|
CUYAHOGA RIVER INFORMATION Cuyahoga River Water Trail (OH) Mention the Cuyahoga River to people who have never paddled it, and you are likely to get incredulous looks and bad jokes about fireproof boats and paddles. This unfortunate state of affairs stems from an incident in the late 1960s when a petroleum spill occurred in the lower section of the river where commercial traffic was heavy. The spill resulted in the river''s "catching fire," which gave the media all the material it needed to depict the Cuyahoga as a heavily polluted blemish on the northeastern Ohio landscape. Water quality has improved since then, but the media attention hasn''t. As recently as 1992 the Wall Street Journal reported a professional "Bigfoot" tracker''s claims that a number of the creatures lived near Cleveland. One was reportedly seen wading in the Upper Cuyahoga near Mantua. Granted, the lower river from OH 17 to Lake Erie is a relatively uninteresting stretch, heavy in the commercial effluent generated by the rust-belt industry and seriously polluted as a result. But apart from burning waters and Bigfoot sightings, the bigger portion of this river is a relatively unspoiled Ohio waterway offering everything from a gentle float through wooded hillsides rich in wildlife to an awesome series of unnavigable drops at Cuyahoga Falls. West Branch An adventuresome paddler might start a trip on the West Branch as far upstream as the US 322 bridge. However, the river channel is narrow here— generally no more than 10-15 feet wide— and the terrain is marshy. While the narrow channel, surrounding marsh, and deadfalls represent minor obstacles, the most significant obstacle is posed by adjacent landowners, many of whom are waterfowl hunters and frown on paddlers who disturb the ducks, especially during hunting season. Were it not for inhospitable landowners, the West Branch would be an ideal float for those more interested in the biological diversity of the marsh than in the rigors of white-water paddling. There are no rapids on the Class I West Branch, and the first significant obstacle is not encountered until a few yards above the Butternut Road bridge, where a 2-foot low-head dam backs up a small pond. The dam is easily portaged on either side, and the water below presents no problems other than deciding which channel to take, since the main stream divides into ever smaller conduits, narrowing to less than 5 feet in places. Many access points from Butternut Road to the confluence with the East Branch and on to Lake Rockwell are marked with no trespassing signs posted by the city of Akron, ostensibly to protect the city from liability for injuries sustained on city-owned property. While some local paddlers report that the city of Akron has not been active in enforcing these restrictions, and some sections of the stream are served by a commercial livery, the city does have the authority to enforce its restrictions and claims to be active in doing so. East Branch Most of the East Branch of the Cuyahoga is too small to paddle, being little more than moist ground during periods of dry weather. Where there is enough water to paddle, the stream is choked with deadfalls and beaver dams. There is, however, a section of Class I water below OH 87 with a straight channel 20-25 feet wide and a slow, even current. There is access at the bridge on OH 168, which provides a convenient starting point for trips that continue down the Upper Cuyahoga. Upper Cuyahoga Upper Cuyahoga is an Ohio Scenic River The Upper Cuyahoga, from the confluence of the West and East branches down its 25-mile length to Lake Rockwell, is a gently flowing stream influenced partly by the woodlands through which it flows and partly by the marsh upstream near Burton. Carrying water that is sometimes cloudy from the silt and biological by-products of the marsh, the Upper Cuyahoga courses southward, often aimlessly turning back on itself as it searches out ever lower elevations through the hills of Geauga and Portage counties. In fact, the Native Americans must have been thinking of this stretch of the river when they named it Cuyahoga, which means crooked river. Camp Hi Canoe Livery Most paddlers start at Eldon Russell Park north of US 422. With the exception of a low-head dam at Camp Hi and one other obstacle, the only hazards on the Upper Cuyahoga are the occasional strainers inevitably present on the outside of this river''s many twists and turns. However, the current is rarely more than moderate, and even a novice paddler should have little difficulty avoiding being strained. The exception to this pattern occurs where the river drops through a notch in the bedrock between the two bridges in Hiram Rapids. This uncharacteristic hazard is hardly worthy of a Class I+ rating, but there is a large submerged rock in midchannel below the chute that reportedly upends its share of inattentive paddlers. There is one final nonnatural hazard for the inattentive paddler. The city of Akron prohibits boating on Lake Rockwell. The last chance to get off the river is the OH 303 bridge. If you miss it and the authorities catch you downstream, you will be arrested. The Upper Cuyahoga is intimate, relatively unspoiled, and ecologically fragile. Its proximity to large metropolitan areas does nothing to enhance the Upper Cuyahoga''s chances at ecological survival, although the efforts of George Hazlett and the folks at Camp Hi Canoe Livery have helped immeasurably in preserving this portion of the river. Each and every paddler has a discernible effect on the quality of this section. So, if you''re not going to carry out more than you carried in, don''t go. Middle Cuyahoga This section of the "crooked" river suffers from a scarcity of access points, the presence of dams, and the proximity of Kent, Munroe Falls, and Cuyahoga Falls. You can put in off Ravenna Road below the dam that holds back Lake Rockwell, although the riverbanks are steep and footing is precarious. From here the Cuyahoga courses between high, steep banks through the center of Kent. While these banks hide most evidence of the city from view, the background noise and deteriorating water quality represent ever-present reminders that you are literally only a stone''s throw from urban America. Burning River Adventures AW Kent Description AW Below Stow St Description AW Riverfrt Park to Cuyahoga Falls Map - Kent to Nat'l Park At this point, if you are unfamiliar with this river, it would be wise to start thinking about getting off it. As the river enters the city of Cuyahoga Falls, the banks rise on both sides-only 10 or 15 feet at first. Cuyahoga at Sheraton Hotel (O to P) is probably at a runnable level between 180 cfs and 800 cfs for Expert WW Paddlers. AW Sheraton Desciption Keel Hauler Rating 29 Sheraton Section Video With sheer rock walls rising from 20 to 100 feet, recovery of lost equipment is very difficult; rescue would be virtually impossible, although the strong likelihood is that it wouldn't be necessary. The first falls is called Rookie Drop. The river drops 10-15 feet off its lip and crashes onto some very large and ominous-looking rocks— there isn''t much of a cushion. Boof in the center. The second river-wide ledge only drops you about 1-1/2 feet, but it sets you up for the third ledge Rock Jumble. Most of the Cuyahoga funnels into a notch at its center and then drops 15 feet down a 60-degree water slide that narrows to 5 feet at the bottom with neck-high undercut rocks on both sides. If you accidentally make this little journey through the upper gorge, you will cover over 0.3 mile and 75 vertical feet in just a very few minutes. Lower Cuyahoga Having crashed and thundered its way to lower elevations in the upper gorge, the Lower Cuyahoga slows down behind the calming influence of the 60' high Ohio Edison Dam. Below the dam, however, is the most popular stretch of this river among experienced white-water paddlers. Access is difficult, involving a 1/3 to 3/8-mile portage down to the river in Gorge Park (depending on the side of the river on which you decide to put in). Cuyahoga Gorge (P to Q) is paddleable from 500 to 1500 cfs. Please be aware that a permit is required to put-in below the dam.
|