CHAPTER 1
Allegheny River – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
I'd come here in the belief that I could never really know America until I saw it from the bends and reaches of its flowing waters, from hidden spots open only to a small boat
William Least Heat-Moon
Allegheny soundtrack: As Long As the Grass Shall Grow – Johnny Cash, Potter County USA – Eddie & Joanie, Black Muddy River – Grateful Dead, Many Rivers to Cross – Jimmy Cliff, A Pirate Looks at 40 – Jimmy Buffett
Paddling: the Allegheny River – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Livery: Kayak Pittsburgh, located under the 6th St. Bridge (Roberto Clemente Bridge), on the North Shore of Pittsburgh & next to PNC Park (home of the Pirates), phone (412) 969-9090; Kayak Pittsburgh is operated by Venture Outdoors with offices at 33 Terminal Way, Suite 537A, Pittsburgh PA 15219. (412) 255-0564, www. ventureoutdoors.org.
Degree of Paddling Difficulty: beginner (defined by Venture Outdoors as "beginner-level paddling at a moderate pace, relative calm water, though it may involve some wake ... well-defined route ... no prior experience necessary... not too physically challenging")
Background of the Allegheny River & Its Stewards
The Allegheny River runs for 321 miles, flowing through the states of Pennsylvania and New York. It begins as a spring in a farmer's field in north central Pennsylvania's Potter County, 10 miles south of the New York border. The Allegheny flows down from Potter County's hills, winding north into New York for its first 80 miles, where students at St. Bonaventure University study and relax along its banks. Here in its upper reaches it is a federally-designated "wild and scenic river". It then flows southwest into Pennsylvania near Jamestown, NY. In Pennsylvania, the Allegheny River forms much of the northwest boundary of the 517,000 acre Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania's only national forest. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River at "the Point" in downtown Pittsburgh, where the two rivers form the headwaters of the Ohio River.
From the point, the Ohio runs for 981 miles until it empties into the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois. Since the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans, with patience, time, plenty of provisions, and a willingness to portage a few dams, you could launch your canoe or kayak into the Allegheny's headwaters in Potter County, and 2,300 river miles later, you could find yourself re-hydrating in the French Quarter. Plan to arrive on Fat Tuesday.
During the Ice Age, the Allegheny Mountains started to push up, and the glacial flow stopped 30 miles north of Pittsburgh. Until that time, the Monongahela River flowed from south to north into Lake Erie. Then the Monongahela doubled back on itself and began flowing east to west, merging with the Allegheny to form the Ohio River.
Kayak Pittsburgh/Venture Outdoors rents kayaks by the hour OR will provide you with a guided tour. Our guides paddled alongside our group, making sure that we understood what was ahead and shared the history of the river & shoreline development - they were the key to making our Allegheny River experience as wonderful as it was. Our thanks to guides Joel and Alice Johnson, Jim Smith, Larry Gioia, Don Drolet (& off river, Liz Fager, Vanessa Bashur, Maureen Coyle). In preparation for our paddle, Venture Outdoors sent our group a written outline of what to expect on the river, what to bring, contact information, V.O.'s policies, and directions to the meeting location. Venture Outdoors mission is to connect people to the outdoors, and they do it by offering 500 public programs annually. As they do with paddling, V.O. promotes hiking (even a beer tasting hike), biking, fly fishing, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, wall climbing, & geocaching trips. Their contact information is listed at the beginning of this section.
The work of the Friends of the Riverfront has helped to create the Three Rivers Water Trail, with 185 miles of riverfront access for paddlers (through its 18 water access sites including this trip's 6th Street Bridge launch), and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail - 24 miles of a gorgeous river walk for strolling, biking, and running. The Heritage Trail offers fabulous views of the rivers & the city, beautiful works of art, and interpretive signage. The FOTR mission is to increase awareness and engagement with Pittsburgh region's rivers and riverfronts through activities, stewardship, and expansion of land and water trails. For more information go to www.friendsoftheriverfront.org.
Paddling the Allegheny River
The trip outlined in this chapter covers a little over 4 miles as the Allegheny River's 321 mile journey comes to its end. This stretch of the river has a depth of between 10' to 25', and a width of 200'.
Begin at the North Shore public access and concrete ramp beneath the 6th Street Bridge (Roberto Clemente Bridge) by PNC Park, located 6/10ths of a mile upstream (east) of the confluence of all of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers, known as "the Point".
Heading upstream, to the east and away from the Point, there is 1/10th of a mile between each of the "Three Sisters Bridges": the (baseball great) Roberto Clemente (6th Street) Bridge, the (artist) Andy Warhol (7th St) Bridge, and the (environmental pioneer) Rachel Carson (9th St) Bridge - the only 3 identical suspension bridges in the world.
With 446 bridges, Pittsburgh has more than any other town in the world (3 more than Venice). August Roebling, builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, constructed Pittsburgh's Smithfield Bridge across the Monongahela River in 1812 –...
