The Twin Cities' low-hassle Mississippi River kayak rentals

The Twin Cities has a kayak-share system that's the closest you'll ever come to renting a boat from a vending machine.

I decided to give it a try for our occasional series on how to take advantage of Minnesota's gorgeous summer .

---

What I tried: Mississippi River Paddle Share offers low-hassle rentals from four points on the river between Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis.

• There's also a location on Pickerel Lake near St. Paul.

How it works: All reservations are handled through the Paddle Share website, so I logged on and reserved two kayaks at Minneapolis' Bohemian Flats Park. That's where the three-mile "Gorge route" begins.

• At the park, my friend and I located the aluminum lockers and keyed in the codes we were e-mailed after completing online waivers.
• Inside, we found paddles, life jackets, and the release for the cables that tied down our kayaks.

The beauty of the Paddle Share system is renters don't have to paddle back upstream to return their kayaks.

• We exited at the Minneapolis Rowing Club, where another storage locker awaited our gear.

Kyle trying to carry a kayak like a canoe for some reason.

My thought bubble: After you finish hauling the kayak into the water, you're in for a relaxing day! Paddle as much or as little as you like; the current can do most of the work carrying you downstream.

The catch: You need a way to get back to your starting point. My friend and I took two cars, but a bike, scooter, or rideshare are also options.

Kyle paddling down the Mississippi River in a rented kayak.

If you go: On the river routes, it costs $30 to reserve a solo kayak and $45 for a two-person craft.

• Our reservations started at 11am, but we could've started whenever so long as we'd locked our boats away by 5pm.
• Our three-mile route was advertised at roughly one hour, but my friend and I were content to float — so it took more like two.
• Bring water, sunscreen, a hat, and shoes you won't mind getting wet.

We want to know what other activities you think Axios Twin Cities readers should try to make the most of their summer! Email us.