Elk River Canoe Rental

1^st the guy who previously wrote the review doesn’t speak for the mass crowd. you sound like you want insane rapids and if you do why didn’t you call ahead and check what type of canoe trip they offer, like normal people do? You are the type of person I hate seeing review places.
To sum it up, My wife and i did the 4.5 mile it took 4hrs. We stopped to eat lunch at a perfect little beach. They have I wanna say fiberglass canoes? All of which are in great shape. You start at the shop and end where they tell you (they gove you a map and explain it. ours was 1^st bridge on left) then call to get picked up. Ben was super friendly and sooo helpful about nearby things to do distilleries nearby, hiking and camping! We went today and plan on goin back Friday! Compared to the river we canoes up north in Kentucky this river is beautiful and well maintained we saw no garbage the whole trip! It’s great for beginners and def for people who just want to take in the amazing scenery. We saw turtles, Gar, and other cool animals on our trip. Very cool and totally give it 2 thumbs up!

They have a nice variety of canoes and kayaks, and will even transport yours if you bring one. The PFDs are hit or miss, but I never wear it on the water, so it isn’t a big deal.
In the past they have been difficult to contact — which seems problematic for a place you can’t exactly stop by to make a reservation — but they appear to be getting better about that. I’ve dealt with the company under more than one owner and have never had a problem.
There are a variety of trip lengths available, and my advice would be to go for the medium distances (7−9mi) and spend time swimming, picnicking, and enjoying yourself. The longer ones turn into less fun than originally conceived.
As for the river, your experience will depend a lot on how high the water is. The extremes are interesting (as I’ve been there in very high and very low conditions) but, generally, it is a lazy river with enough flow to keep the water fairly fresh. A fair bit of shallow with occasional deep swim points and the rest rather unswimmable deep points (as they are in the channel).
I would prefer a faster flow, and some low-​level rapids for a leisurely day, but it’s fine for what it is.