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Old 05-18-2015, 11:24 AM   #1
JPTolson
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Default Cuyahoga River?Kent to Waterworks Park in Cuyahoga Falls

Cuyahoga River?Kent*** to Waterworks Park in Cuyahoga Falls

On Sunday, May 31, the club will paddle the Cuyahoga River, aka ?Crooked River,? from Tannery Park, 300 Stow Street in Kent to Waterworks Park, 2025 Munroe Falls Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls. This is a 6.5 miles trip, nearly all flatwater, that will take about three hours. Please pack a lunch for along the river.

We will meet at Tannery Park in Kent, at 11:30 a.m. Parking here is limited.

***As we have done for this trip on two previous occasions, those who wish to paddle a 1.5 mile section of the river upstream of Tannery Park through downtown Kent will meet at 10:00 a.m. at River Bend Park (41.168789, -81.348057), a small access area on River Bend Boulevard, about one-quarter mile east of Ohio Route 43. The group putting in here will paddle down to Tannery Park and meet those who want to begin the trip at Tannery.

At lower water levels, this upper section through Kent has about a mile of class 1-2 rapids through an interesting narrow gorge that includes the historic dam that once spanned the river in downtown Kent. Paddlers who want to run this section should have good boat control in a moderate current. At higher levels, the rapids turn to class 2-3. We will NOT run this 1.5 mile section if the flow exceeds 750 cfs on the Old Portage U.S. Geological Survey gage. Meet instead at the Tannery Park put-in at 11:30. Watch the club website if there is any question whether we will run this section and for any other updates for the trip.

Please call or email JP Tolson at 330-337-7752 or john.paul.tolson@gmail.com by Saturday, May 30, if you plan to attend. Hope to see you on the river!
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Old 05-26-2015, 07:42 AM   #2
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Default Water level?

Tu 8 am 156 cfs 2.56 gage (Old Portage)
Wow...we are about 2.8" below normal rainfall.

I haven't been on this section of Cuyahoga at such a low level. Is it still paddleable?

KenM

Well, the storm Wed night certainly helped. Hopefully it won't all drain away.

Last edited by KenM; 05-28-2015 at 07:58 AM.
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Old 05-26-2015, 03:15 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KenM View Post
Tu 8 am 156 cfs 2.56 gage (Old Portage)
Wow...we are about 2.8" below normal rainfall.

I haven't been on this section of Cuyahoga at such a low level. Is it still paddleable?

KenM
A scouting run was done this weekend when the level was 2.61 ft. and flow was 163 cfs. It was bony but very doable. I had to walk once for a couple feet, but only because I guessed the wrong line.

I did this section at 2.42 ft/132 cfs three years ago, but that was before the two dams near Cuyahoga Falls were removed in 2013. So that Old
Portage gage reading of 2.42/132 from prior to dam removal may no longer be a valid indicator of paddling zero.

Keep an eye on this board for any updates on the trip.

Last edited by JPTolson; 05-27-2015 at 06:08 AM.
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Old 05-27-2015, 07:57 AM   #4
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I don't think the Old Portage gauge would have been affected by the dam removals -- neither of those dams had any flow control, and the gauge is well downstream, even past the Ohio Edison dam.

I've paddled this section at 2.2 ft on the Old Portage gauge (before the dams were removed) -- it was shallow, but the only place we had to walk was on one small section just downstream of Water Works Park.
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Old 05-28-2015, 08:02 PM   #5
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JP, we plan to be there. Steve, Linda, Chris and Lora. Possibly Nathan and Livi.
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Old 05-29-2015, 01:52 PM   #6
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Default Trip Status Update

As of Friday afternoon, the river is dropping nicely (581 cfs as of 2:00 p.m.) from a high of over 3,000 cfs earlier in the week. However, there is rain in the forecast for Saturday and early Sunday, so we will need to keep a close watch on the water level. Please keep checking this thread for trip status updates as we may have to make a last minute decision if we get a lot of rain.

For kayakers planning to paddle the 1.5 mile section from River Bend to Tannery Park, a spray skirt is recommended. To get some idea of what to expect on that section, check out Mike Danko's video taken while he and Jessica ran it at 600 cfs last July. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D88U_fgfHgc

Finally, the coordinates for Tannery Park, at 300 Stow Street in Kent are approximately 41.150434, -81.362819

Looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

JP

Last edited by JPTolson; 05-29-2015 at 04:33 PM.
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Old 05-30-2015, 04:22 PM   #7
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Default Sunday paddle

I plan on being there for the second half of the paddle. See you there!
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Old 05-30-2015, 07:42 PM   #8
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We plan on coming if the weather is going to be ok. It's almost a two hour drive from our place so we will watch the website for updates. It looks like they had some storms up near the Kent area this afternoon.

Mark & Kathy Murtha
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Old 05-30-2015, 08:38 PM   #9
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Default Trip Status Update Saturday Evening

On last week's scouting run, the concern was too little water. For this week's trip, it's the opposite. Ahhh, the joys of predicting water levels!

There is a lot of rain heading toward northeast Ohio this evening that could affect our paddling plans for tomorrow on the Cuyahoga. I will make final decisions on both sections of the trip by 7:30 Sunday morning and post them to this thread. The decision guidelines are:

River Bend to Tannery – If the reading on the Old Portage gage is greater than 750 cfs or would likely be greater than 750 cfs by the time we would put on the water, this section of the trip is cancelled.

Tannery to Waterworks – If the reading on the Old Portage gage is greater than 1,000 cfs or would likely exceed 1,000 cfs by the time we would put on the water, this section of the trip is also cancelled. At this level, the current picks up significant speed and negotiating some of the bends in the river could be tricky for some paddlers. Since safety is always first and since we could potentially have a large number of paddlers (31 at last count), we don't want to find ourselves chasing down folks who might be taking long swims in a fast current.

I will also consider the weather forecast in the decision, but my primary concern is water level.

If we have to cancel the Tannery to Waterworks section of the trip, the entire trip will be rescheduled.

I really want to do this run, but sometimes it turns it into a game day decision based on what Mother Nature throws our way. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

JP

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Old 05-31-2015, 05:11 AM   #10
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GRRRRR, Mother Nature is not cooperating!
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