Paddling Pennsylvania: Kayaking and Canoeing the Keystone State's Rivers and Lakes [Paperback]

Jeff Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

Pennsylvania contains more miles of rivers and creeks than any other state except Alaska, making the Keystone State a prime destination for canoers and kayakers. This guide contains information for 211 of the commonwealth's rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds and reservoirs.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeff Mitchell is an attorney and the author of several outdoor recreation books. He lives in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811736261
• ISBN-13: 978-0811736268
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #344,970 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Kayaking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Book is lacking too much information, October 29, 2011

By 

GT - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paddling Pennsylvania: Kayaking and Canoeing the Keystone State's Rivers and Lakes (Paperback)

I like Jeff Mitchells' books very much and I think they are indispensable to the serious outdoors person in Pennsylvania. But I am very disappointed with this book. I used Edward Gertler's Keystone Canoeing book as a reference in the past and I was hoping this book would provide information missing from Gertler's book, but alas it does not. The most frustrating is the lack of information on amenities near the paddling spots, especially for rivers. For example, the section on the Octoraro Creek has a starting and end point on roads...ok, well, is there public parking nearby to leave the car? Is the access on public or private land? Also, the section I mentioned is 14.5 miles...but no mileage information in between, so if I want to cut the trip to say 7 miles, I don't know where on the map said 7 miles is. This renders the book all but useless for the river sections since I am not going to drive a couple of hours if I don't know if I can even park my car when I get there.

The sections on lakes are a little more useful, but could also use some work. For example, Bruce Lake and Egypt Meadow Lake are near one another. To get to Bruce Lake, you must hike 3 miles in to put in. However, the trail to get to Bruce Lake passes by Egypt Meadow Lake, which has a close by public access. So, if I put in at Egypt Meadow, can I access the trail to portage to Bruce Lake? If so, what is the new mileage of the portage. Again, not very much information is provided.

Here's hoping that the second edition will be a little more insightful.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pick up your paddle and go!, February 21, 2010

By 

Charles Glendening (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Paddling Pennsylvania: Kayaking and Canoeing the Keystone State's Rivers and Lakes (Paperback)

I now understand why it has taken so long for a book on this subject to be published; it is simply a monumental undertaking, and Mr. Mitchell is to be congratulated for his effort. As he mentions in his introduction, PA has 'more waterway miles than any state except Alaska'. The real challenge in writing this book was deciding where to draw the line in the scope of what it would cover, and do it in such a way that the information would stay useful for a reasonable period of time.

"The Guide focuses primarily on sizeable flatwater rivers and streams...'this is not a guide to whitewater rivers and creeks'. Industrialized rivers, or those open to heavy commercial traffic are not included.

"There are 211 separate excursions described in the book, organized by watersheds. At the beginning of each section there is a watershed map showing all the trips described. Each individual trip includes a 'thumbnail' map showing access points. A data table for each trip shows pertinent USGS gages with suggested minimum levels, and a maximum recommended level where it applies; difficulty rating; hazards; scenery rating; notes on fishing and camping, with a narrative.

"Each description is designed to give the reader an overview, and a fair sense of what may be expected from the experience. It lacks exhaustive detail, but it is certainly more than adequate and will whet your appetite for exploring beyond your [geographical] comfort zone. This, coupled with a PA Gazetteer and maybe a AAA TourBook will put you well on your way to enjoying many new adventures on our state's waters."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jeff Mitchell has done it again!, January 23, 2010

By 

Michael P. Gadomski (Sterling, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Paddling Pennsylvania: Kayaking and Canoeing the Keystone State's Rivers and Lakes (Paperback)

Jeff Mitchell has done it again! He has written a concise, detailed and most importantly an ACCURATE guide to wilds of the Keystone State. Wonderful !