Neches River Rendezvous registration nearly full

Palestine Herald-Press, Texas
·2 min read

Apr. 20—Early registration for the 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous has been extended to Sunday, April 21, and late registration will begin Monday, April 22. Early registration is $25 and late registration is $35. Late registration ends Friday, May 3.

The event, returning after a five-year hiatus, has only seven spots remaining available for the 8 a.m. launch, which is only for paddlers renting a kayak or canoe.

All other time slots have been filled and there are no more "bring your own vessel" options. Rentals help support small, local outfitters in the East Texas area. Rental prices are $40 for a single kayak and $50 for a tandem kayak or canoe. Rental fees are paid online at the time of event registration.

Paddlers are highly encouraged to register online, but paper registration forms can be downloaded from

ANRA's website or picked up at 2901 N. John Redditt Drive in Lufkin, Texas.

The Neches River Rendezvous is a fun and family-friendly 10-mile paddling adventure down the Neches River and will be held Saturday, May 18. On the day of the event, paddlers will park at International Paper's North Boggy Slough Conservation Area and will then be shuttled upriver, where volunteers will assist them in launching their kayaks and canoes in the water. Paddlers will end their journey at the Highway 7 bridge, where they will be assisted out of the river and then shuttled back to Boggy Slough.

No experience is needed to participate, however, anyone under 18 must have a legal guardian present.

Paddlers must provide their own life jackets unless they are renting a kayak or canoe, in which life jackets are provided by the outfitter as part of the rental fee.

The Authority is still accepting volunteers and sponsors for the event. Both the volunteer guide and the sponsor information packet can be found on the Authority's website. For more information, call the Authority's Central Office Facility at 936-632-7795, send email to recreation@anra.org, visit anra.org/conservation-recreation/neches-river-rendezvous, or find both the Authority and the Rendezvous' event pages on Facebook.