Ohiopyle Falls Pilot Boater Access For 2010 (PA)

After two decades of working on Ohiopyle Falls access, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Parks has implemented a pilot program to provide private boater access to Ohiopyle Falls through September 12, 2010. If this pilot program goes well, then it would be fully implemented for the 2011 boating season.

What Boaters Need To Know About Ohiopyle Falls: It is important that everyone realize that running this waterfall should be for experienced boaters only. Running this class IV waterfall has all the potential hazards involved with any other class IV rapid. Safety at the base of the falls is limited and other boaters can only offer assistance when you wash out from under the falls. In some cases paddlers have been held under for a long time. It is important to note that after watching numerous runs over the falls there can be a significant difference in a level of 1.7 and 1.8. As with some rapids a small change in CFS can make a significant difference which is the case with Ohiopyle Falls. As with any whitewater activity you are responsible for judging your own capabilities and for your own safety. If you do not have the experience to run the falls please do not attempt to do so and make sure the water level is appropriate for your ability.

Pilot Private Boater Ohiopyle Falls Access Guidelines:
1. Prior to launching for each falls run, all boaters must register at the Lower Youghiogheny Launch Booth on SR 381. A launch permit, governed by the private boater quota reservation system, is required during applicable periods.
2. Water Level must be 1.8 feet or below on the USGS Gage at the Lower Youghiogheny Launch in Ohiopyle.
3. Using the Lower Youghiogheny Launch to take-out is prohibited. Boaters running the falls must continue down river and take-out either at the Loop Take-Out on Ferncliff or Bruner Run Take-Out.
4. For the first season, the Falls will be open for runs between 8:30 am and 2:30 pm from Sunday, August 22, 2010 through September 12, 2010: approximately 3 week launch window. If access pilot continues into 2011 season, the launch window will run from second Saturday in May to second Sunday in September (corresponds to 7-days a week manned Lower Yough Launch Area Operations).
5. Access (put-in) will be from the river right shore only (Ferncliff side). Access will be prohibited from the Falls Day-Use Area except during Falls Running Events governed by Special Activities Agreements. When Double Rope Buoy Lines are fixed (typically Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend), access must be on the downstream side of the lines via Ferncliff Trail. When Double Rope Buoy Lines are not fixed, access is permissible from approved upstream locations: Ferncliff Trail upstream to SR 381 Bridge/Middle Yough.
6. Boaters are prohibited from running Ohiopyle Falls alone (solo boater/party of one). Minimum group size is three boaters. 2nd or 3rd boaters do not have to run the falls and is/are included for the minimum group size for providing safety from shore (above or below) or boat (below) the falls.
7. Only single and double occupancy kayaks and canoes designed and fully outfitted for whitewater use are permissible. Unguided Liveries/Rental Craft are prohibited. Rafts are prohibited.
8. Boaters may scout the falls from beyond the warning signs during open hours but must wear PFD and helmet at all times.
Remember, this is a pilot program. PLEASE abide by the above guidelines and DON'T mess this up for everyone.

The following editorial supporting Falls access ran in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on August 25th.
Taking the plunge: Kayakers on the Yough deserve more freedom
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In a world where litigation and controversy stalk every potentially dangerous situation, officials of all sorts naturally tend to take the safe and timid course in deciding what to allow. That may seem sensible, but it doesn't do anything for the spirit of adventure.
The good news is that the spirit of adventure lives. It has found an official sponsor at Ohiopyle State Park, where the timid way had long prevailed.
Just once a year, the bravest and most skilled kayakers have been allowed to plunge over the 18-foot Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River in an annual festival, which was held this past weekend. Now, thanks to a recent ruling by the state Bureau of Parks, every day will be a festival of sorts for the intrepid paddlers through Sept. 12.
Congratulations to all concerned. The concession to the daredevil paddlers is only a pilot program, but it is what American Whitewater, a nonprofit group, has long sought. If all goes well, it will make the argument that adventure and thrills are compatible with public use of the river.
Sensible restrictions will be in place. Kayakers are not allowed to run the falls solo; they must be accompanied by two others who can stand watch in the water or land in case assistance is needed. Runs are permitted from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, but not if the water becomes dangerously high. No rental boats are allowed; officials don't want paddlers who just decide to run the river on the spur of the moment.
If experience shows that this is a bad idea, then the pilot program can be discontinued. The white water of the Youghiogheny deserves respect, but the falls can be navigated by people who know what they are doing. They deserve a chance to prove it -- and officials are right to give them that chance.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10237/1082336-192.stm#ixzz0xi4E0A00

Falls Fest Wrap-up: The Ohiopyle Over The Falls Festival went off on Saturday, August 21st. A complete Falls Fest wrap up and results are posted at the Falls Fest website.

Ohiopyle Falls Access Committee: American Whitewater would like to recognize the volunteers of the Ohiopyle Falls Access Committee who put in countless hours representing boater interests for access. Those individuals include:

• Barry Adams - Festival Coordinator
• Barry Tuscano - Former AW President
• Kenneth Gfroerer - Mountain Watershed Association
• Charlie Walbridge - AW Board Member
• Mike McCarty - Falls Fest Safety Coordinator
• Pat Norton - Falls Fest Safety Coordinator
• Peter Zurflieh - Harrisburg Attorney, Community Justice Project
• Matt Muir - Falls Fest Webmaster

Next time you see one of these committee members, please say thank you for all their hard work and many years of effort to launch this pilot program. Also, the committee wanted to recognize AW staff members Kevin Colburn, National Stewardship Director and myself for our work on this issue. It was a pleasure working with this group.