Find Adventure: Watersports on the Lake
Lake life means greeting the day with a cup of coffee and the sun reflecting off the water. But, if you want to make the most of the day and still beat the heat, the answer is simple: watersports.
Whether it's simply swimming, waterskiing, or kiteboarding, you're sure to find something new to try. There are also plenty of water sports families can do together, making it a great way to get quality time in with your loved ones.
Here we'd like to focus on the entry-level water sports that anyone can enjoy with minimal equipment. Let's dive into some of the lesser-known watersports for lakes country, and maybe you'll find something new to try!
Paddleboarding Activities
In the last decade or so, stand-up paddleboarding has gone from a curiosity to an obsession for many. You stand on a very buoyant and surprisingly stable board – very similar to a surfboard – and paddle your way across lakes and rivers with ease. Paddleboarding is even making its way into the realm of the Olympics.
Many popular watersports like waterskiing and wakeboarding predominantly focused on maintaining balance, even across a substantial wake. Once you get balance figured out, you can master many of these sports.
Paddleboarding is entry-level for lake lifers.
One can manage balance without being pulled behind an engine and still get out to explore the shores and banks around the lake. When the sun comes up, try a little yoga to stay cool and increase flexibility and balance.
One benefit of stand-up paddleboarding is that it eliminates the sitting element of kayaking and canoeing, which can hurt some people's backs after a short while. You can even pack a picnic in a waterproof bag and sit on your board to enjoy it. Stand-up paddleboards can also double as an excellent floating device when enjoying beverages and cooling off by the shore.
Paddleboards come at various price levels, making it easy for anyone to get into the sport. There are even inflatable paddleboards for easy travel.
Kayaking and Canoeing
Speaking of inflatables, one of the newer kayaks is compact and ready for travel; all you need is an air pump. An air mattress inflatable, familiar to the camping lake lifer, is great to pack with you and serve several needs.
If you've got a lake or river nearby, there is nothing better than hopping in a canoe or kayak and paddling around to see what you can find.
Canoes and kayaks have been around for a staggeringly long time — Carib Indians in the Caribbean carved out tree trunks to travel between islands, while the Inuit used kayaks for hunting and transport.
The best part about kayaking and canoeing is the quiet it brings.
With nothing but the sound of your paddles lapping the water, you can travel in blissful peace to every nook and cranny of the lake, river, or other body of water that you are exploring. Pack a picnic, explore hidden coves and travel up and down rivers.
Windsurfing and Kiteboarding
Windsurfing is a surprisingly easy sport to pick up. With the right location, which must include steady winds, you can be sailing back and forth on your own in a matter of minutes. It is also a great way to get in shape while honing coordination, as it requires precise movements to maintain balance.
Because wind and waters are constantly changing, windsurfing never quite gets boring either. Every day brings new conditions, new waves, and new speeds. Windsurfing has attracted a robust community in Minnesota, one that you can start to get to know as soon as you get into the sport yourself.
People often windsurf in groups, though you can just as quickly try it out on your own.
Kiteboarding sometimes gets confused with windsurfing, but the two are fundamentally different. In kitesurfing, your feet attach to what is essentially a wakeboard. The kite is similar to a parachute. The user holds on to a tow bar to manipulate the kite in the air.
One can travel at a reasonable speed across the water, lift into the air using waves or enjoy the feeling of basically wakeboarding without the boat's engine.
Kiteboarding has a rich history; it originates in a 1903 voyage across the English Channel.
A man named Samuel Cody invented a "kite" that allowed him to pull his lightweight boat across the body of water. The current iteration of the sport was born in 1977 when Dutch sportsman Gijsbertus Adrianus Panhuis invented the modern kiteboard setup.
Sailing
While many would be intimidated by the sport of sailing, it doesn't have to be on a large, expensive boat. With a slight learning curve, a small catamaran is easy to charter. Catamarans are made of two pontoons with a canvas mesh in between. A mast implements for the sail and a rudder for steering.
This small boat allows anyone to zip over the water with the wind in their sails. Additionally, many places offer sailboard rentals aimed at getting families out on the water.
If you've never sailed before, you'll love taking a course on sailing — there is a whole lot to learn, and figuring it out makes you feel accomplished and connected to the generations of people that have used this as a method of travel.
Snorkeling
Many of the lakes in Minnesota are incredibly clean, and visibility in some cases can be as far as thirty to forty feet.
Try buying or renting a set of flippers, some good goggles, and a snorkel, and go exploring.
Snorkeling is one of the best watersports families can do together and one of the best watersports for kids. Remember to put sunscreen on your back because floating around just under the surface of the water can magnify the sun's rays.
Different bodies of water offer different types of fish to see.
If you're searching for a place to snorkel or do any of these activities, we recommend our new map search tool, which highlights parks and lakes for recreational activity as well as places to eat or rent gear.