East Sandy Creek guide
 

Finally got things together enough to get this video put on youtube.

It's a paddler's guide to one of the fun beginner whitewater creeks in NW PA, East Sandy Creek.

Not that it's a tough creek to paddle, and needs a guide. But beginner kayakers sometimes want to know as much info as possible before committing to a new run.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3uzJaHESLw

Steve Z

Thank you for taking the time to putting the video togethor.

That is a creek I want to do.
Again thank you
Mike

Thanks for posting the video. Having biked the trail along Sandy Creek several times, I often wondered if it paddleable. Now that I see it can be paddled, I'll have to consider a paddle and pedal. Thanks again.

Very useful video guide. Thanks for posting. Hope to paddle this creek one day.

I was fortunate enough to get out Wednesday for a paddle -pedal on East Sandy. This was the first trip that was not brown water. I started the paddle in Van which is the eastern most bike trailhead. The water was clear enough to see about 3 feet deep. Likely the lowest water lvl I've paddled. I would venture to say it was about as good as it could get for a rec boat. Yes I hit a few rocks but then i enjoy negotiating rock gardens. Van is a pretty easy put in but the take out has to be desired. The trip from Van to the mouth is 11-12 miles but the current is always there. The pedal back is about 7 miles all uphill but the grade is negligible. Not a strainer to impede the paddling but one spot I ended up taking a shallow channel around a couple braided islands. Other than Mays Mill and a few cabins it is a fairly secluded valley. I will see this one again the sooner the better

Glad that you got out - that's a fun run and the weather was pretty sweet.

After reading your report I checked the gauge height for Wednesday. It was above 3.5 ft all day, up to 3.8 ft. If the level was low it confirms a suspicion of mine that the gauge has somehow changed. For years I've been looking for 3.5 or above, and felt pretty safe heading over to paddle at that level (unless the Oil Creek gauge was dropping fast). Now I'm thinking I'll be looking for a bit higher level to make the trip - maybe start out at 3.75 ft.

Thanks for the info Paul.

Steve Z

With a correlation gage you also have to consider rainfall. I was a bit concerned because the maps i looked at showed oil creek watershed received a bit more rain in the days previous to my paddle.

Painted Gage
 

I checked two guidebooks, Canoeing Guide to Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virgina, 1991 edition, and Keystone Canoeing by Ed Gentler, 2004 edition. Both mention a painted gage on the Route 322 bridge pier at Van. Gertler guesses that the minimum is 4.5 on the painted gage and that 5.5 is "excellent." He suggests the Rouseville gage on Oil Creek should be over 1,200 cfs (4.15 feet). The Western PA guide says that a reading of 3 on the painted gage is too low to put in at the 322 bridge, but adequate at the Route 257 bridge, about 5 miles downstream of Van.

Might be a good weekend for an East Sandy trip. Considering giving it a shot on Sunday, weather and schedule permitting.

Anyone interested, post up here.

Steve Z

I am interested in paddling on Sunday. If we get the predicted rain 1/4 to 1/3 inch, that should put it at a good lvl. The only problem I may have is passing Scrubgrass on the way to East Sandy.