Birch Bark Canoe Livery

From start to finish it was an amazing trip down the River. We brought our 3 1/2 year old daughter and it was smooth. Water not too deep most of the ride. Crew was great helping with getting in and off. Really enjoyed it!

If relaxing and being surrounded by beautiful nature and the soft sound of river water is your thing, and you figure you can get through two hours of canoeing without arguing with your partner, then this is the activity for you! It's said that canoeing is the ultimate test of a couple's skills at working together, adjusting to real-time changes, compromising, and not holding on to preconceived ideas.

I loved being on the river, and the Livery staff were very helpful and easy going.

After I thought it would be funny to try canoeing backwards down the river, my gf decided to "show me the hand", (see photo #5) which typically means she's had enough of my sh!t for at least 1 day. Maybe she didn't enjoy my repeated instructions on how to paddle a canoe correctly? Nah, it can't be that.

Regardless, I had a fun time canoeing here on a sunny Saturday, as the over-hanging trees cast their welcome shade on the water. Note to self: try the individual kayaks next time.

This is a nice, calm, clear, mostly shallow stretch to kayak down the Mad River. You can rent a kayak or canoe, or have them transport yours for put in at a nice wooden stair access point up river. As you end your trip, you float right back into the livery directly. We enjoy the rolling, well shaded campground to relax with our friends for the night afterwards. Nothing fancy, primitive camping- but the grounds are mowed, fire rings are available and it is a lovely setting just alongside the Mad River. I highly recommend.

Had a great time tubing with friends and family! It was very easy to book. I also messaged them a couple questions and they were very quick and helpful with a response. We've used other places before and this route was gorgeous! We also appreciated the clean, air condoned bus.

First time kayaking here. Fun, but not a lot of places to pull off. Good current!

Enjoyed this completely! We were two families with four kiddos (9,8,7,4) Everyone was so nice. Booking online was easy. Checking in was easy. River was calm and peaceful. The canoe and oars were in good shape. The kids enjoyed getting out and playing for a while in a couple different spots. We enjoyed this breath of fresh air as our only other experience was a place that wasn’t appropriate for families. Not one single complaint with Birch Bark canoe livery. We will do it again sometime.

Side note. We also enjoyed the Ohio caverns, crabills, the farmers daughter restaurant and bakery, and the ice cream parlor (west Liberty) all in the same day. Wonderful vacation close to home

This place always gives you a warm welcome, and the rates are very reasonable. I would advise booking in advance online. Because people come from hours away just to enjoy Mad River Via through Birch Bark Canoe Livery.

Such a fun time ! Highly recommend you take your family here. Very friendly staff easy to book reservations and very clean environment pet friendly as well

This place is great. We had a wonderful time. Scenery is beautiful. Reasonably priced. Everyone we ran into on the river was so nice & helpful. Great time was had by all.

Another fantastic trip! So nice to have a local company that offers an awesome time! Been on this river so many times and it's always a blast! Would highly recommend Birch Bark!

Also I wiped out on the tiny fall this time around and shout out to the guy that literally saved everything. He grabbed the paddle, the canoe and my bag. You're a true hero!

We took a trip in July 2020 and had a great time. They had great COVID-19 precautions in place. I love kayaking down the Mad River. It's spring fed so it is very clean and the water is a nice cool temperature. The guys from Birch Bark Canoe Livery do a great job of giving you the equipment you need and shuttling you to the starting point. It's a great way to have a fun, relaxing outing.

Great place and a beautiful trip on the scenic Mad River.

tl;dr: We loved this primitive campground and will use it for our next Mad River fishing trip.

My brother and I used Birch Bark Canoe Livery as a base camp for our Mad River trout fishing weekend.

Pros:
- Convienent access to Mad River
- Close to several public access points
- Close to Urbana for Groceries, Food, Etc.
- Not too far from West Liberty public fishing access points
- Secluded campground (we had it all to ourselves)
- Very responsive via phone
- Spotless Port-o-Let
- Quiet
- Good price

Worth Note (We were not put off by any of these):
- No showers
- No electricity
- No firewood sales
- No on-site staff

Cons:
- Can't think of any. It was pretty much perfect for what we were looking for. Perhaps, if anything:
- The bridge to the camp ground felt a wee bit janky under my weight (but I'm a really big dude.)
- It wasn't obvious where we should park. We parked at the place closest to the campground bridge but no one seemed to have a problem with it.

Beautiful clear water, the right amount of tree coverage to keep you nice and cool. The staff were so friendly as well!! Will definitely be coming back next summer!

Perfect for families or beginners. We took 4 kids, the youngest was 9. We rented 2 canoes and 2 inner tubes. Each canoe had a inner tube attached by a rope. The water was clear and we saw fish at the bottom. It was shallow enough where I wasn’t concerned when the kids fell off the inner tube. They could stand and hop back on the tube. (But not so shallow where the canoe would get stuck)The route was completely shaded and we didn’t even notice it was 90 degrees out. The reservations and paperwork was easy to fill out online and when we arrived all we needed to do was check in. We did have 9am reservations and there was ample parking. The bus we took to the drop off area was very clean and spacious. The staff was attentive and nice during checkin and coming into the end of the trip. I will defiantly be back and will try single kayaks next time.

It was very relaxing to hang out with my family on a canoe. It took us about 2 hrs and a half to finish 5 miles down the river. We had our cooler onboard which was a huge plus to the journey. My 3 year old had a great time and would love to revisit in the future.

We have went to Birch Bark for 20+ years. This company is great! Every 4th of July we go in the morning and it never disappoints. The water is clear they maintain the river the best they can. There are some trees down but what can you expect with the crazy Ohio weather. The buses are clean the guys that load us up give straight cut advice and directions. They are very helpful and very nice people. Overall 10/10!

We drove 2 hours to give this place a visit and it did not disappoint. Very easy nice float we enjoyed our trip

I took 4 of my best friends for there first time.. we had a blast, staff were very helpful and the creek was beautiful..

Great place. Nice flow to river. Only thing i would suggest is more time between drop offs. So groups are not on top each other in water.