(La Porte, IN) - La Porte has become a full-service destination for kayakers.

           

A self-serve kayak rental station that opens daily from sunrise to sunset was recently installed near the new kayak launch at Stone Lake. La Porte Park Department Superintendent Mark Schreiber said the station should be operating by tomorrow.

 

Kayak owners also have the option now of keeping their watercraft during the season inside new kayak storage lockers close to the water's edge. The latest offerings are part of the ongoing strategy to draw more residents and visitors to the city's lakes and parks.

 

"We're excited to be able to get more people out there," Schreiber said.

The self-serve rental facility contains eight kayaks available for 20 dollars per hour.

 

Schreiber said people must go to rent.fun or download the mobile app from the website to rent a kayak.

 

Credit card information must also be provided, and the code assigned to them entered to unlock the storage unit containing the kayak. The credit card will be automatically charged based on the time the kayak was out until placed back into its storage locker.

 

The unit also keeps track of the time automatically. A kayak owner using a storage locker is charged $500 for the season.

 

Schreiber said the four storage lockers close to the kayak launch are already reserved for the year. However, reservations are being accepted for the 12 additional storage lockers to be installed within the next few weeks.

           

"It makes it easier for them to be able to get their kayak out, get their kayak into the accessible launch and be able to enjoy the lake," Schreiber said.

Schreiber said the new amenities should be well received since kayaking on Stone Lake has increased substantially in recent years.

 

Stone Lake, also a popular fishing spot, is governed by an idling speed limit, so kayakers don't have to worry about water churned up by speed boats' wakes.

 

Kayakers can also venture into the calm waters of a several hundred-foot-long natural channel leading from Stone Lake to the much larger Pine Lake, used heavily by fast-moving pleasure boats.

 

Eventually, the city wants to connect the two major lakes to other nearby smaller bodies of water for kayakers wishing to be even more adventurous.

 

For more information, contact the LaPorte Park and Recreation Office at (219) 326-9600.