I had posted a week ago inviting folks to join me in northwestern Pennsylvania to see some new rivers. There were no takers. Too bad, because they got heavy rain up there over Thursday night and a little more on Friday, and every creek I drove over had water. It would have been a good weekend for creekin'.
I settled on the Clarion river because there are canoe liveries there and I could get a shuttle. 51 miles of the Clarion are designated Wild and Scenic. Scenic I can agree with, but it is not wild. The river is as wide as the Shenandoah at Harpers Ferry, but with only a 5 fpm gradient, there is current but no rapids. I paddled about 20 miles from 10 above Clarington down to Cooksburg. The banks are heavily forested, a good bit of it state forest land, but also many houses and a road near the river. Access is pretty good, both private and public, but this is not a good place for canoe camping. Considering the easy access, the banks are remarkably free of trash. I did not see a lot of wildlife, but was told the river has good fishing, including for trout. On warm afternoons the river sprouts dozens of plastic canoes, kayaks and tubes. There are several rental places in Cooksburg, which seems to be a big summer vacation destination. There are campgrounds in both Clear Creek and Cooks Forest state parks, but also many private camps, cabins, etc. There are many river miles up there I haven't seen yet, so a repeat exploration when the water is high could well happen. Tom McCloud
Clarion river, PA
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