I am thinking of relocating to the Dayton OH area.
Anyone familiar with the bodies of water out there?
I have never been there. Any flat water lakes to
kayak on?
Any help would be appreciated.
Suggest you use Google Earth to scout
the Dayton area. Have Google mark parks so you can see which ones border lakes. Most of the larger rivers, and some of the smaller ones, tend to be flat and usable for touring and rec kayaks.
One semi-regular poster on pnet, rroberts, lives near Dayton. If I run into him on the board today, I’ll let him know about your question.
A couple of places
Ok first let me qualify my reply. I’ve lived in Dayton a little less than 2 years and have yet to kayak here. But I’m working on it! I am primarily a bird watcher.
The closest lake type spot is a corps of engineer created area called Caeser Creek
http://www.dayton.net/audubon/csrcrk.htm
This is probably the closest and nicest place
North there is a resevoir near Springfield and near Wilmington (SE) there is Cowan Lake which I’ve heard good things about.
There are some liveries on the rivers around here so there are some stretches of river that are doable. An hour south is Cinncinnati and the Ohio River if you like big rivers:)
Generally I’d say its not the greatest area but its not bad either.
There are two stores - one named Whitewater Warehouse, they are admitted whitewater enthusiasts and Great Miami Outfitters. Contacting them will get you more info
Dayton area
You have lots of options for quiet water paddling in the Dayton area. There are 5 flood control dams in the Miami Valley. I would recommend Englewood Dam (Stillwater River & nature preserve) as a lovely spot. Also neaby: Germantown Dam, Taylorsville Dam, and Huffman Dam.
http://www.miamiconservancy.org/flood/dams.asp
Ohio State Parks, all with decent sized reservoirs & within an hour of Dayton, include
Buck Creek SP Creek in Springfield
Cowan Lake SP near Wilmington
Ceaser’s Creek SP, also near Wilmington
Hueston Woods SP, near Oxford
As Marys1000 mentioned, there are several nice class I rivers in the Miami Valley, too. The Stillwater and Little Miami are both designated Ohio Scenic Rivers. The spring-fed Mad River north of Springfield is a delightfully easy paddle with a gentle current.
Also, check out the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website. Plenty of info there about boating in the State Parks.
I grew up in the Dayton area and live in Columbus. Let me know if you want more info. I’ll help if I can.