Paddle time is back

The ice has left the nearby Susquehanna River, and trees on its banks have just started to pop with lime-green buds this week. The annual canoe and kayak excursion event emails are starting to arrive in our inboxes, meaning that spring and paddle time are here again. For me, one of the ways to fully appreciate the beauty, as well as the challenges, that our 83,000 miles of Pennsylvania waterways face is to get out on a river.

Susquehanna River at Harding, north of Pittston, Pa.

Where I live, we’re within an easy drive of some great waterways: the Delaware River, including where it carves through the Water Gap and its 1,200 foot cliffs; the Susquehanna River, and its relatively gentle North Branch near Wilkes-Barre, which contrasts with the wide and vast waterway it becomes to the south; the renowned Yellow Breeches Creek in central Pa., which was once a meandering and beautiful summer paddle with PennFuture colleagues; and the Lehigh River’s scenery, a real hot spot -- especially if you like a bit of whitewater!

While noting eastern Pa. spots, I can’t not mention the Lackawanna River in Scranton, a sentimental (and, of course, unbiased) favorite, along which my ancestors settled in the 1880's. And I know that PennFuture folks in Philly, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg have their personal lists of great paddling or boating spots, too (ask away -- and tell us your own!). For those who are interested in taking on the Susquehanna's 444-mile challenge, there's something new for you that our CEO, Cindy Dunn, noted in a recent article.

The Fish and Boat Commission's Water Trail Guides are a great resource for paddlers of all levels. There are 17 designated water trails across the state, and cartophiles and history buffs will find plenty about each region, places to see, and river access points and rapids charts.

So pack your sunscreen and water -- and see you out on the Pennsylvania waters.

Kate Gibbons is northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Wilkes-Barre.