did it
Cut out the white background and put it on…oh well.
lol
PA launch permits
The PA stickers are state wide and are for launching at areas that are maintained by the State Parks and/or the PA Fish and Game Commission. They are not required for navigating waterways, just for launching and landing on those designated banks. Since it is not always clear if a launch point is state or not, it’s best to pop for the $10 permit every year since you can be fined or denied access without it. This goes for out of state paddlers also. The stickers can be purchased at state park and ranger offices or very easily ordered on line through the PA fish and game site.
Besides the sticker where required, in all PA waterways you are required to have (but not wear unless you are younger than 14) a PFD and carry a signal whistle. After sundown you have to have a white light with you. Besides that, no other rules.
or i could just skip paddling in PA
or wait until it is really cold and no one is out to enforce the rules
according to the rules I should have my boat registered to boat on the yough since Ohiopyle is a state park but they have their own rules they’ve made up special for themselves.
too much red tape! In the stone age I paddled on the Lehigh, a couple of sections of the Yough, Castleman, and Tohickan Creek. I did have to buy shuttle token for yough, pay a camping fine near Tohickan but somehow we avoided the parking fine but this is how the release event on tohickan was set up, and I got away totally unscathed on the Lehigh and Castleman. None of this makes sense but neither does buying a case of beer when you only want a six pack.
Sorry you feel that way
It is what it is. My outdoor club was one of many who strenuously fought the inception of permitting for human-powered boats here in PA many decades ago and we lost.
But there have been some benefits to the mandate. For one, having the sticker gives us paddlers cred with the power boaters with whom we often share crowded launching areas. The fact that they know we have also paid a fee for using the facilities has lessened tensions. And there has been more consideration since the fee began by the state in providing kayak and canoe specific launching areas, even some that are exclusively for our use. Ten dollars is a pittance and 2-year stickers are $18 each. I have 5 boats so it costs me $90 every two years. I wish the other municipal fees I have to pay were as minimal.
Seriously, you’d bypass our excellent streams to save 3 cents a day??
Specific Canoe & Kayak Launching Spots
Are the favorite places for parents to deposit their toddlers to splash around and impede put in and take out, despite signs posted.
Which in PA?
Like Willowleaf I don’t mind getting a PA launch permit.Its easy to get and easy to pay for and from what I see ( though I paddle the Conne-Alli-Kiski Sojourn the most) there have been massive improvements in water quality and launch ramps for paddle craft.
I have no idea how toddlers fit in. I suspect clyde has not paddled there. I haven’t seen any trash, diapers or otherwise.
I figure to paddle in all 50 states
before I’m dead and buried. I’ve paddled in almost half (23) of them already. Got PA covered already with five different river sections. So it’s all about the hassle compared to some other place I could go visit and paddle. I’m spoiled. WV doesn’t require paddle craft to be registered. There are only a few spots that require launch fees (mostly popular boat ramps on army corp lakes). I’ve simply avoided those few places in favor of something else. People are pretty laid back here in southern WV meaning I put in roadside/bridgeside quite often and haven’t been hassled yet. That might be different in the more populated panhandles of Wv.
PA regs say since WV doesn’t require registration I would have to get PA registration in addition to the launch fee sticker (if required) to paddle from state park land. Yet I know for fact that some of the PA state parks make up their own rules. There are really only 5 new places that interest me in pa. The Loyalsock and litle Loyalsock, Slippery Rock, and Stonycreek. I’m thinkin’ Slippery Rock and Stonycreek don’t require anything so I’m probably okay there. Don’t know about Pine Creek Gorge. I’ll assume the Loyalsock goes through World’s End S.P. so all the regs could be in place there.
Trash & Diapers?
No way! Impede yes! After obtaining sticker (out of state residents pay a little more) from the ranger’s office at Marsh Creek Reservoir and affixing it to my Fenn Mako 6 surfski, I had to maneuver my ski, paddle and myself through groups of toddlers and parents (hovering over them in the water) utilizing the designated kayak & canoe launching area when entering the water and returning to shore. I can understand them using this tiny area because it is sandy and free of rocks. On weekdays and overcast days, the launch site is usually free of bathers. There’s even a neat store where I bought a $40 USCG pfd too. The reservoir is large enough to fit many forms of boating by residents and non-residents.
see that’s what I’m sayin’
if your going out of your home state for the day to do run in pa you find each place has its own rules or lack there of, so you could just register your boat and buy a launch permit to cover you just in case- or you can just go someplace else (another state) to paddle for the day.
If I drive up fri. night will the park office be open Sat. morning? I take it that there is a different procedure for registering the boat.
not worried about fees
just did not like the idea of a yellow sticker on my new kayak…sorry to get so many uptite! LOL
Funny, the last 2 weekends on lake Nockamixon had a ranger out in his smoke producing boat…he never said anything to me because I had my pfd on but showed no stickers on boat yet…he did stop anyone and escort off the lake If no pfd’s…
You’re making it too hard on yourself
Go to the Outdoor Store pay ten bucks and you get a paper temporary permit.
In ten days or so you get the sticker but meanwhile the paper is sufficient
If I can do it online from Maine surely you can too
You’ve misunderstood the regs.
In PA you have the choice of three options, registration, launch permit, or PA state parks permit. All you need is one, for they’re reciprocal. If you’re from a state that does not require registration for human-powered crafts, just do what Kim suggested and procure a launch permit online prior to your visit.
not misunderstood, just informed
straight from the link provided:
UNPOWERED BOATS
“Unpowered boats are boats without motors such as certain kayaks, canoes, rowboats, sailboats, rafts or inflatable boats. Unpowered boats are not required to be registered – unless used at a Fish & Boat Commission access area or lake, or at Pennsylvania state parks and state forests; or required by the owner (one example is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers).”
if you dig a little deeper you find out that since I live in a state that doesn’t require paddlecraft registration I will have to register my boat in pa if I’m using an access on state land according to PAs state website.
That may not be the way it’s enforced locally but that is how it is written up- dig a little deeper and see for yourself.
ohh kayak medic don’t even get me started on maine- all-a-gash (to your wallet) North Maine Hoods oops I think I mean Woods, Basstarrrd State Park- duel fee structures. The only time I wish WV charged for river access is when I see a Maine license plate in my home state!
On the plus side the Adirondacks are pretty easy. Go New York!
Dig deeper
– Last Updated: Sep-18-16 10:16 PM EST –
If you dig a little deeper, you'll find that if you prefer not to register your boat, a launch permit is all you need.
Go here: http://www.pa.wildlifelicense.com/start.php
They don't require PA residents to register unpowered boats either.
NOT true
– Last Updated: Sep-18-16 11:17 PM EST –
A kayak only needs a launch permit. Whoever told you you needed registration AND the permit was quite misinformed. Paddle craft are not required to be registered in PA but some people choose to do so and if they do, they don't have to get the launch permit. It's either/or. I believe cost is the same so I really don't get why people bother with the registration. I've bought used kayaks here in the state from people who offered to transfer the registration but I just tear it up -- have never used anything but launch permits in all the years i have lived and paddled here.
Many of the state employees don't even understand the regulations, which is why I used to carry a ziplock baggie with the DCNR boiler plate printed out with the boating permit regs hi-lited..
Trust me, I've researched this to death and you only need the launch permit. You can enroll on line easily, pay with your credit card and print out the temporary permit. During the hundreds of times I have kayaked in PA I have only had Fish cops or state rangers inspect me maybe a dozen times, but on two of those occasions we were denied access to a launch area because one of our boats had an expired sticker. or none at all.
an unpowered kayak
can be registered or you can have a launch permit. I get mine from the state park near me and they hand it to me right over the counter and it’s good for 2 yrs. You don’t need both. But, if you have an electric motor, it needs to be registered and you need to put the registration number on the bow. My kayak wears the launch permit proudly along with a few other choice stickers!
So you want free
and feel entitled to a handout and have some else pay for your fun?
Do you bitch about road tolls on the NJ Turnpike too?
Much of Northern Maine is accessed over private roads. They need to be maintained via grading and application of stone. Its not free.
I have a worthless neighbor who feels as you do. Since he doesn’t like the way we don’t cowtow to him he refuses to pay for road maintenance. For the road that allows access to his house along with 38 others. With no maintenance comes no emergency services.
I don’t care if you never come here. Good.
advantage of stickers
OP Jim, while I do understand the reluctance to “pollute” a new toy with a sticker, there are distinct advantages to adding such things to a boat. Keeping it “pristine” greatly improves its attractiveness to thieves. ALL my boats have some degree of customization including decorative stickers and drawn on designs.
I use automotive grade stickers that can’t be easily removed (they can be by heating but that’s not the sort of project thieves are likely to want to deal with.
Having the permit records your ownership of the boat with the state which can aid in recovery (keep a hard copy of the registration number in your files at home – this is an advantage of enrolling on line because you can print out the registration.)
You should also take a Sharpie permanent marker and write your name and phone number on the inside of the hull in an easy to see place. This not only makes theft less attractive but allows people who might find your boat if it has gone astray to contact you. Law enforcement and rescue groups really appreciate this – finding a stray boat can trigger a man-hunt, often unnecessary.
hey I believe you,
– Last Updated: Sep-19-16 10:31 PM EST –
but that doesn't mean it's clear or obvious on this web page: http://fishandboat.com/faqregt.htm#1
Some other pa web pages do a better job of explaining this and then you have Ohiopyle State Park and they are doing it differently than the rest- charging per launch (but perhaps they have season passes for frequent users?) and how about Pine Creek? You need a permit to camp, you can travel through two state parks and it is listed as an official pa water trail by the fish and boat commission yet I haven't found any mention of launch permits anywhere.
Now compound PA by 50 states, add on local fees, invasive permits and you've got a bit of a mess. That's the point I'm trying to make. The rules make more sense when you live there and are more familiar with how they function.
So how do I roll. I usually like and return to the less popular places- that's just me. There are more strainers than rangers, usually no scheduled dam release so you might be scraping over rocks or boating high water, and 90% of the time you won't see another group of paddlers. The exception to all that is when I am putting on a "club event" or "group paddle". Yet less hassles- permits, red tape and such.
I pay my state and federal taxes. I live in a state that has limited user fees, and has National Forest Land that doesn't require paddling fees. All kidding and flaming aside, you are more than welcome to come to wv and paddle for free, unregistered and sticker free. Just realize I live in a state that extends this courtesy to everyone regardless of where they reside, for free. The notable exception is the army corp lakes here in WV but I think they hit everyone up equally.
I just happen to believe that while wv is sometimes much maligned we happen to have gotten it right when it comes to paddling. You should know however that there is a small fee (a dollar or two) collected by commercial rafting companies who are responsible for reporting and paying per customer to the state of wv. Residency doesn't factor into the amount. Not sure of the rational behind all that.
One tip for paddling in wv, obey the speed limit in small towns! Some places have rigid enforcement. You can avoid the $2.00 toll by getting off at the Cheylan and Sharon/Cabin Creek exits. Locals avoid the Pax toll when going to the New River by taking the
Mossy exit.
New Jersey turnpike-PA turnpike not likely! from Wv to Maine it is not necessary! I 79 to I68 to Happy Valley PA to I 80 to Binghamton NY to Bennington VT to Keen NH to Western Maine to DoverFoxcroft to Northern Maine. Less stress, less traffic and bag Monadnock or Lost Lake enroute! Just say no to turnpikes and I95 in the northeast!
It is unlikely one will change my mind about duality fee schedules. I've paddled over 2,000 miles on Maine's inland waterways- it is beautiful, there are many nice people, and some of it is remote and worth exploring or repeating. Yet even after all that paddling it is a bit like Moxie, there is an aftertaste. I ultimately believe that the people it hurts the most are the folks in Greenville, Jackman, Millinocket and Patton because their local tourist economies suffer when folks like me are less likely to repeat.
Tourism won't replace a closed coalmine in wv or a closed pulp mill in Maine because the jobs are seasonal and lower wage jobs. It's scary to see how many of the kids I teach have parents that are trying to raise a family on low wage seasonal salaries but sometimes that is all there is.
Would we charge differently if you were black, gay, or paddle a canoe versus a kayak? Would we bother to show up a second time or go some place else if we did that? Is it really all that different with residency? That's the aftertaste that creeps in my mouth.
The bigger issue is navigability, water rights for recreational use vs land owner rights. States vary on that a lot as well. That's separate and more important discussion.
Lastly, I've kind of jacked this thread, my apologies to the OP. All of this fuss over a little sticker and what it represents.