Photo submitted by Brooke Kor A new rental system at Twin Lakes Park will allow visitors to enjoy kayaking or paddleboarding on West Twin Lake.

Visitors at Twin Lakes Park will now have another opportunity to enjoy the lakes, Lyon County parks staff said.

On Thursday, a new kayak rental system went live near the West Twin Lake boat landing, said park programming manager Brooke Kor.

“This allows the public to rent single or double person kayaks and paddleboards,” Kor said.

Twin Lakes Park is located between Florence and Ruthton off of Lyon County Road 51.

The Paddle Share system has been in the works since this spring. Kor applied for a Connecting People to the Outdoors grant from the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission to help pay for an iPaddlePort boat rental system. County staff said the system would be similar to one already in use at Plum Creek Park in Redwood County.

The county received a roughly $29,700 grant for the project, with a $3,300 local match, Kor said.

Visitors at Twin Lakes park will be able to rent kayaks for two-hour blocks, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., according to the Lyon County website. First, visitors will need to reserve a kayak or paddleboard online. Then, they will be emailed and texted an access code that unlocks one of the storage lockers at West Twin Lake, that includes a kayak, paddle and life vest. When their time using the equipment is up, visitors can return it to the storage locker.

Visitors can rent a single-person kayak, a tandem kayak, or a paddle board. Rental prices for the boats range from $10 to $15 for two hours.