Kayaking, canoeing and paddleboarding on Cape Cod: 8 places to try

Paddling in kayaks and canoes or on paddleboards on the ponds, marshes and coastal waters across Cape Cod has become popular for residents and visitors alike.

Thanks to several companies across the peninsula, you don't have to have the equipment to enjoy these activities.

Several private companies as well as the Cape Cod National Seashore and Mass Audubon offer a variety of rentals and tours for all levels, from young children to experienced paddlers. Family groups are welcome. Some offer instruction, children's camps, private parties and home delivery. Most are open mid-May through September. Most will book online.

Here is a roundup of the options and details from Upper to Outer Cape:

Cape Cod Kayak, 802 McArthur Blvd. (Route 28) in Bourne offers both rentals and tours with kayaks and paddleboards that launch out of 15 locations, mostly along Buzzards Bay. The company that has been operating for 29 years also has special events, private parties, paddleboard classes and a children's camp, owner Kimberly Fernandes said. It is open year-round, but people who want to kayak in the winter need to wear wetsuits or drysuits.

Rideaway Adventures. The flagship store is on the Cape Cod Canal at 68 Tupper Road, Sandwich, and a Mashpee site is at 259 Shore Drive. See the website for all locations. Offers kayak and paddleboard rentals and tours and bike rentals.

Cape Cod Waterways, 16 Main St. (Route 28), Dennis Port. The company offers rentals of kayaks, canoes, standup paddleboards, pedal boats, and mini-kayaks for children for one- to two-hour Swan River outings. The company will also take equipment to Bass River in Yarmouth if requested, owner Dan Pogorelc said.

Chatham Kayak Company, 391 Barn Hill Road, Chatham. This company offers rentals and tours with kayaks and paddleboards. Book hourly rentals online at chathamkayak.com. Call for daily or weekly rentals 508-241-5389. Could not be reached for more information.

Great Marsh Kayak Tours offers tours (no rentals) in Eastham off Hemenway Landing through Nauset Marsh in the Cape Cod National Seashore and West Yarmouth on Parker's River. Owner and principal guide Jeff Lambert said the Eastham tour "is really awesome going through pristine sites and seeing lots of seals." Kayakers can get out and walk across the barrier beaches to the open ocean. The Parker's River tour goes to Seagull Beach and features seabirds.

Cape Cod National Seashore at the Salt Pond Visitors Center, 50 Nauset Road, Eastham. Kayak tours are free and guided by park rangers for experienced kayakers only, 16 years or older. Tours are two to three hours, and up to three miles to explore the diverse aquatic ecosystems and rich human history of the seashore.

Mass Audubon Cape Cod sites in Barnstable and Wellfleet provide kayaking trips from several sites: Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck, Great Pond, Eastham, Pleasant Bay, Orleans, and Great Island, Wellfleet, from June through September.

Coyote Kayaks, 333R Commercial St. Unit 1, Provincetown. This newly formed company that shares space and activities with The Yoga Joint offers "an all-inclusive experience," with kayak and paddleboard rentals and tours on the Bayside of Provincetown and in the salt marsh and paddleboard yoga, new owner and CEO Chase Hiffernan said.

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