The Hillsborough River is great for group outings. Each two hours is a picnic area with restrooms so including a picnic at the end of the trip or at a midpoint stop is easy. The usually slow-moving water is suitable for all levels of paddling ability. We offer special group pricing on Trip 3 only (see below).

Please consider your whole group when you are planning a group outing. If you are an experienced paddler who would like to take our six hour trip, that's great. Just remember that you may have one or two first-time paddlers in the group and they may never want to paddle again if you schedule something too aggressive for their first outing. If you are arranging a catered lunch at one of the parks or are parking a car at one of the parks with all the food, make sure that everyone knows that at a minimum they need to bring water or soft drinks along with them in the canoe, otherwise, it might be a long two hours before they can quench their thirst.

We require a 100% non-refundable prepayment ten days in advance of a group reservation. However, please make a tentative reservation as soon as you have selected your trip, date, and time. We will reserve your slot for you as a tentative and expect your prepayment ten days out. We have learned over the years that although it is a little bit of a hassle, it is a big help to the group organizer to collect the money in advance from those folks expressing a desire to canoe with the group. There are a lot of folks who think they would like to go, think it's a good idea, will show up if nothing better comes along, et cetera. The people who pay their money in advance will show up (barring an extreme emergency) and this ensures a successful group outing by having a good turnout. This also helps us in our planning. Based on the number of canoes in the group, we block out a time slot before and after the group so our individual paddlers can still enjoy the serenity they are seeking.

What about rain? It's unusual for it to rain all day in Florida, but it does happen. If it should rain all day at our location and you couldn't possibly go, we will schedule a rain date for the group. Please notice that we judge the weather by our location, not necessarily yours. Oftentimes in Florida it rains on one side of the street and not the other. So if you are 10 minutes or more away from us, your weather may be completely different than ours.

Please ask your group to arrive 15 to 30 minutes (depending on size of group) before check in time so everyone will be here on time.

Group Pricing
For groups of 8 canoes or more who are more interested in socializing than wildlife observation we recommend Trip 3. This 2 hour trip is through a wider section of the river so paddling side-by-side or rafting up together is no problem. Groups are welcome on all trips, however we offer special group pricing on Trip 3 only. (If you are planning a weekend outing for your group please note the additional restrictions below in order to receive these group rates.

Tandem canoe or kayak
(2 paddler minimum charge per boat)
8+   $18.00 per paddler plus tax

Some Tandem canoes are large enough to accommodate center passengers as follows:
Under 12 (2 center passengers maximum)   FREE
12 - 17 (1 center passenger maximum)   $8.00
18 or older (1 center passenger maximum)   $12.00

These special arrangements may not be combined with any other discounts or special offers, and are not applicable to other areas of the river, guided, or escorted trips.

Additional weekend/holiday restrictions on group rates:

Start time must be at 8:30 a.m. with a return by noon OR start time of 2:00 p.m.

As we do with all groups we require a 100% non-refundable prepayment ten days in advance of a group reservation (as noted in text above).

Self-Guided River Trips, Rentals & Shuttles • Interpretive Guided Trips
What to Bring • Canoe/Kayak Retail Sales • Special Events
What Might I See? (list) • What Might I See? (list & thumbnails)
Brochure Request • Links • Home

Canoe Escape, Inc.
9335 E. Fowler Avenue
Thonotosassa, FL 33592
ph: 813-986-2067
e-mail: info@canoeescape.com
www.canoeescape.com