Paddling

Canoeing, white-water rafting, kayaking

Web Sites

• American Canoe Association
  Conservation (ACA is a strong advocate for clean water) news, programs and special events, and paddle sport information. Offers courses in basic paddle sports and instructor level courses.
• American Whitewater
  A national nonprofit organization of almost 4,000 individual whitewater boating enthusiasts and more than 100 local paddling club affiliates. Includes a river guide to whitewater around the nation, with information on whitewater with alerts, maps, and local clubs for each.
  • Pennsylvania Rivers
  • Ohio Rivers
  • West Virginia Rivers
• Northeast Paddlers Message Board
  Share experiences with other paddlers in the Northeastern United States. Their articles section includes ones on the Clarion, Delaware, Susquehanna, and Lehigh.
• Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association
  Information on choosing the right PFD (life-jacket), one that you or your child will wear.
• USA Canoe & Kayak
  U.S.A. Canoe and Kayak (USACK) was established to recruit, train and support athletes to compete in the Olympic Games in flatwater sprint and whitewater slalom canoe/kayak racing. USACK is now the National Governing Body for all canoe/kayak racing in the U.S.

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Pittsburgh Region

• Allegheny Front: Kayaking Pittsburgh's Rivers
  The Allegheny Front radio program visits Venture Outdoor's kayak rentals on Pittsburgh's North Side.
• Beaver County Rowing Association
  Beaver County Rowing Association supports rowing, kayaking and canoeing on the Beaver River, north of Pittsburgh.
• Kayak Pittsburgh
  Kayak Pittsburgh is a project of Venture Outdoors and offers flat-water kayaks downtown, in North Park and Lake Elizabeth on the North Side.
• Ohiopyle Falls Race
  An annual whitewater event at the end of September in Ohiopyle on the Youghiogheny River southeast of Pittsburgh.
• Outside Adventures Learning of Western Pennsylvania
  Outside Adventures Learning of Western Pennsylvania is a non-profit outdoor recreation educational organization which sponsors an active sea kayaking program and other outdoor activities.
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  
  • Enjoy nature, camaraderie with sojourns on the river
    This is a May 4, 2003 article about the various river sojourns taking place in the Pittsburgh area and Pennsylvania. The 2003 French Creek River Sojourn is highlighted
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "Sojourn on the Yough" (YOCK)
    Reporter Bob Batz Jr. and photographer Annie O'Neill used canoes, rafts and bikes to cover the 74 miles along the Youghiogheny River from Confluence to McKeesport over six days, in celebration of the Youghiogheny being named 1998 River of the Year by the state.
• Three Rivers Paddling Club
  A Pittsburgh-region club consisting of over 400 (mostly whitewater) paddlers from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, the Maryland panhandle and beyond.
• Three Rivers Rowing Association (TRRA)
  The Three Rivers Rowing Association offers weekly urban kayak tours in the heart of Pittsburgh.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District Water Management
  Check here for current river conditions on the Youghiogheny and Cheat Rivers.

Pittsburgh Region - Outfitters

• Laurel Highlands River Tours
  A family owned and operated company in Ohiopyle, Fayette County, that offers river rafting on the Youghiogheny River.
• Ohiopyle Trading Post
  Guided or Guide-escorted Ohiopyle rafting trips for all ages. Rental Bikes and Boats.
• White Water Adventures
  A white water rafting outfitter for the Youghiogheny and Cheat Rivers. Based in Ohiopyle, PA. Also offers lodging at the Yough Plaza Motel in Ohiopyle.
• Wilderness Voyageurs
  The original Youghiogheny Outfitter; more trips, since 1964, than any other Ohiopyle Rafting company.

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission: Water Trails
  Water trails are boat routes suitable for canoes, kayaks and small motorized watercraft and have access points, boat launches, day use sites, and -- in some cases -- overnight camping areas.
• Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers: Sojourns
  The Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds & Rivers has put together this information on River Sojourns in Pennsylvania, most of which take place in June during "Rivers Month" in Pennsylvania. River Sojourns are educational, multi-day canoeing and float trips organized by organizations. You can also download a 50 page booklet for organizers: River Sojourn Organizer's Guide: Pennsylvania's Experience.

Nearby States

• Ohio Water Trails
  Find a water trail in Ohio.