Full Moon Paddle

Nothing can be more beautiful than a full moon rising above a Piedmont lake. There is just something magical about moonbeams and water — and sharing the experience of looking at the moon with someone special, even if that someone special is just you.

Participants arrive early enough in the evening to practice paddling, enjoy a beautiful sunset and adjust their eyes to the night sky. As the moonlight gets brighter, we will paddle around the lake to enjoy the night sounds. Eventually, we will “raft-up” and lay back to fully take in our surroundings.

Fee: $25 per person with the canoe/kayak provided, $20 per person with your own boat.

Owl Prowl

Big Alamance Creek, upriver of its confluence with the Haw River, and the river itself, upriver of the dams at Saxapahaw and Bynum, NC, are great places to search for and watch birds and wildlife, especially in the early evening hours. The banks are heavily forested along the shoreline, creating ideal habitat for barred owls, one of the largest of owls. It isn’t always easy to see barred owls at night, but it is very easy to hear them as they call to each other. Male and female barred owls have different and distinctive calls, so it’s easy to identify them, even when you can’t see them. Their loud, sometimes hysterical sounding hoots, along with the slapping of beaver tails, make paddling at night an uncommon adventure.

Fee: $25 per person with the canoe/kayak provided, $20 per person with your own boat.

Pumpkin Paddle

Both the Villages of Bynum and Saxapahaw have Halloween traditions.  Before launching at either Village, your carved pumpkin is attached to each boat and either a candle or a glow stick placed in each pumpkin provides illumination. For those not accustomed to paddling in the dark, a night-time paddle is a truly unique and special experience.
After a magical time on the water, participants can either enjoy a walk on the pedestrian bridge in Bynum which is lined the entire way with artistically carved and lighted pumpkins or for those padding in Saxapahaw, enjoy a riverside bonfire.

Fee: $25 per person with the canoe/kayak provided, $20 per person with your own boat.
*bring your own carved pumpkin.

Stargazing Float

There is no better way to see the night sky in the Piedmont of North Carolina than by paddling, at night, on a lake, and at the time of a new moon. If astronomy is your hobby — or even if you just want to learn about what you’ve been looking at all these years — this float trip will be both fun and educational.

Participants arrive early enough in the evening to practice paddling, enjoy a beautiful sunset and adjust their eyes to the night sky. As the stars become brighter, everyone will “raft-up,” lay back, and identify stars and constellations.

Fee: $25 per person with the canoe/kayak provided, $20 per person with your own boat.

Sunset Paddle

Lakes formed behind the dams at Glencoe, Saxapahaw and Bynum are wonderful places to enjoy a calm, late afternoon paddle. The remote margins next to the shorelines are home to turtles, owls, great blue herons, egrets, kingfishers, cormorants, turkey, beavers, muskrats, raccoon, squirrel and deer.

This river trip is designed to give participants an opportunity to get away from the turmoil and stress of work or school, and spend a tranquil, late afternoon on the water. It also provides participants with the opportunity to try different types of boats, look for wildlife, gain more paddling experience and enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Fee: $25 per person with the canoe/kayak provided, $20 per person with your own boat.