You will be paddling on the beautiful Youghiogheny River.  The current is gentle and even first time guests will have a great time as there is no whitewater in our area of the Yough.  You will encounter some elevation changes that speed up the current in spots.  In the Colonial Era, the Yough River Valley provided an important access route through the mountains for settlers and military forces alike traveling from Virginia to the Ohio Country of Western Pennsylvania. 

 

In 1754, as a militia officer of the British colony of Virginia, George Washington followed the river in attempt to find a water route to Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh), then held by the French.

 

In 1788 a group of American pioneers led by Rufus Putnam left New England and came to Sumrill's Ferry (present day West Newton), where they built wooden boats on the banks of the Yough and continued their journey to present day Ohio, where they settled.