The view from my kayak while I paddled down a canal in Avon, Outer Banks, North Carolina. |
*Note: This story first appeared in an earlier edition of the Altoona Mirror's "Blair Living" magazine.
By Brian Yermal Jr.
For Blair Living
During the opening
weekend of trout season in central Pennsylvania in mid-April, anglers converged
on nearly every accessible part of shoreline surrounding Canoe Lake in Canoe
Creek State Park to the point where latecomers had little chance of finding an
open spot.
Some fishers, however,
used kayaks to escape the crowds and to access more open areas of water.
Some anglers escaped the crowds on the first day of trout last season by fishing from kayaks on Canoe Lake in Canoe Creek State Park. Other fishers stood shoulder-to-shoulder along the shoreline. |
Meanwhile, on a Saturday
in early May, a group gathered to remove litter from a portion of the Little
Juniata River. A few of the volunteers brought kayaks to reach some of the
river’s islands that housed trash dumped by people upstream.
Whether they’re fishing,
cleaning trash or just floating, more people are picking up paddles and
embracing kayaking in central Pennsylvania, according to local experts involved
with water sports, tourism and environmental conservation.
Becoming mainstream
Kayaking has floated to
the surface as the most popular paddlesport in the United States. In 2014,
about 13 million Americans said they participated in kayaking, according to a
study from The Outdoor Foundation, a nonprofit group that focuses on outdoor
recreation. Kayaking surpassed canoeing, rafting and stand-up paddling in
participation numbers in 2011 and has remained on top since 2014, according to
the study. Data for 2015 was unavailable.
Kayaking continues to grow as the top paddlesport in the country. You can find kayakers just about anywhere that features water, including cities like Pittsburgh. |
Kayaking’s growth as a
paddlesport comes down to a few different factors.
One reason is its
affordability.
“Kayaks have become
pretty inexpensive, and more and more people are using them,” said Bill
Anderson, president of the Little Juniata River Association.
Higher-scale kayaks can
cost several hundred dollars or more, but basic, single-seat models are
available with price tags as low as $200. Likewise, paddles range in cost from
as low as $50 to a few hundred dollars.
Basic, single-person kayaks sell for as low as $200 (or lower if there are sales). Tandem kayaks, which have two seats, tend to cost more at about $500 or higher. |
Another reason more
people are leaning toward kayaks is because they’re easier to transport since
they weigh less than some other watercraft, said Tim Yeager, assistant park
manager of Prince Gallitzin State Park and interim park manager at Canoe Creek
State Park. While people can use a trailer to haul a kayak, they also have the
option of placing it in the tailgate of a truck, Yeager said. Many paddlers use
roof racks to mount kayaks on top of their vehicles, as well.
Kayaks come in different lengths, but many are short enough that they can be transported on a car's roof or the tailbed of a truck. |
Kayaks are rising in
popularity among different groups of hobbyists.
At Canoe Creek and Prince
Gallitzin state parks, people use the watercraft to observe wildlife, especially
birds, Yeager said. Photographers also paddle around in kayaks to take pictures
in areas not accessible by land, he said.
More fisherman are
choosing kayaks for lake fishing, Yeager said. Anglers are taking advantage of
using kayaks for fishing in the Little Juniata River, too, Anderson said.
Fishing while kayaking
has also gone up in waterways in Huntingdon County, including Raystown Lake and
the Juniata River, said Evan Gross, “energies coordinator” at Rothrock
Outfitters.
“We’re certainly seeing an uptick in the
fishing market as we do have a lot of places that are great for fishing,” Gross
said.
Kayaks can be useful for photography, bird watching and fishing. They also come in handy when you get into a fight with your parents. |
Kayaks can be used for
less-conventional purposes, as well.
Volunteers for the Little
Juniata River Association boarded kayaks, canoes and boats to access islands
between the towns of Spruce Creek and Barree during a trash cleanup in May. The
group collected more than 15 bags of litter and larger objects including tires
and a propane tank.
The ‘rail-trails’ of kayaking
Central Pennsylvania is
home to several lakes and rivers – all of which are suitable for kayaking,
local experts said.
Many of the lakes are
situated in state parks, including Canoe Lake in Blair County, Glendale Lake in
Cambria County and Shawnee Lake in Bedford County. These state parks offer
kayak rentals for single-person and two-person kayaks, Yeager said.
Kayaking at a lake suits
many people because the water lacks a current, Yeager said.
“You’re in a lake, so the
water, other than wave action, isn’t moving,” he said.
Paddlers can also engage
in several activities in the same day at a state park, including kayaking on
the lake, hiking a trail on shore and having a picnic, he said.
Cassidy and I rented kayaks at Shawnee State Park in Bedford County this summer. I've also used rental kayaks at Canoe Creek State Park. Rental prices can vary at each park. |
Kayakers looking to
paddle in a larger body of water might consider Raystown Lake in Huntingdon
County, which is the largest lake located entirely in Pennsylvania with about
8,300 surface acres of water, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In
comparison to Raystown Lake, Canoe Lake is 155 acres, according to the
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Like the lakes at the
state parks, Raystown tends to be calm, Gross said.
“The lake is really
tempting just because it is relatively flat water,” he said, but Gross warned
that kayakers must be cautious of strong wakes produced by motorboats and quick
changes in weather.
Beginning kayakers should seek out calm waters like a lake or a slow-moving river. The Allegheny River in Pittsburgh suited Cassidy and I well. |
Rothrock Outfitters
offers kayak rentals to customers at its two locations – one in Huntingdon
Borough and another at Seven Points Marina on Raystown Lake.
Kayakers have options
other than lakes for paddling in central Pennsylvania – the most significant
one likely being the Juniata River Water Trail.
At 126 miles long, the
Juniata River Water Trail includes the Little Juniata River starting in Tyrone,
the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River starting near Canoe Creek State
Park, and the main section of the Juniata River, according to the Pennsylvania
Fish & Boat Commission. The trail cuts through five counties – Blair,
Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata and Perry – and empties into the Susquehanna River
at Duncannon.
Local kayakers recognize
the Juniata River as an optimal waterway for paddling because its flow is calm
in most sections.
“For the most part, it’s
a pretty simple trip for beginning paddlers,” said Matt Price, executive
director of the Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau.
Price is also an avid
kayaker who is part of a group known as the Juniata River Paddlers. Started in
September 2015, the organization hosts river paddles on various sections of the
Juniata River on Mondays during Daylight Savings Time. The paddles start at 5
p.m. and typically go about two hours, spanning a distance of about 4 to 4.5 miles,
Price said. The group posts the launch site of each week’s paddle on its
Facebook page and the website Event Smart.
Price helped start the
organization because of his passion for kayaking and nature.
“Part of the reason I
started organizing these is because I wanted to get out every week,” he said.
The number of people who
attend the kayaking trips varies, Price said. Once in a while, he ends up
paddling solo, but on other trips, about 10 or more people might tag along. If
the group on a specific paddle consists of more than seven kayakers, it
requires each person to pitch in $5 to rent a shuttle to bring them back
upriver, Price said. After some trips, the group holds a social hour at a
restaurant, bar or ice cream parlor, he said.
Price and the group
prefer the Juniata River because it offers variety in scenery and is an easy
paddle for kayakers of any level, he said. The river contains certain obstacles
such as rapids, aqueducts and dams, but Fish & Boat Commission maps label
possible hazards, so kayakers have fair warning.
A portion of the Juniata
River Water Trail consists of the Little Juniata River from Tyrone to the
confluence of the two rivers. More kayakers are taking interest in the Little
Juniata River because, like its larger neighbor, its waters are calm.
“It’s a really tame
float,” Anderson of the Little Juniata River Association said. “I would call it
an easy river to kayak,” he added.
Volunteers with the Little Juniata River Association prepare to float a boat filled with trash to the other side of the river during a cleanup in May. |
The Little Juniata River
does pose some complications, however. The river only has a few decent access
points for paddlers to launch their kayaks, Anderson said. During the LJRA
cleanup, the volunteers launched their watercraft from the parking lot of a
local church.
The Little Juniata
River’s popularity as a fly fishing and trout destination also creates some
friction. Anglers and kayakers sometimes lack proper communication when they’re
near one another, which results in paddlers scaring away fish or getting their
watercraft caught on fishing lines, Anderson said. The best way to avoid
problems is for kayakers to pass behind the fisherman so they do not interfere
with the fishing line, he said.
Anderson isn’t
discouraging paddlers from kayaking on the Little Juniata, but he said both
kayakers and the fishermen have to share the water.
“There needs to be some
communication between the boater and the wading fishermen,” Anderson said.
The Juniata River is also
part of another water trail.
The Raystown Branch
Juniata River Water Trail extends 60 miles from Saxton near Warriors Path State
Park to Bedford Borough, according to the Fish & Boat Commission. While
maps show that most portions of the Raystown Branch Juniata River Water Trail
are relatively calm, there are portions where rapids and fast currents occur,
so kayakers are advised to be careful.
Local kayaking experts suggest
watching water levels throughout the year before going out to paddle. They
recommend going in springtime or fall, when frequent rain and cooler weather
allow the water level to stay higher.
Regardless of where
people choose to go kayaking, they have many options available that suit
paddlers of any experience level, Gross said. Most of the rivers and lakes tend
to be calm, he said, adding that they’re similar to bike trails in the area.
“I think the paddling
around here can be very much assimilate to rail-trails for biking,” Gross said.
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