Burning River Tour
Paddle the River where Cleveland was born, burned, and is rising from the ashes of its industrial past! This tour departs from Rivergate Park, one of the few access points for kayaks and paddleboards along the Cuyahoga River and home to the Cleveland Rowing Foundation and Merwin’s Wharf.
Starting in the shadow of the Columbus Road bridge, we’ll paddle “downbound” on the Cuyahoga River, sharing this urban waterway with vessels big and small. Along the way we’ll paddle under some of the Cuyahoga’s most iconic bridges–including the Center Street swing bridge–before heading into the Flats entertainment district. From there, the tour heads either out to the harbor or into the Old River Channel, where you’ll paddle past the Great Lakes Towing dry docks and towering sand dunes left from Cleveland’s Cargill salt mine.
Distance: 5 miles
Duration: 3 hrs (2 hrs paddling)
Difficulty Rating: Novice
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An urban waterway complete with ore boats, tugs, and other commercial ships; up close views of six of Cleveland’s bridges; panoramic views of the Cleveland skyline, and close up views of the Lorenzo Carter cabin, Settler’s Landing, Nautica Pavilion, and the Flats, and Great Lakes Towing dry docks and the Cargill Salt Mines. You’ll also a surprising amount of wildlife including: Great Blue Heron, Double-Crested Cormorants, Arctic Terns, and Wood Ducks.
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This paddle stays on the Cuyahoga River, so conditions are always flat. We will need to make way for large commercial vessels, however.
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Single or tandem sea kayak and equipment (paddle, life-jacket, whistle, spray skirt, and white safety light).
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This tour meets on the Cuyahoga River dock just behind Merwin’s Wharf restaurant in Cleveland Metropark’s Rivergate Park.
