Pettit’s Canoe Rental opened its door the spring of 1972. Steve and Beryl “Bud” Pettit began the rental with fifteen used canoes, two homemade canoe hauling trailers and an old bus. To offer their canoers a convenient place to camp, Steve and Bud decided to convert a small hayfield into a campground.

Over the years, Pettit’s canoe livery grew with the demand for quality float trips. Every few years, Steve and Bud added new canoes to their fleet. Before long, they decided that they were going to have to add campground space. Many people liked the convienent location of the scenic campground. It is located at the halfway point on Norfork River. First the Upper Campground was added and then the Lower Campground was cleared for use. Soon a bath house with working toilets and showers was constructed for their campers

The winter of 2006, Craig and Shereen Pettit purchased Pettit’s Canoe Rental. Craig is Steve’s son, so Pettit’s continues to be family owned. Craig and Shereen have made a few changes to Pettit’s. The main office was moved to the east side of the river, and they added kayaks to the livery. They continue to use the same great campground. Pettit’s still offers a variety of floating options from canoes to tubes to kayaks and float trips. Craig and Shereen plan to continue the proud Pettit’s tradition of quality service.