Raft/Kayak

Loch Raven and the Big Gunpowder Falls and Little Falls rivers are great place to: raft, kayak and fly Fish. The reservoir is 305 square miles and with the combination of the river and lake it allows one to kayak about 36 miles in total from Pretty Boy Dam to the Bay all in a pristine nature setting and no motorized craft or vehicles are allowed on or in it.  Also the famous NCR trail that snakes its way along the the river from PaperMill Road to York Pennsylvania is about 20 miles long to the border and another 15 miles to York or about 35 miles one way or 70 miles round trip biking, running or hiking. Talk about beautiful: eagles, hawks, deer**  incredible  views  all along the river and on the lake!!!IMG_1164

For Kayaking, the Big Gunpowder Falls river is about 18 miles from the base of Prettyboy Dam to Sparks. Heading down to the base of the dam below

About to embark on a great adventure below.  Look at the release from the dam below , pretty powerful

It was loud and the release was powerful, so safety was paramount 

There are a few 2-3 whitewater sections but most of the river is calm.  Now how beautiful is this 

We passed some fly fisherman as the stream is rated one of Maryland’s best

We had to navigate  a few downed trees 

We paddled under some old bridges and some of then were the NCR trail where we bike and hike and horseback ride

The NCR trail going over/on the bridge above (no traffic allowed) and we ride with horses = awesome 

Having a blast 

Along the way we arrived at “Hill Billy Beach” where many tubers put in for the ride to Monkton bridge and or Corbett Road and or Sparks.

Finally after about 18 miles one reaches Sparks (this time we pulled out at Glencoe Road 13-14 miles) To continue one then one paddles the Gunpowder Falls from Sparks to the start of the lake by going under the Papermill Bridge then continues passing under the Warren road bridge and then paddles to the next bridge on loch Raven Drive and pulls out.  This is about 6-8 miles 

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One can continue to paddle on the beautiful Loch Raven lake and through the Watershed below (our friends Dylan and group)

how beautiful is this below

 

A mirror of God below on Loch Raven

 

One must pull out at the Loch Raven Drive Bridge where one takes out to go to the base of Loch Raven dam and then paddles another 12 miles to the bay all in a pristine environment: no traffic, no motors, few people, and the wild life is amazing. Total Kayaking is about: Prettyboy to Sparks about 18 miles, Sparks to loch Raven Bridge about 8 and Loch Raven Dam to Bay is about 12 miles = Total Kayak potential = 36 miles from Pretty Boy base to Loch Raven then from Loch Raven Dam to Chesapeake Bay.  Loch Raven below. Out of 1 million people in the city and county only about 30 kayak permits are issued and we have 2 stored there!!  

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There are many hidden nooks and cranies to explore with tons of wild life.  We see eagles and hawks, deer, foxes and tons of fish.   From my childhood we have been canoeing and kayaking the lake and river.  From the smaller Loch Raven Dam, you take your kayak or inner tub and paddle or drift down towards the bay on the Gunpowder and can take out at Hartford or Belair roads before the bay. It is about 10-12 miles from the Loch Raven dam to the bay.  Here are our friends tubing from the Loch Raven dam to Belair road a 5 hour drift

 Having fun drifting to eternity

 

Total kayak or canoe or tubbing from base of Prettyboy to Bay is about 36 miles  

Various shots below

 

Look at the Bamboo 

getting to the start

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So this is a pristine lake

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Great shots in the evening

2 shots of NCR trail awesome