Only a Few Spots Available for the Annual Neches River Rendezvous

The 24th Annual Neches River Rendezvous will be held on Saturday, May 18. If you want to be entered into this year's event, now is the time to act because almost all the slots have been taken.

Registration Deadline Extended

Early registration for the Rendezvous has been extended to Sunday, April 21st and late registration will begin on Monday, April 22th. Early registration is $25 and late registration is $35. Late registration ends Friday, May 3rd.

Only seven spots remain available for the 8:00 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.

Neches River Rendezvous Course

The Neches River Rendezvous is a fun and family-friendly 10-mile paddling adventure down the Neches River. 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 case life jackets are provided by the outfitter as part of the rental fee.

The Authority is still accepting volunteers and sponsors for the event. A volunteer guide and a sponsor information packet can both be found on the Authority’s website.

For more information, call the Authority’s Central Office Facility at (936) 632-7795, email recreation@anra.org, visit https://www.anra.org/conservation-recreation/neches-river-rendezvous/ , or find both the Authority and the Rendezvous’ event pages on Facebook.