On any given fine summer day, the Upper Cuyahoga State Scenic River in Burton nourishes the need for paddlers to soak in the great outdoors."For…
On any given fine summer day, the Upper Cuyahoga State Scenic River in Burton nourishes the need for paddlers to soak in the great outdoors.
“For me, a day paddling the Cuyahoga is a form of deliverance from the high-pressure, high-tech world of everyday modern life,” said kayak-enthusiast Robert Collins, of Willowick.
Paddlers from all over flock to this American Heritage River with its gentle current and meandering course to experience a kayaking and canoeing adventure by solo, or with family and friends.
“The reason I enjoy kayaking the river is that it provides one with the opportunity to paddle through several miles of tranquil and wooded scenery, seemingly untouched by human development,” Collins said. “As you make your way past one forested river bend after another, it is easy to imagine that you are seeing the country as it appeared when the Native Americans or first white settlers saw it many centuries ago.”
Crooked River Adventures in Burton and Troy townships and Camp Hi Canoe Livery in The Village of Hiram are making the experience easier with rentals and transportation to launching sites in Geauga County.
“There has been a canoe livery at this location for more than 50 years,” said Chris Kanieski, manager of Crooked River Adventures. “In 2006, it closed because tenants relocated. In spring 2007, the river walk opened and there was an immediate demand for canoes at the location.”
The topography of the Upper Cuyahoga watershed was shaped by the Illinoisan and Wisconsin glaciers, and recent rains have the river at a high level.
“On Saturday’s excursion, we could actually paddle past the traditional riverbank and enter well into the woods,” Collins said. “As we maneuvered through the trees, I could imagine we were floating in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, rather than the wetlands of the Cuyahoga.”
Kanieski said they started with a handful of canoes at the back of the restaurant, then added kayaks.
“In May of (2008), we very quickly became a popular location on a nice day to rent canoes and kayaks,” he said. Since then, he has transported people of all ages up river to Eldon Russell Park for a seven-mile by water scenic river adventure down the Upper Cuyahoga River, ending at the Iron Horse.
“We saw a half dozen ducks on the River about a mile from Camp Hi,” said paddler Bob Novak, Collins’ friend from Willoughby. “This area does not lose much in the way of scenery. Almost nine out of the 10 miles that we did are completely void of human activity — no houses or road noise.”
Camp Hi transports paddlers for launching with a private put in across from The Iron Horse on state Route 422 for their trips.
For those kayak and canoe owners wanting to use their own boats, both Crooked River Adventures and Camp Hi will transport for a reduced fee.
“It’s definitely a cool experience,” said Leannah Frances, of Shalersville, a recent high school graduate. “It gets you hooked on nature.”
“Geauga County is absolutely amazing,” Kanieski said, adding visitors seem to agree, with many repeat customers.
“Last week 40 percent of our business came from out-of-towners, and big groups from California,” he said.
Although a tranquil nature-inspired experience, Novak said he did spot a lot of people on the river.
“For me, the significant thing we saw on Saturday’s excursion was a Great Blue Heron flying slowly across the river,” Collins said. “It has a lot of meaning for me for the memory it evokes.”
Collins explained as a 10-year-old, his father brought him on his first canoe trip to this very same place.
“The highlight of the trip occurred when we came upon a Great Blue Heron standing on the river bank,” he said. “Now, for a boy growing-up in the stark suburban landscape of Willowick, the sight of this large avian in its natural habitat seemed almost as exotic as if I saw an ostrich on an African safari.
“Since that first seminal experience, a trip on the Cuyahoga does not seem complete without a sighting of the Great Blue Heron. The sight of one not only brings back the excitement I felt that day, it also brings back a warm memory of a moment I shared with my father.”
Novak said hitting the waterways or being in the woods in general is a way they both get away from life.
“If you would have done the entire 10 miles with us, you never would have heard us talking about work,” he said. “Even though, maybe even because, I sit in front of a computer all day. I feel most comfortable going down the river.”
