family group of 5, with ages ranging from 8yrs - retired (my Mum wont let me say her actual age!). We all loved this trip. All total beginners in canoeing, although my husband I had had done a bit of kayaking. Saw lots (LOTS) of wildlife. We took the downstream paddle, which takes about 2 hours, and includes a pick-up and transfer back. Cost approx $115 for the 5 of us. You can do it much cheaper if you just do an hour or two canoe hire, but I don't think that you will really get as much out of the trip. We chose trip #1. You don't a guide, just some instructions. There where a few moments when we thought we were completely lost - we weren't, but it was worrying as there really is no-one around and some kind of marker would have been re-assuring.

This is a definite experience and a very slow moving river so suitable for all ages. Take water, sunscreen and a hat if you can! We saw a number of alligators, and some in our party were pretty terrified but was amazing to be right in their habitat like that!

Hillsborough State Park rents kayaks but you can only kayak a short distance and you have to kayak upstream as well as downstream. Canoe Escape is located just 3 miles from the park entrance and gives you the option of kayaking 4 to 12 miles. I chose the 8 mile trip and took my time. The wildlife at the beginning of your trip is incredible. Birds galore, hundreds of migratory vultures, turtles and alligators. There were no houses along the entire 8 miles giving you a sense of wilderness. There are pink ties on streams to mark the route but I was glad I had an iPhone with gps on two occasions. I went on a weekday and only saw one other paddler at the beginning of the trip. The staff at Canoe Escape were friendly and very accommodating, offering you various pick up times and the option to shorten your trip and call them if you chose. Kayak and paddle were comfortable.

Service darling! kayak down the Hillsborough River with alligators, thousands of turkey vultures and many more birds with prettier plumage. Water was so still felt like floating between the reflections. Alligators avoided me if I went to close. only went the first 2 hour section but will return for the first section again!

My husband and I made reservations for 9:00 am for the trip to Trout Creek. The trip took approx. 4 hours which included a break halfway to enjoy our packed lunch. We spotted gators, turtles and many different types of birds. The staff was wonderful, from the initial reservation call to the team that picked us up at our final stop to return us to our car. The equipment was great and the map of the river was very helpful. Highly recommend this trip and can't wait to do it again !!!

Great opportunity to see a "pristine" bit of wilderness complete with lots of wildlife. Loved the river, the Canoe Escape folks were very nice and competent, we are certain we will be back to do more trips.

We had Phil as our guide, who was really nice and very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. We have not done a lot of canoeing and don't know the area so it was great to have a guide.

This guy's did an excellent job getting our boats and equipment ready. We went twice with different friends and kids. It was somewhat cool but I was good enough to find Alligators, birds, turtles for my family and friends. In the shop they helped me recognize the names of the dozen varieties of birds seen when I showed them the images from my camera. We saw 13 Alligators, 5 turtles, and a dozen type of birds. Thanks guys

I have been canoeing on this river for years! Joe and Jean are amazing as well as their Canoe Escape team. Highly recommend them!!!

3 of us rented 1 canoe for a 4 hour trip and it was worth it. The first two hours were the best and when we saw the most wildlife. After the half-way point it was more serene and quiet with less alligators. Around the 4 hour mark right before the stop they label "Nature's Classroom" there is a section covered with black vultures- that was amazing. I didn't think vultures would be that interesting but there were so many crowded into one place- more than I imagined.

We took the 2 hours down stream canoe trip yesterday as a company outing and had a blast! There were about 30 adults and a handful of kids in 13 canoes and one kayak. The water was very high and we saw many alligators sunning themselves on the banks of the river. We also saw turtles, a snake, and many beautiful birds. Just the trees and natural surrounds are beautiful in their own right. There is no sign of human influence anywhere along the 2 hour ride until you get to the Morris bridge, almost at the end. And that is just a nice park.

I took. My mother for a paddle on the "middle section" of the Hillsborough River and used Canoe Escape as our livery(shuttle). They are a first class operation serving a beautiful section of the river. We are fortunate to have such a beautiful piece of nature so close to home and everyone should go for a paddle with Canoe Escape at least once. The first two hours from Sargeant Park to Morris Bridge Park is excellent for beginners. The river is relatively straight, the current is swift but comfortable(water levels are very high right now), and the scenery is very nice. The section from Morris Bridge Park to Trout Creek kicks it up a notch. The river twists and turns (sharply at times)and the obstructions(downed trees) are more frequent present more of a challenge. However, the stunning scenery and wildlife make the challenging paddle well worth it. The staff at Canoe Escape were professional, courteous, helpful, and considerate(I'm talking to you Romero).