Reed's Canoe Trips — Local services in Kankakee

Let me take you step by step. When you first get there, the employees sorta yell at you to get a life jacket. Then, I believe we waited about an hour for a bus to show up with the canoes that we all had to get on. It was about a 15 minute drive to the river. The actual canoeing part was enjoyable. We had 6 hours of canoeing down the river with a big group. Personally, I think the bigger the group you go with, the better. I will say that the canoes themselves were hollow and had no compartments for bags or any such items. I think every canoe had a decent amount of water in in by the end of the day, and everyone bags were soaked. Phones, food, clothes, towels, etc...There was nothing keeping anything dry. (Someone had put their phone in a bag inside the bag, and it broke due to water damage.) We had two boats tip, and people fall in, one due to filling with too much water. The real problems started when we got back to the pick up area. Now, this is after you canoed for 6 hours in 90+ degree weather. We were told that the shuttles would be there to pick us up at least 10 minutes after we got there. Our group required at least two shuttles, but only had shown up on time. No big deal right? Wrong. We were told it was right behind the other one and it would be there in five minutes. The other bus left with half of us on it while the other half waited an hour in 90+ degree weather, sitting on pavement. An employee said that two of the drivers left! How irresponsible! I get if you have many places where you have to drive to and pick people up, but don't let two of your drivers leave and let paying customers sit on hot pavement for an hour. We were farther away from the actual canoe site, maybe 25-30 minutes. Overall, I give this one star not because of the canoeing experience itself but how the business was handled and customers...

Reeds, services are great! After parking the car, you are brought to the designated area where the kayak (you can choose canoe as well) is launched. My wife and I didn't really know the difference, so we opted for the kayak for 2. The view is stunning and it is probable to see turtles, herons and eagles! It was the first time, however I didn't expect all our belonging remained dry and refreshed in the internal area of the kayak. Every canoer or kayaker paddles at their own pace, so every once in a while it is fun to exchange a couple of words during the descent. Bring at least a gallon of water per person to remain hydrated and some snack to store some energy! The staff was really helpful in giving us all the directions before hand. At the end, we were charged of the $20 deposit twice, so requested assistance. They helped us and solved the problem right away. It was a nice discovery and next time we'll be trying...

I would give them 0 stars but that is not an option. I made a reservation two months in advance to rent 20 canoes, bringing 40 individuals. The day prior to the reservation I called to make sure everything was good to go and they said they closed for the season two weeks earlier. They did not seem to care we had a reservation, they did not apologize. I guess they do not value their customers or honor their reservations.

After talking with the driver, I had to take my 40 people, he mentioned that this happened to another group last year. So I guess this is a normal occurrence for for Reed's Canoe Trips.

HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND REED'S...