Boat rentals

Most Virginia State Parks offer boat rentals for canoes, kayaks, paddleboats, stand up paddle boards, Jon boats, various motorized boats, tubes or some mix of them all. The parks below are sorted by region. Rental fees vary by park so contact the park for more detail.

Blue Ridge

Claytor Lake State Park
Claytor Lake WaterSports rents many types of boats and offers water-sports packages. Call 540-731-8683 or visit this website for details or to make reservations.

Hungry Mother State Park
Canoes, kayaks, electric powered Jon boats, stand-up paddle boards and paddleboats are available for rent Memorial Day through Labor Day and on weekends through October, weather permitting.

New River Trail State Park
The park rents kayaks, tubes and canoes at the Foster Falls Boat and Bike Livery, 276-699-1034. Rentals are available seven days a week Memorial Day to Labor Day and Friday through Sunday April to Memorial Day and Labor Day through October.

Central Virginia

Bear Creek Lake State Park
Canoes, rowboats, trolling motors, paddleboats, stand-up paddle boards and kayaks are available for rent Memorial Day to Labor Day, on weekends through Columbus Day weekend and on weekends in May and September. Parental supervision is required for all rentals. Rentals are sometimes cancelled during the shoulder season because of bad weather or staff shortages.

Holliday Lake State Park
Rentals are available from the first weekend in April through last weekend in October, weather permitting. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, guests should rent boats at the boat house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Half and full-day rentals are available for rowboats, canoes, pedal boats, stand-up paddle boards and sit-on-top kayaks. Guests should rent from the park office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. prior to Memorial Day and after Labor Day. Rental equipment then is limited to rowboats, canoes and sit-on-top kayaks.

James River State Park
James River Outdoor Adventures rents kayaks, tubes and canoes from April through October. (Days of operation are limited outside of Memorial Day to Labor Day.) Click here for more details.

Pocahontas State Park
The park rents paddleboats, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and rowboats 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day at Swift Creek Lake. Rentals are also available on weekends in April, May, September and October.

Smith Mountain Lake State Park
Canoes, kayaks, hydrobikes, paddleboats, pontoon boats, ski boats and jet skis are available for rent at the park from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The park concessionaire also rents boats offsite the rest of the year. Reservations are taken for those wishing to rent for more than six hours. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, call 540-297-3642 for information and reservations; call 540-721-1639 the rest of the year.

Twin Lakes State Park
Rowboats and canoes are available for rent year-round.Paddle boards and paddleboats are available for rent only during summer. Solo kayaks are rented May through September.

Eastern Shore

Kiptopeke State Park
Solo kayaks, tandem kayaks and stand-up paddle boards may be rented at the camp store.

Chesapeake Bay

Belle Isle State Park
Guests may rent canoes, solo and tandem kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and motorboats to explore the park's 7.5 miles of shoreline on the Rappahannock River, Deep and Mulberry creeks as well as the seven varieties of wetlands and coastal agricultural fields. Motorboat renters must have a DGIF boater safety certificate.

Westmoreland State Park
Paddleboats, stand up paddle boards and kayaks can be rented Memorial Day through Labor Day and on weekends from mid-April to Memorial Day and from Labor Day to Columbus Day weekend.

Hampton Roads

First Landing State Park
Canoes, kayaks and other watercraft may be rented April through September from a park concession at the boat ramp at the end of the 64th Street park entrance road. Outside of Memorial Day to Labor Day, rentals are weather-dependent. Find more details here.

York River State Park
Guided canoe and kayak trips begin at the visitor center. Guests learn about salt-marsh ecology on the Taskinas Creek canoe trip and about the natural and cultural history of the York River on the kayak trip. Paddleboats, Jon boats, canoes and kayaks can be rented for use at the creek and pond from April 1 through the Oct. 31.

Northern Virginia

Mason Neck State Park
April through October, kayaks and canoes may be rented for an hour or all day to explore Belmont Bay and Kane's Creek. It's a great way to see eagles.

Leesylvania State Park
Guests may rent canoes, tandem kayaks and stand-up paddle boards at the Breakwater Marina Store Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The park also offers sailboat rentals through a private concessionaire, the Woodbridge Sailing School.

Douthat State Park
Boats can be rented from the first Saturday in April through the end of October. Canoes, kayaks, paddle-boats, stand up paddle boards hydro-bikes, and Jon boats with and without electric motors are available for rent during that time. When no one is at the boathouse, guests should go to the camp store for help.

Southern Virginia

Fairy Stone State Park
Rowboats, paddleboats, kayaks and canoes may be rented during summer and on weekends, weather permitting, in April, May, September and October.

Occoneechee State Park
Pontoon and fishing boats, including safety equipment, can be rented at boat ramp #1 from Clarksville Marine Rentals Inc. It's open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Boats must be returned by 6 p.m. Thirty gallons of gas are included in the rental. Call 434-374-2525 or 434-374-2755 to make reservations.

Staunton River State Park
While there are no boat rentals at the park, River Traders, just outside park entrance, rents canoes and kayaks. Call 434-575-1022 for pricing, more information and reservations.