Couple launches kayak outfitting on Cedar River
Austin-based Floatin’ Goat Outfitters starts rentals July 18
July 15, 2025
AUSTIN, Minn. — An avid kayaker and outdoors enthusiast, Leah Ferch now wants to connect others with Mower County’s Cedar River State Water Trail that flows through riffles by her home, south of Austin.
Together with her significant other Jacob Kubinski, Ferch officially is launching Floatin’ Goat Outfitters this weekend for people to rent kayaks for paddling specific routes on the Cedar River State Water Trail or one of the local waterbodies: East Side Lake, Austin Mill Pond or Ramsey Mill Pond. Rentals begin Friday, July 18.
This is the first outfitting service since 2017 for the Minnesota stretch of the Cedar River.
“I grew up around the Cedar and have been kayaking its waters for years — it’s always felt like home,” said Ferch, an Austin native. “Even though we’ve only paddled together for a few years, Jacob and I have explored rivers and lakes all over Minnesota but the Cedar is still the one we come back to. It’s peaceful, full of hidden beauty and holds so many memories for us now.”
For a few days each week this summer and fall, the business will outfit renters with kayaks, paddles, life jackets and basic safety tips along with optional rentals, such as a waterproof speaker, dry bag, cooler or cellphone protector. At this time, Floatin’ Goat can accommodate groups of up to six kayak rentals.
Cedar River Watershed District, which led the effort in 2011 to get legislative approval for designating the Cedar as Minnesota’s 33rd state water trail, has worked closely with the couple as they explored their business idea.
“We have tried over the years to support public and private entities in launching river-outfitting services on the Cedar but it has been challenging despite strong community interest,” CRWD outreach coordinator Tim Ruzek said. “We’re very grateful to Leah and Jake for being willing to invest the time and money into making this work.”
Floatin’ Goat Outfitters is a name derived from the couple’s love of paddling and their small farm purchased in 2023 that has dairy/meat goats and chickens. The property sits atop the Cedar River and features a popular river landmark: the historic, former McAfee Dam building that dates back to the early 1900s (the dam was removed in 1936).
“It’s our little slice of paradise along the Cedar — the perfect place to build the life we’ve dreamed of,” Ferch said, adding that the river is where they go to slow down, reconnect and feel grounded again. “Kayaking the Cedar has given us so much joy, and it means a lot to create something that helps others experience that, too.”
For its “north” and “south” routes, Floatin’ Goat offers single kayak rentals (sit-in or sit-on) for $30 per person and $40 for a tandem/two-person kayak. Paddlers must be at least 9 years old to kayak solo but age 4 and older can paddle a tandem with an adult.
- “North Route” from below Ramsey Dam to Wildwood Park’s Wolf Creek landing just upstream of Interstate 90 in Austin that covers about 3.6 river miles and takes about 2 hours.
- “South Route” from Austin’s Driesner Park at “The Point” to the state’s Riverwood Landing south of Austin, covering about 4.7 river miles and taking about two to three hours, depending on flow.
The “Stay & Paddle” option is $15 per hour for single kayaks and $20 for tandems for use on Austin Mill Pond.
Floatin’ Goat also will offer a monthly event series, Wednesdays on the Water, that will start July 23 at Ramsey Mill Pond (across from The Old Mill Restaurant). Each month during the season, a different local waterbody will host the event from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. to offer the community an easy, affordable way to enjoy time on the water.
Other dates for this are Aug. 20 at East Side Lake and Sept. 17 at Austin Mill Pond. Rates are discounted for these events to $10 per person for one hour or $20 for two hours.
Ferch and Kubinski hope to expand their business eventually to include shuttle service for paddlers but, as of now, renters will need to have transportation arranged at the entry and exit points.
Reservations are required and paid in full when booked, which can be done along with asking questions via Floatin’ Goat’s website at floatingoatoutfitters.com; emailing floatingoatoutfitters@gmail.com or calling 507–438–4788.
Officially launched in 2012, the Cedar River State Water Trail offers 25 river miles of water trail from the County 2 bridge near Lansing to the Minnesota-Iowa border that is maintained and promoted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
As a state water trail, the Cedar has had one canoe/kayak outfitting business, Cedar River Canoe & Kayak Rental Service, that operated in 2016 and 2017. The Austin-based business owned by the Pirmantgens did not reopen for the 2018 season or later but not for a lack of business as it stayed busy each of its two seasons.
Austin’s Jay C. Hormel Nature Center offers canoe/kayak rentals on its pond and Dobbins Creek to East Side Lake and back.
Cedar River State Water Trail received front-page, statewide recognition July 7, 2025, in the Minnesota Star Tribune in an article highlighting the work by Cedar River Watershed District, MN DNR and partners to enhance the water trail.
Floatin’ Goat’s routes likely will expand once CRWD’s Orchard Creek public access is completed in late August on the Cedar in Lyle Township off Minnesota Highway 105. Construction should begin in late July on the overall $161,210 project funded by a $95,000 Hormel Foundation grant; $44,000 design-only DNR grant; and up to $50,000 in federal funds.
