Looking for a Place to Paddle?
The American Canoe Association has recommended 12 Water Trails from across the USA for 2006. In order to be recommended the trail must be a "contiguous or semi-contiguous waterway or series of waterways that is open to recreational use by paddlers; The trail must have public access points for paddlers; The trail must be covered by a map, guide, signage or a web site that is of reasonable quality and detail and available to the public. Published or printed materials for the trail (e.g. guidebook, map, signs, website) must communicate low-impact ethics to trail users; and The trail must be supported and/or managed by one or more organizations."
The 2006 ACA-Recommended Water Trails are:
- Appalachicola Paddling Trail System; Florida Panhandle.
- Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge Paddling Trails; Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
- Conodoguinet Creek Water Trail; Southern Pennsylvania.
- Hudson River Water Trail; Eastern New York .
- Lower Mattaponi and Pamunkey Canoe Trail; Eastern Virginia.
- Middle Allegheny River Water Trail; Northwest Pennsylvania.
- Milwaukee Urban Water Trail; Southeast Wisconsin.
- Muskingum River Water Trail; Southeast Ohio.
- Ohio River Water Trail – Markland Pool Section; Southwest Ohio / Northern Kentucky.
- Potomac River Water Trail; Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
- Tilghman Island Water Trail; Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
- Willamette River Water Trail; Western Oregon. good destinations for paddlers.
According to a recent ACA Newsletter,"The Association’s interest in water trails can be traced to its founders, who cited the exploration, creation and preservation of water trails for recreational use by Americans of all ages as a key reason for the creation of the ACA. Designation of this year’s recommended trails is part of the ACA’s water trails program, launched in 2005 during the ACA’s 125th Anniversary year. ACA’s website features the most comprehensive on-line database of water trails on the web, available at http://www.americancanoe.org/recreation/watertrails.lasso.