French Creek & the Allegheny
- Jun 1, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 5, 2022
French Creek, PA - Allegheny River
Canoepacking Trip
Memorial Day Weekend
This post is a throwback to a Memorial Day weekend trip two years ago at the height of the pandemic. Having been a part of the canoepacking community in Appalachia for quite some time, it was a wonder I never made it on this particular stretch of river until then. This was a gem of a trip and I would like to share it with you all today. Due to restrictions during the pandemic, a trip close to home was necessary. By chance, I happened to find an amazing float trip planning guidebook [from kayakmapspa.com by Mr. JH Susco] which opened my eyes to new outdoor spaces in the region. The book was a perfect companion on the trip, complete with waterproof pages and detailed maps for 77 scenic miles of the French Creek Water Trail. Ranked as one of the cleanest and most biologically diverse waterways in the East, I was ready to start exploring a river that had been woefully under my radar.
While driving north to my planned put-in, I had a last minute idea to call a local outfitter guide [Oars on the Allegheny] to get some local beta about the river water levels and route plan. I was fortunate to speak with the outfitter/owner himself about my initial plan and he advised a slight alteration. I had originally planned to put in at Saegertown, eight miles upstream of Meadville, and take out at Franklin, which is right at the confluence of the French Creek and the Allegheny River. The outfitter instead suggested putting in at Meadville and to take out further south at Fisherman’s Cove at the mouth of Sandy Creek, which would allow for more camping opportunities along the Allegheny River. The change added only one more mile to the original plan for a total trip of 39 canoepacking miles. I am a firm believer in prepping well and scouting information for trips, and in my experience, speaking with local guides adds a great dimension to the adventure. In this case, I learned about private campground locations that could be available as an alternative to public land camping options, which very well could have been full on a holiday weekend!
Excitement built up on the drive to the takeout at Fisherman’s Cove, where we would drop off one of the vehicles to use as a shuttle. The road down to the takeout was a beautiful, wooded three-mile gravel road along the Sandy Creek that included passing under an old covered bridge. Along the stretch of road were many campers and families swimming and splashing in the water. Just before arriving at the takeout parking area, you pass access to the Allegheny River Valley & Justus Trail System.
The Allegheny River area near Franklin has an extensive bike trail system with two old rail tunnels (½ mile long Rockland Tunnel & Kennerdell Tunnel). Three trails for a total trip of 52 miles at your beckon call.
It takes two hours and fifteen minutes to reach the takeout from Wheeling, WV. Once the car is dropped off we head to the put in location in Meadville. One hour shuttle time between put-in and takeout on this run.
At Meadville, we put in at the Kenneth A. Beers Jr. Bicentennial Park. The park has ample parking, boat racks, bike racks, a log cabin structure, and an easy muddy launch. Loading the canoe with all the goodies packed for an adventure voyage is always quite interesting trying to maneuver and strategize a plan to tie down the smorgasbord of drybags, fishing equipment, a cooler, and camping oddities. Canoepacking is more like glamping in the wilderness with all the creature comforts of a coffee table, chairs, air mattress, relaxation hammock, prep table, grill grate, cast iron skillet, and all the typical backcountry cookware and essentials.
The paddle on the French Creek from Meadville to our camping spot was an enjoyable float but our highlight on this stretch was an up close encounter with a bald eagle. The massive eagle was perched on a branch and lifted off with a powerful pump of its wings. The eagle glided upstream as we floated downstream. The majestic eagle was incredibly close and one heck of a way to kick off our Memorial Day Weekend, the American Unofficial Kickoff to Summer. Canoepacking and finding camping spots on remote islands is truly an adventure when you are at a location for the first time. The outfitter guide warned us that it may be difficult to find pre established camping spots on the islands. That's why the French Creek Fork, a private campground, is our backup plan if we cannot find a suitable island to rest our heads. The first island we scoped out as a potential camping island was not good, so we kept going. The next island that we stopped at was a dud and as we skirted the island we ran upon a logjam requiring us to exit the canoe and plan our route around. While assessing the situation at hand, we stumble upon the toad cove. Toads were everywhere, mating, calling, vocalizing, crawling all over each other. To be blunt, it was a toad orgy! We could have stayed here all day and become one with the toads. It was uber cool and one heck of an experience. And then this… Cozmo - the old man adventure pup, was being a dog and engorging himself in the buffet of goose poop and also rolling himself in the always unpleasant stench of poop cigars. While Cozmo was rolling in all his glory he went over the bank upside down into the water landing on his rump before being entirely submerged. If I could personify and describe his expression, it would be best interpreted by the cartoon eyes of Wiley Coyote before falling off the cliff. Luckily just Cozmo’s pride was damaged in that skirmish. Unfortunately, my partner was distracted by the toads and didn’t see the events that led to Cosmo being in the water. She said she knew something crazy had to have happened because he doesn’t like water and would never do that on his own. We laughed with those strong belly laughs and decided it was time to migrate on from newly named, “Toad Cove.” We used a strap to led the heavily loaded canoe around the logjam while we walk along shore navigating the obstacle. After striking out on campsite friendly islands, we knew we only have a couple more island options left before we had to camp at the private campground. We found our home on the last of an island chain upon further examination. We found a rock beach, a suitable camping site with a pre-existing fire ring. We discussed our options and made the decision to stay for the evening ending our 19 mile day.
We set up camp on our claimed domain for the evening with all the luxuries of our glamping supplies. We cooked cheeseburgers and corn on the cob on the fire. Solitude was achieved as the last day trip kayakers paddle down the French Creek. The island was active with song birds, bumble bees, spiders, and waterfowl galore. The song of nature was an immersive experience in the dawn and dusk hours of our camping adventure. Stars were shining strong and bright flickering through a raincover free tent before drifting off into the Milky Way galaxy.
Day two of our three day adventure always starts off great with a cup of joe. My new backcountry favorite, Starbucks Instant Vanilla & Mocha Latte. While sipping on coffee and preparing a hearty camp breakfast. We packed bacon bits, scrambled eggs, and leftover frozen potato casserole. We cook the potato casserole in the cast iron skillet and eggs on the cook stove. We packed up camp and headed downstream to finish the French Creek and onto the Allegheny River. This section of French Creek from Utica to Franklin was our favorite section of this creek. Important note: Utica has a beer and snack stand creekside! We liked going through the small towns and each town placed an American Flag one the bridges. We thought that was a great way to share their patriotism toward the boaters on the holiday weekend. We passed several launch locations packed with people ready to embark on their own holiday float adventure. Throughout the entire weekend it was great to see all the family cookouts and picnics.
The French Creek gradually flows into the river bend of the mighty Allegheny River. The confluence of the creek and the river is buffered by islands presenting a grand introduction to the Allegheny River Valley. The Allegheny is a large waterbody that is reminiscent of the width of the Ohio River back home. This Wild and Scenic River is probably what the Ohio River used to be without all the locks and dams for river commerce and navigation. We now are in search of the outfitter guide just downstream of the public Franklin Boat Launch. We find Oars on the Allegheny and take landfall seeking some advice and guidance on our Allegheny expedition. The owner provided us with an Allegheny River Water Trail map and a personalized map of the surrounding islands suitable for camping. Due to the holiday traffic we only had a couple options available from his daily River inventory of users. We discussed our options, had a local ($2) hoppy IPA from a regional brewing buddy, and back on the water in search of our site. He suggested that our best option for the evening was to go all or nothing and go for our last and best option on the river. If that spot was taken we were just going to finish our journey a day early. We agreed to go for it and we luckily nabbed it. He pitched us the site and was as an incredible sunset of the river valley in a straight line as he described. He was absolutely correct and the photographs were incredible. We set up camp and relaxed after another high mileage float. Only a two and a half mile paddle to the car on our third day is a relief.
The island was great but a little muddy and muddy enough to name the island, Mud Island. I think this island will be better later in the season as it dries but by that time all the driftwood will be used up from campfires. Island users late in the summer would have to paddle to the next shoreline to gather wood and venture back. I set up the hammock and all the glamping necessities. We had English Style Bangers, hotdog buns, corn on the cob, and mac and cheese. We also tried dry baking with my backpacking stove but that system still needs some tweeking. The jiffy blueberry muffin mix was great finished in the castiron skillet. I finally caught a fish, a small smallmouth bass. Glad I didn’t get skunked and got some satisfaction for purchasing an annual nonresident PA fishing license, ($50+).
We woke up by the sound of fishermen full throttle to their favorite fishing spots on the Allegheny. The only downfall of the Allegheny River was the amount of power boats on the waterway. Hopefully it was just increased traffic due to the holiday. We took our time by relaxing and rejoicing that we only had a couple miles to paddle to finish our three day expedition. We were blessed with perfect weather and water conditions. We paddled the last few miles to the takeout where we saw one of the outfitter employees and negotiated a price to haul the canoe, cooler, and trash to the shop saving us the time on shuttling. This gave us more time to explore the towns that we passed by during our float.
Our first stop on our way back to the other car we checked out Franklin and found a local brewery serving food during the Monday Holiday. We ordered takeout lunch and a liquid refreshment beverage to go. Sat on a park bench and enjoyed our lunch in the shade. We continued on our shuttle trip and stopped at a local roadside ice cream stand with a retro Polly the parrot marquee. Ending our sweet canoe trip with some sweets.
We will return to the northwestern PA area to recreate again soon. Less than 3 hours away is a manageable drive for quality recreational experiences. We plan to return to bike the trails, hike, and explore the towns more on our next adventure. Several local shops, microbreweries, and a distillery that we want to check out that we just saw while driving through the area. Maybe splurge for a rustic cabin or plenty of car camping opportunities throughout the region and up into the Allegheny National Forest.
*MAP LOWER:
MAP UPPER:
Beta Research:
Middle - Lower Section: French Creek
Area | River Miles | Hours |
Saegertown | 47 Miles Total | 14 - 22.5 hours total |
Meadville | 7 miles | 2-3 hours |
Wilson Shute | 5 miles | 1 - 2 hours |
Shaw's Landing | 4 miles | 1 - 2 hours |
Cochranton | 4 miles | 1 - 2 hours |
Utica | 8 miles | 2.5 - 4 hours |
Franklin | 10 miles | 3.5 - 5 hours |
Fisherman's Cove Boat Launch | 9 miles | 3 - 4.5 hours |
3 DAY - 2 NIGHTS
2 BREAKFASTS - 2 LUNCHES - 2 DINNERS
BREAKFAST (X2):
Scrambled eggs
Bacon bits
Frozen potato
Starbucks Coffee & Creamer
LUNCH (X2):
Bag chicken, couscous packet
Ramen, tuna packet, Ramen & sardines
DINNER (X2):
Burgers
Sliced Cheese
Corn-on-cob
Hamburger Buns
Bratwurst
Hotdog Buns
Velveeta Mac-n-Cheese
Condiments (Mustard/Mayo/Ketchup)
Beer
SNACKS:
Beef jerky
Gummy candy
Trail Mix
Jesse - Surprise
Buffalo Pretzel Pieces
Dessert/Cookies
ACCESSORIES:
Fishing Gear & License
PA Launch Permit
Tent & tarp
Air mattress
Sleeping bag(s)
Hammock & straps
Cooler
Lantern
Cook grate
Table(s)
Chair(s)
Headlamp
Cookstove & pots
Speaker - music downloaded
Medical Kit
GoPro, camera, etc.
Sun hat
Sunscreen
Firestarter-charcoal
Rain Poncho-rain coat
Go Frolic Outdoors!
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