Four North Fork waterways to help your family get in shape this summer

The North Fork’s waterways from the Peconic to the Sound to the bountiful bays are not only beautiful to look at, but they can also help you and your family get in shape!

Greg Trent, a personal trainer who recently spoke with RiverheadLOCAL about five ways your family can stay fit this summer, explained that both swimming and water sports are a great ways to get a workout while spending quality time with every member of your family.

To help your family take advantage of water-related activities, we’ve come up with a list of four North Fork businesses that cater to water recreation. So, pack up your sunscreen and your cooler and get ready to spend a day or a few hours out on the water.

Peconic Paddler

For over 48 years the Peconic Paddler, which is located at 89 Peconic Avenue in Riverhead, has been providing water enthusiasts and those who just want to enjoy a day out on the ecologically diverse Peconic River with canoe, kayak and stand up paddleboard rentals. This season is no different.

Those looking to exercise their family’s arms can rent a canoe for a one-hour trip upstream for $22. For $35, your family can spend two hours out on the Peconic. For the more enthusiastic family, a canoe can be rented for $69 for an 8-mile trip down the Peconic, which will take about four hours.

For those looking to get an entire body workout, kayak rentals are also available at daily rates, two-hour rates and three- hour rates. Single and double seat kayaks are available with prices ranging from $29 to $79.

Stand up paddleboards, which are now all the rage on the East End of Long Island, are also available to be rented for a period of two and half hours or 24 hours, depending on your needs.

Of course, if you family falls in love with canoeing, kayaking or stand up paddleboarding, the Peconic Paddler also has a sales office.

The Peconic Paddler is open Thursday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (631) 727-9895.

Adventure Paddleboards

Adventure Paddleboards deals with stand-up paddleboards offers family adventures at various locations on the North Fork. The company offers private lessons as well as stand-up paddleboard fitness classes, which include paddle fitness, stand-up paddle boarding, stretch and paddle yoga.

For more information, call 631-377-0162.

Shelter Island Kayak Tours

Hop on the ferry to Shelter Island to explore with your family the creeks, harbors and the bay with Shelter Island Kayak Tours, located at Route 114 at Duval Road on Shelter Island.

The tour company offers two-hour tours for the entire family for $60 per adult and $30 for children 12 and under. During the tour, your family will circle around Coecles Harbor, which features views of the St. Gabriel’s Catholic Retreat and Mashomack Nature Preserve.

Shelter Island Kayak Tours also offers rentals at two hour and four hour rates for both single and double kayaks, starting at $30 for singles for two hours and $50 for doubles. For a four-hour trip, the rate is $45 for singles and $70 for doubles.

For more information or to book at trip, call (631) 749-1990.

Eagle’s Neck Paddling Company

Located at 62300 Main Road in Southold, Eagle’s Neck Paddling Company also caters to families and offers a variety of options, from stand-up paddleboard rentals to kayak rentals, as well as tours. For those who like to stay on land, the company even offers bike rentals.

For families looking to tour the North Fork’s waterways, Eagle’s Neck provides both sunset and full-moon tours. The two-hour sunset tours are offered seven nights a week at a cost of $50 per adult and $40 per child, 12 and under. Full-Moon tours, this summer are being offered August 9-11 and September 18-20 at the same rate as the sunset tours.

Eagle’s Neck also offers rentals at both Eagle’s Neck in Southold until 4 p.m. or at Orient Beach State Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. Rates for rentals at both sites are based on the amount of time families would like to spend out on the water either in a single or double kayak. Rates start at $35 for a two-hour rental for a single to $45 for a double when launching out of Eagle’s Neck. Fees for those looking to launch out of Orient are $20 for an hour for a single and $25 for an hour for a double. The company also offers weekly and monthly rentals.

In addition to kayak rentals, Eagle’s Neck Paddling Company also provides paddleboard rentals at Port of Egypt Monday through Friday, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at a rate starting at $45 for two hours. Paddleboard rentals are also available at Orient State Park, seven days a week, starting at $20 for an hour rental. SUP lessons and Sunset Tours are also available for families seven days a week.

For more information, call (631) 765-3502.