Anyone rent kayaks?

[lsayd]

Hi All,

I figured this was the best place to post this question - we'll be at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge for Christmas and would love info on the kayak rentals at Fort Wilderness. Does anyone know the cost? Are they two person kayaks? We are a group of 6 (all over 16) and I think this would be fun to do on Christmas after a leisurely stroll from VWL to FW. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

Loretta

 

[Tri-circle-D]

This is definitely the place to post this question!

Here is a photo showing the prices of the rentals:

You can put two (and I think maybe even three) people in each Kayak.


And about that leisurely stroll- you most certainly stroll, but the kayaks are rented from the Bike Barn, so your stroll will be over a mile long. You will have flat, paved, surfaces to walk on, but it is a long walk. If you wish, you can take a bus all the way to right near the Bike Barn, or you could take the resort boat from WL to the FW marina, and then walk the rest of the way, which would cut your walk in about half.

TCD

 

[lsayd]

Thanks for the info - we can do a mile on flat surface without a problem, it's a nice walk as well (we've done the segway tour there) and we won't have the summer heat and humidity, so it should be fine! Do you know how far out into the lake you're allowed to go?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Thanks for the info - we can do a mile on flat surface without a problem, it's a nice walk as well (we've done the segway tour there) and we won't have the summer heat and humidity, so it should be fine! Do you know how far out into the lake you're allowed to go?

If you are talking about Bay Lake (the lake in front of Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness), you do not go in that lake at all. The canoes and kayaks are limited to the small lake (maybe it is more accurate to call it a pond) in front of the Bike Barn, and the canals that connect to it.

TCD

 

[Judy in Texas]

There is a canal that runs through Fort Wilderness and you kayak around the loop. The CM in the Bike Barn, where you rent the canoes and kayaks, said a leisurely paddle takes just under an hour. You start at the Bike Barn and I think you head in the direction of the lake, cross under the Yellow Bus line road, go by the Doggie Park, go by loop 1500 and back under the Yellow Bus line road, go under the bridge that takes you from the Loop 1500 bus stop to the Meadows pool, then head back to the Bike Barn. I checked it out week before last but didn't have enough time set aside to do it. It is flat and calm. Very little if any water movement. Good for a first timer.

 

[lsayd]

Thank you both for the info - we figured you could not go out into Bay Lake due to safety concerns and since we've never seen kayaks out there, but just weren't sure.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

This may be more info than you need, but here is an aerial shot of the canoe/kayak trail:

Bay Lake is at the upper left corner of this photo.

As you can see, the basic trail is a loop about a mile long. You can also paddle up and down the larger canal that you see on the right of the photo. This canal does connect with Bay Lake, but there is a dam at the end that will prevent you from entering Bay Lake. If you head the other way in the canal, you will come to one of the WDW golf courses.

TCD