I recently floated the Allegheny River from Kinzua Dam to Allegheny Outfitters in Warren, PA. If you have never floated this river you need to put it on your bucket list. Its beauty is unparalleled in my opinion. I took the trip on short notice and I needed a ride from Warren to the dam. I called Allegheny Outfitters and since it was out of peak season, they were able to accommodate me the next day. Reservations are strongly recommended especially for weekends and holidays.
Once I arrived the next morning, I paid the $26 and change for the shuttle and they helped me load my boat on the trailer and I threw my gear into the van and we were off. There was a young couple who were floating that day as well. Piper Lindell, one of the owners of Allegheny Outfitters, drove us up to the dam. During the trip she went over several river safety issues like strainers and the refinery rapids. Her passion for the river and paddling was evident in her voice. Once we arrived at the dam Piper helped me unload my boat and I was off. The water temperature was 70 F and the river was flowing at 2,400 cfs. This was an excellent level to be floating the river. (If you do not understand the flow rates and why they are important I wrote a series of blog posts about the USGS Water Data sites across the country. Please take the time and read them, especially if you spend any time paddling our streams and rivers.)
Something else I want to mention about paddling the river is the “Allegheny River Paddling Guide” which was co-written by Piper. This guide is an excellent resource for anyone who spends time on the river from Kinzua Dam to Tionesta, PA. It has paddling times for virtually all portions of this section of the river and has put-in and take-out points as well as safety information. I highly recommend this book. It also has a durable heavy lamination applied to the pages to make it virtually indestructible as it lays in a pool of water in the bottom of your boat.
During the float I saw several immature eagles as well as a couple of mature ones. Ducks, geese, and gulls were also prevalent. The early fall scenery was spectacular. You can see the leaves starting to turn and in a few weeks the mountains will be in full Autumn colors. I would make plans now to get out and see it I think this year is going to be special.
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