Hey friend! Today, we’re diving into my personal experience with Venture Outdoors, (the supplier of kayaks and more for North Park Lake). Recently on a beautiful morning, I was able to dedicate some time to being in nature, something I’m trying to do more of these days. Immersing myself in the outdoors more often allows me to think more clearly, reflect on my recent experiences, and allow room for new ideas and thoughts to float in. I would like to share with you what my Venture Outdoors kayak rental adventure was like and how I recharged and relaxed afterward in the park. Legooooo! 🚣‍♂️🌳

 

 

Habitual Balance: Exploring Wellness Through Nature, Travel, and Reflection

Let me catch you up to speed if you’re new here. On Habitual Balance, I write to you about my personal experiences both inward and in the external world. I share my thoughts, personal experiences and adventures on both the mental and physical journeys we as humans take. My hopes within this blog are to provide you with tips on how to execute those journeys just a smidge better based off my learned knowledge, and offer practical, somewhat humorous and spiritual advice along the way. 🧘‍♀️

So if you’re into weird affirmations (like those you can find on the home page that are updated monthly), or fun travel tips and tricks, you’ve landed in the right place. I go into detail on my own ups and downs in mental health, travel, nutrition and learning to homestead. I’m still in the process of building out social media platforms for good ole HB, but if you’re into sticking around, there’ll be much more that’s coming your way this year and next. Thanks for turning on your listening ears friend! Here we go! 👂😎

 

 

Paddling Toward a Life That Feels Like Mine

A little while ago I wrote about how your environment matters more than you think. If you wanna catch up with that post, check this link here to read more in depth.
If you’re cool with the short version though, I can briefly bring you up to speed. 👇

For years I’d wonder why I couldn’t reach my personal (and career) goals. I’d fumble left and right and wonder what kept tripping me up each and every time I worked in the background with every free second of my day. Only until I realized that to change my lifestyle, I’d need to change my environment, did I see the light.

 

 

So, about a month ago, I put in my 2 week notice and said sayonara to my day job. I planned out a week of recovery activities, and also a week of practice activities, to see what I could really get accomplished with a cleared schedule. (If you’ve been following for a while, you’ll know that I also am a reseller and random junk removal-er. I flip furniture and larger items locally and have a medium sized ebay store online).

One day, I woke up and realized that something had to give. Was it going to be my hopes and dreams of creating a beautiful and dream-worthy travel and lifestyle blog dedicated to helping myself and others navigate a more present life? Or would it be my side gig that brought me joy in the evening hours? My gym or BJJ time? Orrr, would it be the day job where I sat and dreamt about all of those other things?

…The choice was easy, and hard at the same time. I’ll explain why.

 

 

Spoiler: I Found Joy with a Venture Outdoors Kayak Rental

I wanted it all. Meaning plain and simply that I wanted the space and time to finally complete the tasks that mattered most to me.
Which included:
-Spending more time with loved ones & fur-friends 🐾
-Spending more time on my health & wellness goals
-Spending more time doing things that brought me joy
-Including nature in my days way more than just 5 minutes on the way to the car and back

I finally grew tired of working on other peoples goals and decided it was time to take the leap of faith I kept talking about. And although it was anxiety-inducing not knowing what would be on the other side, it’s been the most freeing few weeks so far of my life.

…which brings us to this post.

 

 

I no longer wanted to spend most of my days indoors. I even bring a raincoat with me everywhere now just in case it rains because the weather is no longer going to stop me from becoming a better version of myself. (My favorite is this Patagonia jacket we got before our Havasupai trip!)

So, I planned out a practice course for the week and if you’ve already read up on the North Park trail post, you’ll have seen the first steps of this journey. Today, we are going to chat about the options that North Park Lake itself offers—and my experience booking a Venture Outdoors kayak rental as part of this new rhythm. Soon, I’ll drop another chatting up the Pittsburgh Premium Bike Rental self-service kiosk. (It was refreshing not having to wait in line and for a rep to help you get moving!)

 

 

What You Can Rent from Venture Outdoors at North Park Lake

The lake at North Park in western PA offers a plethora of water activities. Although it’s not one that you can swim in, it has many different other rentals to offer. It’s run by Venture Outdoors, and booking a kayak rental online is super easy—you can reserve your time, pay, and sign the waiver in advance… on their website in advance, (including paying and signing the waiver) so that you can just walk in and get on the water as soon as possible.

Here are the rentals they currently offer in July 2025:

• Kayak (they also have a fancy *upgraded* version if you’re feeling bougie) – this option is for solo or tandems.
• Sit-On-Top Kayak – also for solo or tandems!
• Canoe (including Catamaran options, cool!)
• Stand-Up Paddleboard
• Pedal Boat (I’d like to try this with Dixie, my older dog, someday!)

They even offer dry bags for rent or lessons if you’re interested in learning one of these activities! It’s really the whole package if you’d like it to be. Even though the hubs and I have gone a few times in previous years, this was my first time on the lake alone, and I loved every minute of it.

 

 

My Hour on the Water: Kayaking Highlights at North Park Lake

Once through the desk area and onto the back patio, the attendant will help you into a life vest and get you a paddle. You’ll then walk to the platform nearby on the water, where another attendant will scoot a boat over to you and push you off into the water. Yay! 🙌

After that, your Venture Outdoors kayak rental time begins—you’re free to paddle around the entire lake at your own pace.  You have the allotted time that you paid for to zoom around the entire lake. It goes by quickly, so I recommend setting an alarm so that you know when you’re close to needing to be back at the platform. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to kayak the entire lake in just 1 hour, but I was able to get to this beautiful castle-like structure and back.

 

 

Bring The Pups

I would say that I paddled about 3/4 of the time. I took some chill breaks and obviously had time to snap a few photos, but when it got to the halfway point for time, I started back toward the boathouse. (The boathouse also offers food and drinks! Check out OTB at The North Park Boathouse if you’re wanting to see what they have!)

I passed a person that was using a SOP (stand-up paddleboard) with a pup swimming next to him! The dog was clearly living his best life and I was so here for it. (Although humans aren’t allowed to swim in the lake, dogs are permitted as long as they have a leash, and I would personally add a harness and life vest!)

If you want to learn more about North Park in general, visit this link to read up on all it has to offer.

 

 

There were beautiful water lilies on the side (see pic further up) and wildlife galore. Speaking of which, do you know what this pole structure in the picture below is used for? (According to Google, these are platforms that were specifically placed there for larger birds such as bald eagles or ospreys to nest in safely).

 

Gratitude For Nature

On the way back through, I wondered what the old building was used for. I thought about how long it may take me to kayak the entire lake, and if the spider friend beside me would leave me alone or not…(see pic above). I also thought about how beautiful the day was and how grateful I was to have been able to spend time exploring the outdoors instead of sleeping in or netflix-ing and chilling.

Once I pulled back into the platform, I drove down to a little spot on the side of the lake that offered the perfect spot to hang my hammock. ✨

 

 

Unwinding at North Park Lake: My Favorite Hammock Spot

If I really wanted to, I could have walked with my hammock to this point, but as I had only a few hours, I wanted to make the most of my hammock time and so decided to drive instead. (If you’re interested, this is my favorite hammock for backpacking, camping or just lounging by the lake! It’s super lightweight and easy to carry around or travel with). There are plenty of great spots with lots of trees, (and I don’t want to share my favorite spot!) so I encourage you to check it out for yourself and find where you feel is best were you to want to do the same. 🦆

There were geese galore squawking at me but other than that I was alone until a few other peeps decided that it was a good spot as well. Although my intentions were to do some reading, (currently enjoying Fast Like A Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz), I found myself slowly dozing off after my new strength-training and kayaking morning routine.

 

 

When I got up, I was able to witness the geese making their way in unison down to the lake, which was pretty cool to see all at once. I tucked my hammock back into its travel bag and collected my belongings to make my way back to the parking lot before heading back home.

If you’re looking for an adventure day and you’re in the western PA area, North Park is one of the best places to go in my opinion. It’s large enough to offer so many different options, and has restaurants on either side as well. It’s crowded when it’s nice outside, but never enough that I feel overwhelmed by the passersby.

 

 

Other Options From Venture Outdoors

In addition, Venture Outdoors has so many water options if you want to cool off and get some sun. The best part is that they’re not only in North Park! They also have a second location in downtown Pittsburgh that allows you to get some river kayaking in! Check out this link if you’re into viewing what they have available.

Let me know if you have any further questions or comments, and stay tuned for future social posts that will offer additional pics and videos! Thanks as always for being a part of this journey. Here’s to staying true to our authentic course! 🥳✨

 

 

Thank you so much for coming along on this journey with me! Whether you’re here for the mental health moments, nature recaps, or just curious about what a solo Venture Outdoors kayak rental looks like—I’m genuinely grateful you’re part of the Habitual Balance crew. Stay tuned for more adventures, reflections, and maybe a few more surprise geese. 💛🛶