If it's a little peace you're after, you could do worse than to go flatwater canoeing or kayaking in the fall.

The water makes bell-like music when your oars dip. A wind whooshes by like a giant pulling in breath. On the shore, a deer lingers in the sun, and tiny yellow-green leaves flutter in the wind as fast as hummingbirds' wings.

That was my experience in a kayak on a recent Sunday on Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park, Butler County. Though the season may be nearly done, it dies with a flourish. Whether you want to fish, bird-watch, take pictures of pristine nature, savor solitude or get closer to your family, these last few weeks before mid-November are some of the best.

"Right now is the perfect time to float down a river, with all the fall foliage happening" says Rob Walters, membership director of Venture Outdoors. The nonprofit group rents canoes and kayaks at three locations around Pittsburgh, including under the Sixth Street Bridge on the North Side, which is open on weekends until the end of October.

The choice of a kayak or a canoe depends in large part on what you'll be up to on the water. Both crafts are extremely popular.

"I'm an avid fisherman," Walters says. "I fly fish. Fly fishing out of a canoe is a little easier than fly fishing out of a kayak. But regular spin fishing out of a kayak is quite easy. It's one of the biggest growing outdoor recreation sports right now. You can get into a lot of places where you don't with a regular motorized boat. "

"There's no area of kayaking that is not growing," says Paul Egbert, owner of Wind and Water Boatworks in Butler. "Kayak fishing is the hot spot. Canoes are making a comeback in Western Pennsylvania. Especially the solo canoes."

For the average rower, a kayak takes less effort to propel, says Dennis Tubbs, an outreach and education coordinator for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. A kayak is more stable in the water.

On the other hand, you can carry more supplies, such as food and camping gear, in a canoe. Ditto for small children.

"That's the positive side," Tubbs says. "Now, the negative side is you are paddling with somebody else. I've had a lot of husbands and wives get kind of mad at each other, because one's not paddling fast enough or moving the boat the right way. But once people learn, it's great sport."

Renting a kayak or canoe will cost you about $25 to $40 per hour. Of course, you can also buy one. Prices range from $300 to $500 for a very basic recreational kayak or canoe and accessories (paddles and Personal Flotation Devices or PFD's) to more expensive canoes and kayaks that are lighter, stronger, more durable and more maneuverable. A recreational kayak, intended for flatwater, does not require a "skirt" -- the waterproof material that covers the cockpit and fits snugly around the kayaker's middle to let him "roll" (capsize) and recover without swamping the boat or falling out.

Whichever model you choose, don't forget the PFD.

"Always have that on at all times. I can't stress that enough," Walters says. "That's the Number 1 cause of why folks drown when they're out canoeing or kayaking -- they don't have their PFD on."

Where you buy gear matters, Walters adds.

"I would highly recommend going to an outdoor-specific store like an REI or an Exkursion or L.L. Bean vs. going to a Dick's Sporting Goods or a Dunham's. They might have good staff there, but the folks who are at the outdoors stores, odds are they're going to have more knowledge of the sport and of the boat and of the equipment."

With a PFD, kayaking or canoeing on flatwater or mild river currents or even Class 1 rapids (the tiny ones) is generally safe.

"I don't think we've had any recreational kayak fatalities in 10 or 15 years," Tubbs says. "It's usually up in the whitewater section, like on the [middle] Youghiogheny River.

"There have been some canoeing incidents, but probably 99 percent of those are alcohol-related. You shouldn't drink and drive a boat. Kayakers, they're not likely to have a drink when they're on the water. But with canoers, they fit in the cooler and the food and everything, and part of canoeing has always traditionally been a few beers."

Tubbs offers one other piece of advice: Stay away from river locks, because of the strong currents.

Although the obsessed paddle year-round in wet suits or dry suits, the season basically begins April 1 and ends in mid-November, says Paul Egbert, owner of Wind and Water Boatworks, 8 miles south of Butler. In colder weather, hypothermia becomes a risk.

"At both ends of the summer season, it's always advisable to paddle with someone else," Egbert says. "Never paddle alone."

"Basically, the number is 90," says Walters. "If the water temperature and air temperature combined do not exceed 90 degrees, we won't go out."

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.