A man kayaks on a Paddle Happy river trip.

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Paddle Happy 2025

Join the world’s best
canoe & kayak trips!

Paddle from one live music performance to the next.

Update: The W&L Subaru Paddle Happy: Jumbo 2025 has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 19.
Spots are available and registration is open. Learn More


Paddle Happy trips are large group river adventures for beginners, experts, and everyone in between. We canoe and kayak beautiful, curated sections of Pennsylvania rivers. We indulge in comfy basecamps and delicious meals. And we rock out to fantastic live music at every stop.

The true magic is in the Paddle Happy community. We’re a community that welcomes new paddlers. We’re a community obsessed with making our adventures as safe as possible. And we’re a community who love and support one another.

The W&L Subaru Paddle Happy: Jumbo is all new for 2025. W&L Subaru has made an incredible one-day river trip possible, in which we explore the fantastic final dozen miles of the West Branch Susquehanna, starting in Milton, PA. Best of all? It’s the best value we’ve ever been able to deliver on a Paddle Happy trip at just $49 per person.

Come find out what the fuss is all about. Join us on a Paddle Happy river trip. I’ll see you on the water!

Bad Adventures founder

It’s time for the time of your life!

Cut loose! Join a river battle with water guns blazing or win the Pirate Pageant captain’s hat.

In our guided format, the rivers we paddle are appropriate for beginners, experts, and everyone in between. Whether you’re new to kayaking or you’re an experienced, swashbuckling river rat, you’ll fit right in.

Tap your boat to the beat!

We canoe and kayak from one live music performance to the next. The music lineup includes authentic blues, funk-rock, singer-songwriter classics, and can’t-help-but-sing-along covers.

A new musical artist performs for us at every stop along the river.

Delicious lunch

Indulge in a tasty river-side lunche and snacks along the way. Bring on the yum!

Amazing guides

Paddle Happy trips are guided by Bad Adventures. The team creates an atmosphere that welcomes new paddlers and promotes safety, while not stifling experienced members of the community.

…They care tremendously about making everyone comfortable—both on water and land. Besides which, the leaders and staff are fun and engaging people who take the time to get to know everyone…

Gail M. from Silver Spring, MD
after Paddle Happy: Schuylkill 2023

I cannot say enough positive things about this trip and Bad Adventures. The friendliness and welcoming nature of Matt and his staff was such a wonderful experience. From the moment we checked in until the morning we left, the staff was so approachable and helpful…

Marta B. from Mays Landing, NJ
after Paddle Happy: Schuylkill 2023

A don’t miss trip. Matt and his crew are great, and it seems they take that last attention to detail as serious as the first, which makes it a first class operation, through and through. And they like to have fun, be it music or a pirate show, you never know. Thumbs up all around!

Jim S. from Kenhorst, PA
after Paddle Happy: Schuylkill 2023
emphasis added

A couple connects in camp chairs at a Paddle Happy river trip. A woman relaxes in her kayak on a Paddle Happy river trip. Musicians perform near the river on a Paddle Happy canoe and kayak trip.

The W&L Subaru
Paddle Happy

Jumbo 2025

W&L Subaru has made a fantastic new river trip possible. On this one-day trip that’s appropriate for new and experienced paddlers alike, we kayak and canoe past the picturesque victorian borough of Lewisburg, enjoy a fantastic live music performance while devouring a yummy lunch, and finish at the confluence of the West Branch and North Branch of the Susquehanna River.

Best of all? It’s the best value Paddle Happy trip ever at just $49 per person.

W&L Subaru has been serving central Pennsylvania since 1965.

Purchase your next vehicle from W&L Subaru.

W&L Subaru
535 Point Township Drive
Northumberland, PA 17857
wandlsubaru.com
570-762-9135

Paddle Happy: Jumbo is crucial for W&L Subaru because it directly embodies our commitment to enhancing community life and environmental stewardship, aligning perfectly with both the Subaru Loves The Earth initiative and our own mission. By raising funds for the Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, we actively support their vital conservation work, strengthening our role as a responsible and engaged community partner. At W&L Subaru, we're more than a car dealer; we're a part of the community.

Check-In: Watsontown Memorial Park

Canal Street & Matchin Street, Watsontown, PA

What should I wear? What should I bring?

We put together a list of suggestions: View the Recommended Packing List [PDF]

Saturday, July 19

For All Paddlers

We set off from the quaint borough of Watsontown. Morning is punctuated by a stop to stretch our legs on a mid-river gravel bar. We enjoy lunch and live music in Milton, before paddling on to Lewisburg in the afternoon. This is the life!
Check-in open at Watsontown put-in
9:00—10:15 AM
All-paddler safety meeting at Watsontown put-in
10:30 AM

On-Water

Morning paddle to lunch in Milton
RM 15.7 to RM 11.4
4.3 mi
Live music performance
Afternoon paddle to Lewisburg
RM 11.4 to RM 7.4
4.0 mi
Day total: 8.3 mi
Drivers’ shuttle bus departs for Watsontown
Shortly after the last boat is off the river

Wow. The whole thing was awesome! It really was. I was impressed with every single aspect. Not overstating it or exaggerating what I experienced. I thought the organization of everything was fantastic. Obvious that there were lots of moving parts to this, and that it all seemed to work flawlessly, just kudos to everyone involved. I was very impressed with the attention to detail. Everything—our meals, the facilities, the music, the people on the trip. It was really a great adventure. Super well done to everyone there! Lot of fun!

Jerry M. from Rochester, NY
after Paddle Happy: Schuylkill 2023
emphasis added

A man and woman sit in kayaks enjoying Paddle Happy: Schuylkill. A Bad Adventures team member shows up an amazing lunch spread. A woman competes in the Paddle Happy Pirate Pageant.

Frequently Asked Questions

General

For Paddle Happy: Jumbo, check-in is at our put-in:

Watsontown Memorial Park
Canal Street & Matchin Street
Watsontown, PA 17777

Check-in is in the open pavilion across from the bathrooms.

Kids must be at least 8 years old to participate. Everyone under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Experienced paddlers may make special arrangements to bring a child under age 8 by emailing howdy@badadventures.com.

You bet. Please select the vegetarian meal preference option when you register. We’ll arrange a yummy vegetarian (no meat or fish) lunch for you.

Paddling

We paddle 8.3 miles downstream with a midday lunch stop. It’s a mild, full-day paddle.

You don't need to be a professional athlete to take part! We paddle 3–4 hours at a relaxed touring pace.

There are no dam portages.

Paddle Happy canoe and kayak trips are designed for beginners, experts, and everyone in between!

At summer water levels, in our guided, group-paddle setting, our itinerary is appropriate for beginner paddlers. Our guides love to teach paddling. We look forward to helping you grow your skills!

There are class I to I+ moving water features. In our guided, group-paddle setting, the section we paddle is appropriate for even beginner recreational paddlers.

Are you kidding? Absolutely!!

You certainly can. Rental kayaks are available for $45 per day. Each rental includes a single-person kayak, paddle, and life jacket. Be sure to select the rental kayak option when you register. Arranging a rental once you arrive to the trip is not possible.

If you rent a kayak and weigh more than 250-pounds or less than 110-pounds, please email us at howdy@badadventures.com after you register. We’ll make sure an appropriately-sized boat is reserved for you.

Registration

No problem. Please email howdy@badadventures.com. We’ll add the rental kayak to your registration and send you a link to pay.

Rental boat supply is limited. Request a boat early to ensure availability.

It’s easy. Just email howdy@badadventures.com and we’ll get you squared away.

If you cancel by May 1, there is no cancellation fee and you’ll receive a full refund, including your deposit. If you cancel between May 1 and May 20, the cancellation fee is equal to 20% of your registration price. After May 20, the cancellation fee is equal to 100% of your registration price and there will be no refunds.

Donations to Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy are not refundable.

Let’s do this!

Possible change of plans?
You can cancel for a full refund until May 1st.

Privacy Policy

Bad Adventures is an equal opportunity service provider and employer that operates under commercial use authorizations from Amistad National Recreation Area, Arches National Park, Big Bend National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Everglades National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and Zion National Park, special use permit from USDA Forest Service, Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest, and special recreation permit from Bureau of Land Management.

Sonny, the Paddle Happy mascot, was illustrated by Brian Swisher, living legend.

The ‘Amazing guides’ photo is by Michilea Patterson, Schuylkill River Greenways.

© 2022–2025 Bad Adventures. All rights reserved.