Looking to power your own adventure down Charlemont’s Deerfield River? Kayaking is an excellent way to explore the Deerfield River Valley. There are sit-in or sit-on-top whitewater kayaking options available through Zoar Outdoor. Zoar Outdoor’s Guided River Kayak program is a great afternoon family activity for folks who love paddling their own sit-on-top craft. Zoar Outdoor’s Paddlesports School, one of the top paddlesports instruction schools in the country, has a range of instruction offerings to hone your down river whitewater maneuvering skills to take your paddling to the next level.

A whitewater kayak is just like an extension of your body. It fits snugly to give you maximum control and maneuverability. After introducing you to the sport of kayaking and to your equipment, we get our first taste of paddling in the security of a pond. We start by teaching you to safely exit the kayak when upside down. Then we move on to learning basic strokes, including sweep strokes, forward strokes, draws, and braces. Once everyone is comfortable in their boats, we head to moving water where we introduce river maneuvers such as the eddy turn, peel out and ferry.