Schuylkill River Water Trail
The Schuylkill River Water Trail, a designated a National Recreational Trail, runs the 147-mile length of the Schuylkill River to through Schuylkill, Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties to its confluence with the main stem of the Delaware River in the city of Philadelphia. Along the water trail, there are several places where public accessible landings for the water trail overlap with trailheads for the Schuylkill River Trail, a 65 mile regional land trail envisioned to be 126 miles when complete. The Schuylkill River is considered a Class I-II+ river. On a scale of I-VI, Class I denotes moving water with a few riffles and small waves and few or no obstructions. Class II denotes easy rapids with small waves and clear channels that are obvious without scouting. Some maneuvering might be required. The best times to run the Schuylkill is late spring to early summer. The normal summer flow of the Schuylkill River accommodates small, shallow-draft powered and non-powered watercraft. Motorized watercraft are used in areas where deeper water allows, including above Flat Rock & Black Rock dams, Norristown and Port Indian. In late summer, the river becomes shallow at times and boats can drag on the streambed, especially in the upper reaches. Your float time will vary depending on the season, weather and Blue Marsh Lake releases. The Water Trail's managing entity, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, is completing a guidebook for sale in 2016 that includes detailed maps and navigation tips, and historic and cultural information for the main river stem. The Schuylkill River Sojourn, the Heritage Area's signature event, occurs the first full week in June. They can be contacted through their website at www.schuylkillriver.org, by sending an e-mail to info@schuylkillriver.org, by writing to 140 College Drive, Pottstown, PA, or by calling at (484) 945-0200.
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