Featured image credit: Friends of the Riverfront
This story is part of a series exploring what’s new on Pennsylvania Water Trails, in partnership with the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR).
The summer paddling season is well underway, and Pennsylvania’s Water Trail Managers have been hard at work ensuring that your waterways and access to them are ready for your next river adventure.
There are ten designated Water Trails in the Ohio River Basin, one of Pennsylvania’s six major watersheds that extends across most of the western part of the state. Each trail is managed by a local organization who maintains and develops new launches, prints and distributes maps for trip planning, installs informational and way-finding signs along the Water Trail, maintains an up-to-date website, and plans fun and educational events for community members.
While these efforts by the managers and their many partners is ongoing, there are a few new and very exciting projects that will enhance the paddling and recreation experience for those of you planning to visit one of these Water Trails.
First, what is a Water Trail?
A Water Trail is a designated route along a river, stream, and/or lake specifically designed for people using small non-motorized craft like kayaks, canoes, tubes, stand-up paddle boards, etc. Water Trails are the aquatic equivalent of a hiking trail (or “greenway”). They feature well-developed access and launch points at distances that provide for a variety of trip lengths. Each Water Trail in PA has a detailed map that shows access points, river mileage and typically information on wildlife viewing opportunities, significant historical, environmental or cultural points of interest. Water Trails often include nearby amenities such as medical facilities, restaurants, hotels and campgrounds.
What’s New on the Three Rivers Water Trail?
The Three Rivers Water Trail is a series of 30-plus river access points along the Allegheny, Ohio, Monongahela, and Youghiogheny Rivers, created and stewarded by Friends of the Riverfront. Just before the season started, Friends installed new signs in three municipalities along the Water Trail: Sharpsburg, Springdale, and Verona. McKeesport and Elizabeth are in the process of installing them. These signs direct people from nearby roads to the Water Trail, delineate “River Miles” so that paddlers can locate themselves along the trail, and provide important safety, rules, and site orientation information. Look for these impressive and useful signs on your next trip to the region!
Also on the Three Rivers Water Trail — this time in Cheswick Borough on the Allegheny River — you’ll find that the launch located at the beautiful Rachel Carson Riverfront Park has been cleaned up and is ready for your visit. Although the grand re-opening of the park isn’t until October, debris and other hazards have been removed by municipal staff and volunteers have removed some invasive species along the waterfront, making it a much more pleasant experience when you launch your kayak or canoe from this park. Keep an eye out for more information about the opening celebration this fall!
This summer saw the return of the popular “lock-through” workshop series focusing on getting paddlers out on the water to learn more about the lock and dam system in Allegheny County. The workshops allow people to navigate the lock with a guide and a group, helping to instill confidence and facilitate making like-minded friends (and maybe future paddling companions). In August, Friends of the Riverfront will be hosting a lock-through specifically for elected officials and local decision makers in order to facilitate their engagement, skill development, and understanding of recreational opportunities in the region.
Friends of the Riverfront has also wrapped up a Water Trail Management Plan that focuses on site assessment, accessibility, promotion, and expansion of the Three Rivers Water Trail. The report will be released soon, and staff are looking forward to putting new standards and practices into place to better support and attract current and new users of the Water Trail.
What’s New on the Upper Shenango Water Trail?
The Upper Shenango River Water Trail provides 23 miles of smooth, Class 1 paddling in scenic northwestern Pennsylvania. Starting at Pymatuning State Park, and running through the towns of Jamestown and Greenville, it ends where the Shenango River becomes Shenango River Lake, which is an Army Corps of Engineers facility. The Water Trail is managed by the Shenango River Watchers (and was the 2021 PA River of the Year!). The Jamestown PA Lions Club, a local partner along the Trail, received a mini-grant from POWR to help fund an access improvement project at Halfway Road on the river. The previous launch area at Halfway was damaged in winter storms, making the access to the river difficult to navigate safely. The new launch area is much more resilient to storm damage and has a more gradual grade, making access easier for people and their boats. Check it out and enjoy the scenic beauty of this part of PA! If you’ve never paddled the Shenango, consider joining the Shenango River Watchers for their Fall Paddle Fest on September 28th, 2024. Details are at shenangoriverwatchers.org and on their Facebook and Instagram pages.
What’s New on the French Creek Water Trail?
The French Creek Water Trail begins at the Union City Dam in Erie County and flows 78 miles to its confluence with the Allegheny River. The French Creek Valley Conservancy, manager of the trail, worked with several partners to create a long-angle, ramp-style accessible launch and designated parking area for the popular Miller Station Road Bridge Launch. Previously, access to the river was possible only via a set of steep stone stairs, and parking was an issue. Additionally, emergency personnel who needed quick access for their rescue vessels could not utilize the site. The Conservancy secured PA Water Trail Mini-grant funding from POWR as well as private funding to create a permanent access easement with the landowner and build the new ramp and parking area. With these improvements, you can enjoy a safer and more convenient experience at this launch and on the beautiful French Creek Water Trail!
What’s New on the Conewango?
The Conewango Creek Water Trail is 13.5 river miles in length and links to the north with the Marden E. Cobb Waterway Trail in New York State and to the Middle Allegheny River Water Trail to the South. Recent heavy rainfall and local stream flooding created several problem areas with fallen tree hazards (strainers) blocking safe paddling access down a section of the Conewango Creek approximately one mile downstream from the bridge in Russell, PA. The situation led to several emergency rescues of paddlers caught in the swift undertow created by the strainer by the Glade VFD Swift Water Rescue Team. Concerned for the safety of other paddlers and determined not to have to close this section of creek, the Water Trail Manager, Conewango Creek Watershed Association, took advantage of a new Water Trail funding opportunity, the Urgent Issues on a Water Trail Grant, administered by PEC, to hire specialized contractors who removed the fallen trees and other debris. While paddlers must always be prepared for changing conditions and hazards on waterways, this once troublesome strainer, at least, will no longer pose a threat to those of you planning to float the Conewango!
What’s New on the Oil Creek Water Trail and the Allegheny Wild and Scenic River Water Trails?
The Oil Region Alliance, manager of both the Oil Creek and Allegheny Wild and Scenic Water Trails, recently hired Mark Kerr as Project Manager. Mark will work primarily on Water Trail projects and outreach. “Mark has a solid knowledge of water-related activities and Pennsylvania fishing and boating regulations as he recently retired from a thirty-year career as a Water Conservation Officer with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. We here at the Oil Region Alliance are pleased to add him to our team, and with his hiring, we have a greater capacity to move water trail projects forward at a quicker pace,” said Kim Harris, Outdoor Recreation Program Manager for the Alliance. If you’re out enjoying a paddling or other recreational activity on either of the two waterways and see Mark out there, be sure to say Hi and Thank you!
What’s New on the Clarion River Wild and Scenic Water Trail?
Paddlers looking to explore the Clarion Wild and Scenic Water Trail, managed by the Allegheny National Forest, can use the Irwin Run Canoe Launch which reopened to the public in the Marienville Ranger District of the Allegheny National Forest in June 2023. The site includes a boat drop-off and pick-up area, new signage, native vegetation plantings, an exit road, an improved canoe launch ramp, and an accessible path to an expanded parking area. There also is an ADA-compliant, double-vault toilet. If you want to take an overnight trip, the adjacent Clarion River Campsite C17 is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
While you are out enjoying all these Water Trails, and any other recreational trails, please remember to practice good stewardship – pack out what you pack in, protect the natural resources that make the river a fun and scenic recreation experience, and help trail managers keep the facilities along the river clean and functional for all to use.
Have fun out there, and be safety aware!