Pennypack Creek

May 1, 2010

May Day was an awesome date for paddling Philadelphia's urban gem - Pennypack Creek. Despite the low-volume nature of this shallow waterway, a hearty crew of six paddlers and one canineoeist turned out  to bump down the beautiful creek.

Andy McAloon and Ryan Fugerson paddled kayaks and Pat Caughey and Dana Fry took solo canoes downstream while Cathy Gunn and Canoe-dog Lacy joined me in a tandem canoe. We put in off Krewstown Road and took out at Rhawn Street - a mere 3.6 miles. The paddle seemed longer because it was necessary to exit the boats several times to walk through some really shallow areas.

We were hopeful that we wouldn't scrape too much, but in some of the really shallow spots our paddling was augmented by water-walking. It was a hot enough day, though, that the slog through the creek actually was refreshing. Cathy figured we exited the tandem canoe about a dozen times to wiggle off rocks or to float the Pathfinder over some of the more shallow riffles. The solo boats fared better.

This was the second descent of the Pennypack for Cathy and me. The first trip was last Fall and we had to admit the creek and environs were much prettier in the Spring. Hikers, joggers, cyclists and equestrians know how beautiful the Pennypack is, but not many boaters have ever bothered to wet a paddle in its waters. It is a delightful stream. If it weren't so shallow it would see considerable boating.

Upstream of our put-in the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission was stocking the creek with rainbow, brook and brown trout and we saw a number of the salmonids darting through the clear water. As we made our way downstream we passed scores of anglers trying their luck.  When we portaged the four foot dam at Route 1, some of the fishermen even helped us lift our boats out of the creek. The dam made a pleasant lunch spot where we took a short break.

After lunch we carried to a spot under the Route 1 bridge to reenter the creek. It was really shallow there so we decided to walk the boats through the water for about 80 yards to a deeper launch. As we slogged through the creek, canoe dog Lacy decided she prefered walking in the cool water to riding with us in the canoe. Not sure if she was making a comment on our paddling skills, but she didn't seem too interested in getting back in the boat.

Way too soon we arrived at the take-out and our pleasant paddle on the Pennypack was history. If you don't mind scraping and bumping along in some of the shallows, I highly recommend paddling this little gem of a creek. Make sure there's at least 2.50 feet on the Lower Rhawn Street gauge to avoid too much scraping.

USGS  gauge  01467048  Pennypack Creek at Lower Rhawn Street