map and information OHIO RIVER WATER...
2
OHIO RIVER WATER TRAIL Trip Mileage GPS Coordinates THE HAZARDS OF PADDLING THE OHIO RIVER The Ohio is a magnificent river. For water enthusiasts, nothing beats floating down the Ohio River in a kayak; nevertheless, many hazards exist on the Ohio River such as river crossings, commercial traffic, wind, waves, swift-river current, high water levels, low water temperatures, and strainers. The Ohio River provides a wide range of experiences, therefore we suggest that you complete a safety class and professional instruction before paddling the mighty Ohio River. No one should attempt kayaking without proper training. RIVER CURRENT & WATER LEVELS Avoid kayaking at high water conditions, which cause strong currents and force debris from the banks into the river. Rainfall also increases the risk of treacherous currents and submerged debris that can cause accidents and injuries. Real-time stream flow info is available at the USGS Water Watch website at waterwatch.usgs.gov. WIND, WAVES, & RIVER CROSSINGS The Ohio River is very wide and it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to cross via a canoe or kayak. Once out into the river, you may experience waves and choppy conditions, especially if it is windy. Due to the winding nature of the river, wind direction changes often. You can minimize the wind’s influence on your boat by kayaking directly into the wind. COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC The Ohio River is classified as federal waters, and all boaters must comply with the U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Recreational boaters must yield the right of way to commercial vessels. An important constraint is the pilot’s blind spot. The blind spot extends for hundreds of feet in front of the barge. Therefore, do not canoe or kayak in the path of barges. Barges also have limited navigation due to their size and weight and therefore cannot turn or stop quickly. It can take up to three miles for a towboat to stop a string of full barges. In addition, wheel wash is a strong underwater current caused by a towboat’s engines that can result in severe turbulence hundreds of yards behind a large vessel; consequently, recreational watercraft must maintain at least 1,000 feet in clearance behind the rear of towboats. RESTRICTED AREA The section immediately above and below each lock and dam is designated as a Restricted Area. Waters in these areas are turbulent, unpredictable, and deceptively dangerous. Strong currents can easily trap and drown a potential victim without warning. Signs and/or flashing red lights mark the limits of the regulated sectors at each lock and dam. No person, vessel, or other floating craft shall enter any such guarded zone at any time and are subject to a summary offense and penalties. Lockmasters enforce the adherence to these laws and, if required, solicit aid from local police. In the interest of public safety, please articulate to other boaters or anglers about the hazards of lock and dam structures. Safety As Thomas Jefferson once stated, “the Ohio is the most beautiful river on earth.” Paddlers can feel a sense of remoteness and natural beauty here. Although roads and railroads follow the river, they are generally not visible from the river below. Trees along the river bank often block out views of homes, farm fields, and industrial sites. The island chutes—the narrower, not commercially navigable, sections between an island and the shore—also offer remote natural settings. The Ohio River offers abundant widlife to enjoy. The water trail meanders through several habitat types, resulting in high species diversity along the river. More than 200 species of birds visit the river each year, including osprey and bald eagle. There are more than 100 species of fish in the Ohio River, including spotted bass, sauger, freshwater drum, channel and flathead catfish. Both West Virginia and residential Ohio fishing licenses are honored on the Ohio River and the various backwaters (up to the first riffle), and on the Little Kanawha west of the Leachtown Lane access site. There are more than 25 mammal species along the Ohio River and Little Kanawha River, including white-tailed deer, raccoons, muskrats, mink, cottontail rabbit, and red fox. Frogs, toads, turtles, dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies, and 40 species of freshwater mussels add to the astonishing biodiversity of these rivers. Three of the islands on the trail are part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors are welcome to pull their canoes and kayaks up onto the shore and explore these islands on foot during the day. The Ohio River Islands NWR is working to protect, conserve, and restore the riparian forest habitat on these islands; visitors who explore these islands will find them in various stages of transition from agricultural use to restored forest. Water trail users can get more involved in conserving and restoring natural habitats along the trail by contacting the Friends of the Ohio River Island National Wildlife Refuge. Scenic Beauty www.greaterparkersburg.com designed by Mollee Brown Mileage is round trip. DUCK CREEK 13 MILeS | 6-7 hOURS | PUT-IN: WILLIAMSTOWN BOAT RAMP WORTHINGTON CREEK AND THE LITTLE KANAWHA 5.3 MILeS | 2.5 hOURS | PUT-IN: CORNING PARK LEE CREEK 8.6 MILeS | 5 hOURS | PUT-IN: Lee CReeK NEAL RUN 3.5 MILeS | 2 hOURS | PUT-IN: POINT PARK AROUND BUCKLEY ISLAND 6.2 MILeS | 3 hOURS | PUT-IN: WILLIAMSTOWN BOAT RAMP TO BLENNERHASSETT ISLAND 3.5 MILeS | 2 hOURS | PUT-IN: POINT PARK AROUND BLENNERHASSETT ISLAND 10.2 MILeS | 5 hOURS | PUT-IN: POINT PARK AROUND NEAL ISLAND 7.1 MILeS | 3 hOURS | PUT-IN: POINT PARK AROUND VIENNA ISLAND 14 MILeS | 7 hOURS | PUT-IN: POINT PARK AROUND MUSKINGUM ISLAND 11 MILeS | 5.5 hOURS | PUT-IN: WILLIAMSTOWN BOAT RAMP WILLIAMSTOWN TO DEVOLA 12 MILeS | 6 hOURS | PUT-IN: WILLIAMSTOWN BOAT RAMP 1. OLD LOCK 20 39.137733, -81.740594 2. LEE CREEK 39.149061, -81.715324 3. LOCK 19 39.25525, -81.691949 4. BELPRE ACCESS PARK 39.275047, -81.597497 5. POINT PARK 39.265542, -81.567252 6. MARIETTA LEVEE 39.410371, -81.451265 7. WILLIAMSTOWN BOAT RAMP 39.406995, -81.450081 8. ORINWR HEADQUARTERS 39.390563, -81.417646 9. CORNING PARK 39.258694, -81.53552 10. LEACHTOWN LANE 39.140011, -81.447744 11. SPRING VALLEY 39.139834, -81.395563 map and information Learn more: www.greaterparkersburg.com/ohio-river-watertrail/ Ohio River Water Trail - Parkersburg, WV
Transcript of map and information OHIO RIVER WATER...
OH
IO R
IVER
W
AT
ER
TR
AIL
Trip M
ileageG
PS C
oo
rdin
ates
TH
E H
AZ
AR
DS O
F PAD
DLIN
G T
HE
OH
IO R
IVE
RT
he O
hio
is a magn
ificen
t river. For w
ater enth
usiasts, n
oth
ing b
eats flo
ating d
ow
n th
e Oh
io R
iver in a
kayak; neverth
eless, many h
azards exist o
n th
e Oh
io R
iver such
as river crossin
gs, com
mercial traffi
c, w
ind
, waves, sw
ift-river curren
t, high
water levels, lo
w w
ater temp
eratures, an
d strain
ers. Th
e Oh
io
River p
rovides a w
ide ran
ge of exp
eriences, th
erefore w
e suggest th
at you
com
plete a safety class
and
pro
fession
al instru
ction
befo
re pad
dlin
g the m
ighty O
hio
River. N
o o
ne sh
ou
ld attem
pt kayakin
g w
itho
ut p
rop
er trainin
g.
RIV
ER
CU
RR
EN
T &
WA
TE
R LE
VE
LSA
void
kayaking at h
igh w
ater con
ditio
ns, w
hich
cause stro
ng cu
rrents an
d fo
rce deb
ris from
the
ban
ks into
the river. R
ainfall also
increases th
e risk of treach
erou
s curren
ts and
sub
merged
deb
ris th
at can cau
se acciden
ts and
inju
ries. Real-tim
e stream fl
ow
info
is available at th
e USG
S Water
Watch
web
site at waterw
atch.u
sgs.gov.
WIN
D, W
AV
ES, &
RIV
ER
CR
OSSIN
GS
Th
e Oh
io R
iver is very wid
e and
it takes a con
siderab
le amo
un
t of tim
e and
effort to
cross via
a cano
e or kayak. O
nce o
ut in
to th
e river, you
may exp
erience w
aves and
cho
ppy co
nd
ition
s, esp
ecially if it is win
dy. D
ue to
the w
ind
ing n
ature o
f the river, w
ind
directio
n ch
anges o
ften.
You
can m
inim
ize the w
ind
’s infl
uen
ce on
you
r bo
at by kayaking d
irectly into
the w
ind
.
CO
MM
ER
CIA
L TR
AFFIC
Th
e Oh
io R
iver is classified
as federal w
aters, and
all bo
aters mu
st com
ply w
ith th
e U
.S. Co
ast Gu
ard req
uirem
ents. R
ecreation
al bo
aters mu
st yield th
e right o
f way to
co
mm
ercial vessels. An
imp
ortan
t con
straint is th
e pilo
t’s blin
d sp
ot. T
he b
lind
spo
t exten
ds fo
r hu
nd
reds o
f feet in fro
nt o
f the b
arge. Th
erefore, d
o n
ot can
oe o
r kayak in
the p
ath o
f barges. B
arges also h
ave limited
navigatio
n d
ue to
their size an
d w
eight
and
therefo
re cann
ot tu
rn o
r stop
qu
ickly. It can take u
p to
three m
iles for a to
wb
oat
to sto
p a strin
g of fu
ll barges. In
add
ition
, wh
eel wash
is a stron
g un
derw
ater curren
t cau
sed by a to
wb
oat’s en
gines th
at can resu
lt in severe tu
rbu
lence h
un
dred
s of yard
s b
ehin
d a large vessel; co
nseq
uen
tly, recreation
al watercraft m
ust m
aintain
at least 1
,00
0 feet in
clearance b
ehin
d th
e rear of to
wb
oats.
RE
STR
ICT
ED
AR
EA
Th
e section
imm
ediately ab
ove and
belo
w each
lock an
d d
am is d
esignated
as a R
estricted A
rea. Waters in
these areas are tu
rbu
lent, u
np
redictab
le, and
d
eceptively d
angero
us. Stro
ng cu
rrents can
easily trap an
d d
row
n a p
oten
tial victim
with
ou
t warn
ing. Sign
s and
/or fl
ashin
g red ligh
ts mark th
e limits o
f th
e regulated
sectors at each
lock an
d d
am. N
o p
erson
, vessel, or o
ther
flo
ating craft sh
all enter any su
ch gu
arded
zon
e at any time an
d are su
bject
to a su
mm
ary offen
se and
pen
alties. Lockm
asters enfo
rce the ad
heren
ce to
these law
s and
, if requ
ired, so
licit aid fro
m lo
cal po
lice. In th
e interest
of p
ub
lic safety, please articu
late to o
ther b
oaters o
r anglers ab
ou
t the
hazard
s of lo
ck and
dam
structu
res.
Safety A
s T
ho
mas
Jef
fers
on
on
ce s
tate
d, “
the
Oh
io is
th
e m
ost
bea
uti
ful r
iver
on
ear
th.”
Pad
dle
rs c
an fe
el a
sen
se o
f rem
ote
nes
s an
d n
atu
ral b
eau
ty h
ere.
Alt
ho
ugh
ro
ads
and
rai
lro
ads
follo
w t
he
rive
r, th
ey a
re g
ener
ally
no
t vi
sib
le fr
om
th
e ri
ver
bel
ow
. Tr
ees
alo
ng
the
rive
r b
ank
oft
en b
lock
ou
t vi
ews
of h
om
es, f
arm
fiel
ds,
an
d
ind
ust
rial
sit
es.
Th
e is
lan
d c
hu
tes—
the
nar
row
er, n
ot
com
mer
cial
ly n
avig
able
, sec
tio
ns
bet
wee
n a
n is
lan
d a
nd
th
e sh
ore
—al
so o
ffer
rem
ote
nat
ura
l set
tin
gs.
Th
e O
hio
Riv
er o
ffer
s ab
un
dan
t w
idlif
e to
en
joy.
Th
e w
ater
tra
il m
ean
der
s th
rou
gh s
ever
al h
abit
at t
ypes
, res
ult
ing
in h
igh
sp
ecie
s d
iver
sity
alo
ng
the
rive
r. M
ore
th
an 2
00
sp
ecie
s o
f bir
ds
visi
t th
e ri
ver
each
yea
r, in
clu
din
g o
spre
y an
d b
ald
eag
le.
Th
ere
are
mo
re t
han
10
0 s
pec
ies
of fi
sh in
th
e O
hio
Riv
er, i
ncl
ud
ing
spo
tted
bas
s, s
auge
r, fr
eshw
ater
dru
m, c
han
nel
an
d fl
ath
ead
cat
fish
. B
oth
Wes
t V
irgi
nia
an
d r
esid
enti
al O
hio
fish
ing
licen
ses
are
ho
no
red
o
n t
he
Oh
io R
iver
an
d t
he
vari
ou
s b
ackw
ater
s (u
p t
o t
he
firs
t ri
ffle)
, an
d o
n t
he
Litt
le K
anaw
ha
wes
t o
f th
e Le
ach
tow
n L
ane
acce
ss s
ite.
Th
ere
are
mo
re t
han
25
mam
mal
sp
ecie
s al
on
g th
e O
hio
Riv
er
and
Lit
tle
Kan
awh
a R
iver
, in
clu
din
g w
hit
e-ta
iled
dee
r, ra
cco
on
s,
mu
skra
ts, m
ink,
co
tto
nta
il ra
bb
it, a
nd
red
fox.
Fro
gs, t
oad
s,
turt
les,
dra
gon
flie
s, d
amse
lflie
s, b
utt
erfl
ies,
an
d 4
0 s
pec
ies
of
fres
hwat
er m
uss
els
add
to
th
e as
ton
ish
ing
bio
div
ersi
ty o
f th
ese
rive
rs.
Th
ree
of t
he
isla
nd
s o
n t
he
trai
l are
par
t o
f th
e O
hio
Riv
er
Isla
nd
s N
atio
nal
Wild
life
Ref
uge
. Vis
ito
rs a
re w
elco
me
to
pu
ll th
eir
can
oes
an
d k
ayak
s u
p o
nto
th
e sh
ore
an
d e
xplo
re
thes
e is
lan
ds
on
foo
t d
uri
ng
the
day
. Th
e O
hio
Riv
er
Isla
nd
s N
WR
is w
ork
ing
to p
rote
ct, c
on
serv
e, a
nd
res
tore
th
e ri
par
ian
fore
st h
abit
at o
n t
hes
e is
lan
ds;
vis
ito
rs w
ho
ex
plo
re t
hes
e is
lan
ds
will
fin
d t
hem
in v
ario
us
stag
es o
f tr
ansi
tio
n fr
om
agr
icu
ltu
ral u
se t
o r
esto
red
fore
st.
Wat
er t
rail
use
rs c
an g
et m
ore
invo
lved
in c
on
serv
ing
and
res
tori
ng
nat
ura
l hab
itat
s al
on
g th
e tr
ail b
y co
nta
ctin
g th
e Fr
ien
ds
of t
he
Oh
io R
iver
Isla
nd
N
atio
nal
Wild
life
Ref
uge
.
Scen
ic B
eau
ty ww
w.g
reat
erpa
rker
sbur
g.co
m
designed by Mollee Brown
Mileage is ro
un
d trip
.
DU
Ck
CR
EEk
13
MILe
S | 6-7
hO
UR
S | PU
T-IN:
WILLIA
MSTO
WN
BO
AT
RA
MP
WO
RT
HIN
GT
ON
CR
EEk A
ND
TH
E LIT
TLE k
AN
AW
HA
5.3
MILe
S | 2.5
hO
UR
S | PU
T-IN:
CO
RN
ING
PAR
K
LEE CR
EEk
8.6
MILe
S | 5 h
OU
RS | P
UT-IN
: Lee
CR
ee
K
NEA
L RU
N
3.5
MILe
S | 2 h
OU
RS | P
UT-IN
: PO
INT
PAR
K
AR
OU
ND
BU
Ck
LEy ISLA
ND
6.2
MILe
S | 3 h
OU
RS | P
UT-IN
: W
ILLIAM
STOW
N B
OA
T R
AM
P
TO
BLEN
NER
HA
SSETT
ISLAN
D
3.5
MILe
S | 2 h
OU
RS | P
UT-IN
: PO
INT
PAR
K
AR
OU
ND
BLEN
NER
HA
SSETT
ISLAN
D
10
.2 M
ILeS | 5
hO
UR
S | PU
T-IN: P
OIN
T PA
RK
AR
OU
ND
NEA
L ISLAN
D7
.1 M
ILeS | 3
hO
UR
S | PU
T-IN: P
OIN
T PA
RK
AR
OU
ND
VIEN
NA
ISLAN
D
14
MILe
S | 7 h
OU
RS | P
UT-IN
: PO
INT
PAR
K
AR
OU
ND
MU
SkIN
GU
M ISLA
ND
1
1 M
ILeS | 5
.5 h
OU
RS | P
UT-IN
: WILLIA
MSTO
WN
BO
AT
R
AM
P
WILLIA
MST
OW
N T
O D
EVO
LA1
2 M
ILeS | 6
hO
UR
S | PU
T-IN: W
ILLIAM
STOW
N B
OA
T R
AM
P
1. O
LD LO
Ck
20
39
.13
77
33
, -81
.74
05
94
2. LEE C
REEk
39
.14
90
61
, -81
.71
53
24
3. LO
Ck
19
39
.25
52
5, -8
1.6
91
94
9
4. B
ELPR
E AC
CESS PA
Rk
39
.27
50
47
, -81
.59
74
97
5. P
OIN
T PA
Rk
39
.26
55
42
, -81
.56
72
52
6. M
AR
IETTA
LEVEE
39
.41
03
71
, -81
.45
12
65
7. W
ILLIAM
STO
WN
BO
AT
RA
MP
39
.40
69
95
, -81
.45
00
81
8. O
RIN
WR
HEA
Dq
UA
RT
ERS
39
.39
05
63
, -81
.41
76
46
9. C
OR
NIN
G PA
Rk
39
.25
86
94
, -81
.53
55
2
10
. LEAC
HT
OW
N LA
NE
39
.14
00
11
, -81
.44
77
44
11
. SPR
ING
VA
LLEy3
9.1
39
83
4, -8
1.3
95
56
3
map
and
inform
ation
Lear
n m
ore
: ww
w.g
reat
erp
arke
rsb
urg
.co
m/o
hio
-riv
er-w
ater
trai
l/
O
hio
Riv
er W
ater
Tra
il - P
arke
rsb
urg
, WV
OHIO RIVER WATER TRAIL
Old Lock 20
Lee Creek
Lock 19
Belpre Access Park
Point Park
Marietta Levee
Williamstown Boat Ramp
ORINWR Headquarters
Corning Park
Leachtown Lane
Spring Valley/Mouth of Hughes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
