Find a BoardSafe Adaptive Kayak Launch Near You!
Many customers and paddlers ask about the locations of additional BoardSafe Adaptive Kayak Launches. BoardSafe has a live link on our website that gets updated as more accessible systems are installed across the country. To find a BoardSafe Accessible and Adaptive Kayak Launch near you, click on the live link or copy this link into your browser: BoardSafe Accessible Kayak Launch Locations.
Customers and accessibility advocates prefer BoardSafe Docks because of the trust we have developed and the reputation we have built as the industry leader in waterfront accessibility products. Our popular products include the Adaptive Kayak Launch, Accessible Fishing Pier, Floating Courtesy Dock, Pedestrian Bridge, and ADA Gangway, which make waterfronts accessible to all.
Users praise our accessible products because the design features were originally contributed to by a group of adaptive paddlers in wheelchairs. Collectively, they shared what features worked and what didn't work, identified features that needed further development, and offered their thoughts about missing components at other launches they had visited in their travels. We heard that their adaptive paddling group was growing, and their needs were becoming more diverse. Almost every paddler reported frustration about visiting locations that were deemed accessible, yet they still couldn't access the water. BoardSafe Docks listened to their needs and concerns, then designed, engineered, and manufactured an adaptive kayak launch suitable for paddlers in wheelchairs and people with mobility limitations. The inclusive launch gets almost everyone into the water.
While other dock manufacturers have attempted to copy our system, our proprietary extrusions make our products one-of-a-kind in engineering, design, and manufacturing. BoardSafe is known and appreciated for our excellent customer service and for working with our clients to provide individualized solutions for each launch location.
We are dedicated to designing products that are not just "ADA compliant" on paper, but truly functional and empowering for our users with diverse needs. Our original collaboration is the foundation we are built on with a solution-focused commitment that makes BoardSafe Docks stand out.
BoardSafe is inspired by hearing feedback from adaptive paddling groups that use our launches. Offering universal access to paddlers who were excluded in the past is precisely why BoardSafe Docks works hard to uphold our reputation as the premier provider of waterfront accessibility products. BoardSafe’s spirit of innovation and inclusion is a testament to listening to our paddlers and the communities who put their trust in us.
Here's to continued success in making waterfronts accessible to all! We hope you’ll consider trying out a BoardSafe Accessible Kayak Launch Location Near You and will allow us to work with you to transform your waterfront into a uniquely accessible location for kayaking, fishing, and boating opportunities in your community.
For more information or a free consultation, contact us at BoardSafeDocks.com or give us a call at 610-899-0286.
Paddlers Celebrate New BoardSafe Docks Kayak Launch at Beaubien Woods
New Adventure, access, and community connection have arrived at Beaubien Woods! Nestled in the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Beaubien Woods is a 279-acre natural gem where prairie, woodland, and wetland habitats meet. Centered around scenic Flatfoot Lake—the vibrant preserve that is located off W. Doty Ave S, just southeast of E 130th St. and S Ellis Ave. in Chicago—Beaubien Woods has become an even more exciting destination for paddlers, anglers, and families alike.
A New Era for Beaubien Woods
The Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPDCC) recently unveiled a wave of new improvements at a recent ribbon-cutting celebration. The star attraction was a BoardSafeDocks Accessible Canoe and Kayak Launch, designed to open the water to paddlers of all ages and abilities. The project also features comfortable riverside seating, a program shelter, interpretive signage, and an upgraded fishing boardwalk that invites everyone to explore and enjoy the beauty of the Little Calumet River.
From the moment you enter the preserve, accessibility takes center stage. The park’s inclusive picnic shelter welcomes all visitors, while a sturdy dock stretches out over the 19-acre Flatfoot Lake. The lake is an inviting spot to share laughter, launch a kayak, or cast a fishing line. The lake, stocked with channel catfish and bluegill-sunfish hybrids, is a favorite for local anglers and youth programs alike.
Nature, Community, and Celebration
At the ribbon-cutting event, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle captured the spirit of the day:
“Beaubien Woods is a place where our community, culture, and nature can now come together. These new amenities will allow visitors of all ages and abilities to fish, paddle, picnic, and participate in programs that celebrate this site’s natural beauty and history. The investments create more equitable access to outdoor recreation on Chicago’s South Side and promote stewardship and the spirit of inclusion in Cook County.”
Bill Bogdan, Disability Liaison at the Secretary of State’s office, demonstrates how to use BoardSafe’s Accessible Kayak Launch. Bogdan’s opinion about the launch is, “It’s awesome.” Bogdan also serves on the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s accessibility advisory board and said, “I feel our forest preserves are hidden gems. I plan to continue to increase accessibility awareness for people with disabilities. I’m going to make sure I hold them to the tag line, 'nature is for everyone.’ It’s great to be able to launch our kayaks safely and easily.”
Learn more about Beaubien Woods | Openlands. Openlands is a conservation partner that highlights the accessible features, including the fishing pier, kayak launch, and picnic shelter at the updated site.
That spirit of conservation and collaboration runs deep. The Field Museum and Calumet Stewardship Initiative regularly organize volunteer days focused on cleanup, invasive species removal, and habitat restoration. Each June, community partners and the Forest Preserves host a free family nature festival, turning Beaubien Woods into a lively hub of music, laughter, and discovery.
With its mix of restored landscapes, accessible design, and a renewed sense of community connection, Beaubien Woods is once again proving that nature belongs to everyone. We hope you’ll take the time to check out these new accessible sites that are part of the draw to the preserve.
Praise from paddlers who require additional accommodations and features found on a BoardSafe Accessible Kayak Launch shows evidence of how BoardSafe’s inclusive design can impact a community and how the launch naturally meets the needs of paddlers in wheelchairs. This is the spirit of innovation and inclusion that BoardSafe Docks embodies.
Here's to continued success in making waterfronts accessible to all! For more information about BoardSafe’s Accessible Kayak Launch, accessible fishing piers, and courtesy boat docks, contact us at 610-899-0286.
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