This Put-in-Bay kayaking trip was actually our very first time going kayaking! I can hardly believe it since I've gone kayaking on numerous occasions on many different trips since then. Perhaps this was the destination where I caught the kayaking bug.
Going kayaking in Put-in-Bay is a unique way to explore the island. When paddling around this Lake Erie island, we had the opportunity to visit Gibraltar Island as well, an uninhabited island near PIB. Viewing Put-in-Bay from the water provided us with a new perspective and exploring on our own was such a treat.
Put-in-Bay Kayaking with Kayak the Bay
Justin and I drove our golf cart over to Kayak The Bay, a tour company situated on the northwest part of Put-in-Bay. We rented two kayaks on the spot without having to reserve them in advance.
It costs $25 to rent kayaks for two hours, and you have the choice between sit-inside kayaks and sit-on-top kayaks. We also had the option of renting a tandem kayak ($50), but we thought it'd be better if we had separate ones. If you kayak for more than two hours, it costs an additional $10/hour.
Kayak the Bay doesn't accept reservations. It's first come, first serve. They generally always have kayaks available to rent unless it's an exceptionally busy weekend.
While this isn't a kayaking tour with a tour guide, the staff member at Kayak the Bay can provide some pointers on how to kayak. He also showed us a map and gave us a few ideas of what we could see on our trip.
There are so many places to kayak that we couldn't possibly cover everything in two hours. So, you'll need to choose where to go, and we took his recommendations.
Bring Your Own Kayak
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Kayaking to Gibraltar Island
Our first destination was Gibraltar Island, so we paddled towards it. Gibraltar Island is completely owned by Ohio State University, so we were unable to actually visit the island itself. However, we were perfectly content cruising around Gibraltar Island and seeing it up close.
If you're interested in touring Gibraltar Island, Ohio State University operates guided tours on Thursdays from the end of June to the middle of August. Otherwise, the island is closed to the public.
Gibraltar Island had rugged cliff edges with lush greenery growing all around. It isn't what you'd imagine Ohio to look like. We navigated around giant boulders that protruded from the water. There were many waves crashing all around, so it was quite the adventure.
By paddling into the waves, we reduced the risk of tipping our kayaks over and falling into the water. There really wasn't much danger of flipping out of the kayaks, so we weren't too concerned.
One area of Gibraltar Island is called the "Needles Eye". It's a small challenge to kayak through this narrow space in between the cliffs. This is called "threading the needle." Thankfully, we both made it through without any issues! Make sure you hold your paddle sideways as to not get stuck.
We kayaked around the entire island past the Ohio State University building. We saw lots of interesting birds, including ducks, geese, a blue heron, and a black duck. Oh, and there are the water snakes.
Kayaking in Put-in-Bay: Water Snakes
When going kayaking in Put-in-Bay, we were warned about the water snakes. I only saw one, but Justin saw a whole bunch that made him squirm around in his kayak. The water snakes are endangered and protected in the area.
They kept poking their heads above the water and slithering back into the lake. Justin even saw one stick out its tongue!
The hilarious part of it was that Justin kept thinking he saw water snakes. But, they'd end up being ducks off in the distance or other things, like rocks.
He got paranoid of seeing more water snakes after he saw one or two. I spent half the time laughing at him and his fear of the water snakes. If you're not a fan, don't be too concerned as they never got very close to our kayaks.
Benson Ford: An Intriguing Home
After floating around Gibraltar Island, we continued kayaking around the northwest point of Put-in-Bay towards Benson Ford. It's a huge ship that was essentially cut in half, moved to the shoreline of Put-in-Bay, and converted into a house.
The best views of Benson Ford are from the water, so kayaking in Put-in-Bay is a great opportunity to see this unique home. This is another unmissable stop on your Put-in-Bay kayaking trip.
By this point, our arms and bodies were beginning to ache and we still had to kayak the entire way back. It was a bit of struggle at times. We both felt very accomplished for having attempted this new activity, and it definitely made us want to go kayaking again and again.
Getting to Put-in-Bay
It's easy to plan your trip to Put-in-Bay, Ohio. This island in Lake Erie is near Sandusky, Ohio. You'll need to take a ferry to reach PIB and there are numerous options from Port Clinton, Catawba Island and Sandusky. Take a look at our blog post about how to get to Put-in-Bay for all the details.
Where to Stay in Put-in-Bay, Ohio
I've visited Put-in-Bay twice now and stayed at the Bayshore Resort on both occasions. This hotel offers a more laidback atmosphere in contrast to some of the more rowdy party environments you can find in PIB.
It's also centrally located and you can walk right into town within moments. Book your stay at the Bayshore Resort when you travel to Put in Bay.
For more accommodation options, take a look at the handy map below. Enter your travel dates for more accurate information and click on each property to learn more and book.
More Places to Visit in Ohio
Looking to travel to other destinations in Ohio? Here are more of our Ohio travel guides:
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The Crowded Planet says
Beautiful! The scenery is stunning, I love the rocky cliffs. I agree with Tracie you did well not to go kayaking for the first time together, my husband and I did it and we nearly divorced. We haven't been kayaking since! Water snakes sound cool, I'm a big fan of snakes!
Marie-Carmen Infantes says
Gosh I'm so so bad at kayaking (I tend to go in the back so I can look at my other half doing all the work :D ) But it looks like you had an awesome experience there!
Colette D says
I am terrible at kayaking lol. But you totally had the whole area to yourselves by the look of it so well worth it, how relaxing :-)
Mindi Hirsch @ 2foodtrippers says
I almost forgot that you were in Ohio as i was looking at the photos with the rock formations. You could have been anywhere in the world. Very cool.
Antonette Spaan says
Wow - these are such tiny kayaks, would be fun to try them out one day ...
Christina says
Looks like a fun experience. The landscape at Gibraltar Island is so beautiful. Did you ever try kayaking together in one kayak? We tried it at the Canyon of Verdon in Southern France and the first 10 minutes it was really hard to coordinate the boat together. :)
Meanne says
Kayaking cool adventure to explore the beautiful place :)
Michael Huxley says
I have honestly never thought about Ohio as a place to visit before now, no reason it just wasn't on my radar. Maybe it's time to change my mind?
Bob R says
Put-In Bay! Old stomping grounds from a summer long ago. Great times had by all, at least those I can remember. :) Kayaking is something I didn't do at the time, and am very sorry about that now. Maybe next time I'm in Ohio during the summer.
TravellingWeasels says
I love kayaking - looks like you had a great time :)
Karen Warren says
Kayaking is physically hard work but it's a great way of exploring places that you wouldn't get to otherwise. Looks as if you had a fun trip.
Elena Nacheva says
Looks like you had a great trip (and very tiring). I love the ship converted into a house, would be interesting to see the interior :)
Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren says
I think the ship was featured on an episode of MTV Cribs where they did feature the inside of it! I haven't watched the episode, but maybe it is on Youtube somewhere :)
Brianna @ The Casual Travelist says
I love kayaking and would totally enjoy that trip. Who knew something so cool was in Ohio?
Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren says
Yeah, exactly! I had no idea until I started planning this trip. I even went to Put-in-Bay the year prior with a friend of mine, and I didn't know this was there until the second time around!
Calli D says
I love kayaking and this looks like an awesome location to do it with lots of interesting areas to explore. Glad to hear you're having a nice little vacation :)
Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren says
Thank you! :) It was really fun and a great place to go for my first time kayaking! We're itching to try it again!
Dave says
The kayaking in Put-in-Bay looks like a lot of fun with all of those rocks and their "needle." However, those snakes would definitely bother me a bit - are they poisonous?
Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren says
The snakes were totally harmless, definitely not poisonous. It was a little unsettling to see the snakes coming out of the water, but anytime we got even remotely close they would swim away! So, nothing to worry about :)
Milosz Zak says
Really love the rocks. We have something similar here in Southern Ontario :)
Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren says
Thanks! And whereabouts in Southern Ontario.... are you talking about Tobermory area? I'd be curious to know because we're from Southern Ontario and we'd like to go wherever you are talking about - let us know!
Milosz Zak says
Try to go to Rockwood near Guelph, it's 10 mins by car from my place, but yes, if you go to the Bruce Peninsula National Park grotto near Tobermory - the environment is identical.
Tracie Howe says
What a pretty place! I really like the rock formations. Good thing you didn't kayak in one boat together for your first time... you may have returned to your golf cart as enemies! ;)
Lauren | Justin Plus Lauren says
We had that option...but we decided to go with single kayaks! We did see another pair struggling with kayaking together later that day, and we thought it was funny although we were glad we kayaked the way we did! LOL :)