Paddling communities

Sea kayaking club running paddles, trips and skills sessions around the Bay.

San Francisco, CA

Paddling club offering instruction, safety training and organized trips for kayakers and canoeists.

Birmingham, AL

Meetup group paddling the rivers and lakes of Central Kentucky together.

Lexington, KY

Lexington-based paddling club running whitewater trips, clinics and river events across Kentucky.

Lexington, KY

Canoe and kayak club for North and South Carolina, focused on whitewater.

North and South Carolina

Catawba River group leading guided eco-tour paddles and cleanups, including Rock Hill sections.

Gastonia, NC

Women's kayaking meetup started by Nature Adventures to explore off-the-beaten-path paddling trails.

Charleston, SC

Nonprofit paddle club for dragon boat and outrigger paddling; no experience needed.

Charleston, SC

Knoxville paddling club founded in 1969 for whitewater and flatwater canoeing and kayaking, with trips, safety clinics and river clean-ups.

Knoxville

Statewide paddling club based in Richmond with member trips most weekends and safety clinics.

Richmond, VA

Denver nonprofit paddling club with kayak classes, roll clinics, safety courses, a kids team, river weekends, a spring film festival and river advocacy.

Denver

North Portland watershed group with guided paddles, nature walks and restoration events.

Portland, OR

Columbia river group protecting the Broad, Saluda and Congaree, with paddles and cleanups.

Columbia, SC

Coosa River protection group with paddle trips, clean-ups and water monitoring along the Coosa.

Gadsden, AL

Danville river group offering free monthly First Saturday hikes and public paddles.

Danville, VA

Volunteer group offering free walk-up kayaking on the Hudson in Manhattan.

New York, NY · not in an area yet

Statewide paddling nonprofit that supports the Florida Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling Trail and paddlers.

Gainesville, FL

Statewide paddling club promoting recreational paddling, skills and river safety; site blocked our check.

Atlanta, GA

Statewide river nonprofit (formerly Georgia River Network) running guided paddle trips and river adventures.

Atlanta, GA

Group restoring the rapids of the Grand River through downtown, with a youth summer river program.

Grand Rapids, MI · not in an area yet

Huntsville paddling club with organized trips, meetings and trip leader training.

Huntsville, AL

Volunteer group offering free and low-cost public kayaking on Staten Island since 2007.

New York, NY · not in an area yet

Long Island City volunteer boathouse with free kayaking and guided kayak trips.

New York, NY · not in an area yet

Nonprofit protecting the Little Miami Wild and Scenic River, with river clean-ups and floats.

Cincinnati, OH · not in an area yet

Lowcountry paddling club for kayakers and canoeists.

Charleston, SC

Group restoring Cincinnati's Mill Creek with guided paddles, clean-ups and volunteer events.

Cincinnati, OH · not in an area yet

Portland whitewater paddling club with river trips and skill clinics for members.

Portland, OR

Historic paddling club on the Schuylkill with paddling trips, instruction and social events.

Philadelphia, PA

Canoe and kayak club running flatwater and river trips and paddling classes in northern Colorado.

Fort Collins CO

Chicago-area paddling club running canoe and kayak trips on Illinois and Midwest rivers.

Chicago, IL

Volunteer group in Red Hook offering free first-come kayaking for the public.

Brooklyn, NY · not in an area yet

Reno paddling Meetup with about 650 members: kayak and paddleboard outings on Lake Tahoe, reservoirs and the Truckee River, river clean-ups and talks.

Reno

Rhode Island paddling club with flatwater, whitewater and sea kayak trips run by members.

Providence, RI

Meetup group organizing social kayak paddles around Roanoke.

Roanoke, VA

Nonprofit running the Roanoke River paddle trail and its camping platforms, which extend into Chowan County.

Edenton, NC

Colorado paddling club, mostly open canoes, with lake outings, whitewater and multi-day trips, ACA instruction and a kids on the water program.

Denver

Brooklyn paddling club on Jamaica Bay for kayaking, canoeing, sailing and rowing, with open paddles.

Brooklyn, NY · not in an area yet

Jackson nonprofit caring for the Snake River with river clean-ups, access projects and paddler education.

Jackson, WY

Spokane paddling club with trips, clinics and classes for whitewater, flatwater and sea kayakers and canoeists.

Spokane, WA · not in an area yet

Nashville paddling club with trips from flatwater to whitewater led by volunteer trip leaders.

Nashville, TN

Meetup group for kayakers of all levels, first-timers included.

Charleston, SC

Watershed group running guided paddle trips and river events on the Tualatin.

Tualatin, OR

Watershed group for the Upper Iowa River that publishes a paddler's guide and river recreation info.

Decorah, IA

Salt Lake paddling club formed in 1991 for whitewater kayaking, canoeing, packrafting, rafting and paddleboarding, with instruction, safety and organized trips.

Salt Lake City

Statewide paddling club, ACA affiliated, organizing whitewater and flatwater trips.

Burlington, VT

Community whitewater paddling club in West Asheville.

West Asheville

Wenatchee club with boats and a boathouse on the Columbia, running paddles, rowing and community events.

Wenatchee, WA · not in an area yet

River conservation group leading paddle trips and river clean-ups on the Willamette.

Portland, OR

Providence river group with guided paddles, greenway walks and clean-ups.

Providence RI

Winston-Salem river group that leads public paddles and cleanups on the Yadkin.

Winston-Salem, NC