Trinity River Kayak Co — Local services in Coppell

My son and I did the Double Rush which starts at the Lake Lewisville Dam down to McKinnish Park for a total of 12 miles. I had fished at LLELA a few times and seen kayaking groups float by with the current and wanted to try it. This year there has been abundant rain and I was expecting high water levels and good downstream flow for a relaxing day of floating and some paddling. It was a beautifully sunny day in the low 80's and we were excited. The Trinity River Kayaking staff was friendly and quick to service the customers. The store is stocked with goodies just in case you forgot anything. We departed on schedule and the owner/driver was friendly and informative about the history of the river.

The driver told us along the way that the dam was being worked on and that the flow to the river had been turned off. The lady at the park gate reiterated that fact. Why hadn't we been informed of this when we checked in? He obviously knew. The driver kept telling us that we looked strong and wouldn't have any problems. So on his word we disembarked on our trip. That was a huge mistake. First, the water level was so low that that we had to push and carry our kayaks from the dam to the railroad trestle which is about a mile away. It's fairly scenic but it would have been better floating along in a kayak. Then when we finally were able to get in our kayaks, the water level was very shallow for the vast majority of our trip and we oftentimes had to get out and walk our kayaks.

This was the first time I did a kayak trip down the Trinity River from LLELA. Once you're in your kayak there aren't any conveniences or parks along the way and there are only a couple natural spots where you can reasonably get out and take in the scenery. You are definitely out in nature. The driver mentioned that rain runoff and trash goes into the river. I guess that was a warning. After passing the railroad trestle the river is very smelly with lots and lots of trash. There were appliances, bathtubs, car tires, balls, plastic bags, and thousands of plastic bottles. It was so disgusting. I assume that when the water level is high the trash is mostly under water and not as visible. It didn't help that there were many downed trees and limbs that trapped the trash and made it hard to navigate the river. This is probably why there isn't as much trash below Hebron Parkway. There are some pretty areas and that was refreshing but soon you again come up to piles of accumulated trash. The smell just kept lingering. The river has so much potential but it is wasted.

We ate our sandwiches in our kayaks after we passed Hebron Parkway. Below that the water level, smell, and trash improved though my oar hit bottom plenty of times. We finally completed our trip in 6 hours at McKinnish park. There was the one boat ramp but it was broken off on the end and made it somewhat difficult to exit the kayak. As I was trying to get out, I lost my balance on a piece of loose concrete block and I fell in the murky water. I felt bad for happened so my son and I helped other kayakers as they were trying to complete their trips. I don't understand why there isn't a reasonable dock to come in and out. Why not a little sandy shore?

Would I do this particular trip again? Absolutely not. Would I recommend Trinity Kayakers? The people act nice and they have enough equipment but our kayaks were old. My son's kayak was patched with blue goo. I guess if it floats, it's fine. They should have warned us about the dam at check in. They knew about it. I'm very mad about that. Having only taken this trip once, if I owned TRKC, I would try my best to discourage anyone from this trip when the dam is shut off but instead he encouraged us to go. Why? The low water exposes all the ugliness that lies beneath the surface. You have to paddle around all that trash and the exposed trees and limbs. It was a terrible experience. Thanks TRKC for ruining a Saturday with my son. I guess the money was more important than our...

Visited Trinity River Kayak Co and took a kayak trip with the family for Labor Day.

Highlights it was perfect weather and awesome conditions. We saw turtles. Birds. It was nice. the equipment and property was well maintained the staff (with exception of the manager / owner) was attentive and well mannered. We felt safe (especially with younger kids)

So why the three stars? The materials asks one to be there 20 mins early. We got there 10 mins early - which yes is our fault - however in my opinion manageable. we were greeted by the owner / manager. It wasn’t yelling but it was unkind and unfriendly like he was aggravated and felt the need to reprimand us. He was worried about us holding up the group. Almost like he didn’t want to accommodate us.

The staff watched - which is concerning as he sets the example for many of these younger employees. After reflecting on this - he did not instruct his staff to move with the sense of urgency. For example - they could have grabbed two sets of waivers to make the process move faster. They could have started our group of 8 to start fitting for life jackets - the staff realized they were short supply and had to go get extra. They had two van and could have send one of the vans ahead. When my wife asked to use the restroom- it was responded with impatience. (Our group wasn’t even the final group to board the van).

There is a lot to like about this group and the service they offer. Yes we were 10 mins early (vs the requested 20 mins) - which I acknowledge. However the whole situation could have been handled with more curtesy and...

I took my 4 kids (ages 9 – 15) kayaking a couple of weeks ago. We did the shorter trip, like 5 miles down the Trinity. It was a really nice experience. I highly recommend it. The staff was really great as well, very friendly, very helpful. At first glance, I thought the price was a little high, but by the end of the trip I’d changed my mind. Other places we’ve been, you rent the kayaks for an hour at a time, usually 20 or 25 bucks an hour and pay when you’re done. Here, it’s a flat rate, which is higher, but the trip was about 2.5 or 3 hours, so the hourly rate came to the same or less. It’s a beautiful route. For most of it, you can forget that you’re in the city. It feels like you’re out in East Texas or somewhere. This was the first river kayaking trip we’d done, and it was nice to be rowing with the current the whole time. We’d sometimes just rest and let the river flow us along. There’s shade available here and there for most of the trip. All my kids had a really great time, though my 9 year old did start getting a little tired towards the end. But the river is taking you where you need to go anyway, so she was able to rest when she needed to, and we’d just slow down and float with her. One pro tip – um… make sure you put plenty of sunblock on your legs. I didn’t. Just my face, neck and arms. Giganormous rookie mistake. My skin is...