Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2014 - 31

autumn color. Several islands divide the flow including
67-acre Baker Island, part of the Allegheny Islands
Wilderness. The Allegheny Wilderness islands are
public. Canoeists may stop to rest, have lunch or camp.
You will likely pass boats with serious anglers casting
for Smallmouth Bass, Walleyes and Northern Pike that
inhabit this section of the Allegheny River. It is fitting
that Tionesta was the hometown of Howard Zahniser,
author of the 1964 Wilderness Act. Zahniser would be
proud to know that the islands where he paddled and
fished as a boy are part of the national wilderness system
he championed. Take out at the Tionesta PFBC Access on
the river's left bank (east) headed downstream.

Clarion River
Hallton to Clear Creek State Park,
Jefferson County

Launch at State Game Lands 28 access at Hallton, 15
miles east on River Road from the Route 899 bridge at
Clarington. A small parking lot accommodates about 12
vehicles. This trip winds for 13 beautiful miles through
the forests of the Allegheny National Forest on the river's
right bank, State Game Lands 54 and the Clear Creek
State Forest on the left. The deep green of hemlock
accents the blazing colors of maple and beech on the
flanking hills, The Clarion River flows here at an ideal
pace, with enough ripples for an element of adventure
but plenty of slow pools for admiring the surroundings.
Watch for bald eagles and river otters, two re-introduced
species that have made successful comebacks along
Pennsylvania's healing streams. Smallmouth Bass are
abundant, but the big ones are known to bite mostly at
early morning and dusk. Take out at the state park access
at Clear Creek State Park, accessible from Route 949 at
Sigel. Clear Creek State Park is a nice place to camp if your
schedule allows spending the night.

Tionesta Creek
Minister Creek to Kellettville

This shorter float should be viewed a "target of
opportunity" as paddlers put it. Normally too low for
paddling most autumns, Tionesta Creek offers a great-
if brief-float option when fall rains swell the flow for
a day or two. When flows are adequate, the stream
moves along at a pleasingly brisk pace but nothing scary.
Launch at the United States Forest Service Minister Creek
Campground along Route 666 east of Route 62 at East
Hickory. Although Route 666 parallels the stream for
the entire 8 miles of this float, there are long stretches
where the creek bends away from the road and vehicle
noise is minimal. Take out at United States Forest Service
campground at Kellettville, which you'll pass on Route 66
on the way upstream to the launch.

PFBC website: www.fishandboat.com

Youghiogheny River
Confluence to Ohiopyle

Known to local paddlers as "The Middle Yough," this
enchanting and remote 11-mile stretch offers several mild
rapids for adventure but none of the "extreme thrills" posed
by the Lower Youghiogheny's Class IV and the Upper
Youghiogheny's (in Maryland) Class V whitewater. As with
the Allegheny River, the upstream Youghiogheny Dam assures
runnable water levels throughout the year. Launch at the
Ohiopyle State Park Ramcat Run access on the river's left bank
near Confluence. Reach the launch by turning north onto
Ramcat Road from Route 281 near the Youghiogheny Dam at
Confluence. This 4-hour float penetrates Pennsylvania's deepest
river gorge, 1,200 feet from river to rim as the Youghiogheny
River carves through the Great Laurel Ridge. The hugely
popular Great Allegheny Passage, the 130-mile bike trail from
Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, parallels the stream
above the left bank. An active railway commands the opposite
shore. The trains are noisy but pass quickly. This is a good
float to pack along fishing gear. Big Rainbow Trout and Brown
Trout lurk in dark eddies behind boulders, and Smallmouth
Bass numbers are surging. Otters and eagles provide thrilling
encounters for lucky paddlers. Take out at the Ohiopyle State
Park access at Ohiopyle, a short distance south of Route 381.
For more information on Pennsylvania Water Trails, visit
www.fishandboat.com and click on "Water Trails."

COLD WATER
KILLS!
WEAR YOUR
LIFE JACKET!

Boaters are required by law to wear a
life jacket on boats less than 16 feet in
length or any canoe or kayak during the
cold weather months from November 1
through April 30.

Life jackets save lives year-round. In addition to this
regulation, the Commission strongly encourages
all boaters to wear their life jackets at all times
during the other months of the year.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * September/October 2014

31
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - September/October 2014

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