My son and I are new to kayaking and would like to plan a two day and one night at Harpers Ferry. Could someone please tell me where we can put our kayaks in at and park a car? And where can we park a 2nd car at?
Thank you, Randy
You know the Mississippi River has been high all summer so campsites around Harper’s Ferry, IA are probably flooded.
Of course you are likely from somewhere else. Is there any outfitters in the area? Any canoe or kayak clubs in he area? What do you see on their web sites? Any National resources , forests, parks or management areas. ?
From Harpers Ferry: Upriver on the 'Doah is the Staircase, a class II/III run. Upriver on the Potomac, there’s the Class II Needles stretch. Downriver, there’s big waves at Whitehorse and then the Weaverton Ledges. These can be very enjoyable. And, they change a lot based on the water level. These stretches will not be enjoyable if you are struggling to control your boat, or you don’t have the right gear. I suggest getting lessons before doing any of the river sections around Harpers Ferry. You can probably get lessons through River and Trails Outfitter near Harpers Ferry.
What kind of kayaks did you get?
For a first trip, I’d suggest dropping down the river a bit to Brunswick. Launch and park under Rt 17/287. There’s a protected little braid of the River there where you can figure out your boats. Then if you feel confident you can go out on the main river and downstream. Take out at Point of Rocks, at either side of the Rt 15 Bridge. This section has current but no particular hazards, and is fairly shallow.
Please wear your PFD, even if it is hot. People often think they can put them on in the water, but that’s difficult.
Good luck~~Chip
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Very good advice from Chip. However, there is a Harpers Ferry in Iowa, on the Mississippi. I’ve always wondered if it was the same Harper family that started a ferry business on the Potomac/ Shennandoah and then offspring/relatives took their trade to Iowa.
@BoozTalkin said:
From Harpers Ferry: Upriver on the 'Doah is the Staircase, a class II/III run. Upriver on the Potomac, there’s the Class II Needles stretch. Downriver, there’s big waves at Whitehorse and then the Weaverton Ledges. These can be very enjoyable. And, they change a lot based on the water level. These stretches will not be enjoyable if you are struggling to control your boat, or you don’t have the right gear. I suggest getting lessons before doing any of the river sections around Harpers Ferry. You can probably get lessons through River and Trails Outfitter near Harpers Ferry.
What kind of kayaks did you get?
For a first trip, I’d suggest dropping down the river a bit to Brunswick. Launch and park under Rt 17/287. There’s a protected little braid of the River there where you can figure out your boats. Then if you feel confident you can go out on the main river and downstream. Take out at Point of Rocks, at either side of the Rt 15 Bridge. This section has current but no particular hazards, and is fairly shallow.
Please wear your PFD, even if it is hot. People often think they can put them on in the water, but that’s difficult.
Good luck~~Chip
Hi Chip,
Thank you for your help I appreciate it. After reading your response I realized I was a bit vague with my question.
My son bought a cheap inflatable kayak intex k1 challanger. And has done 3 day trips. He asked me to get a inflatable and go along with him. So instead of getting a nice hard shell
Kayak (which I was thinking about) I decided to get the intex k1 challanger as well just to see if I like it first then step it up later to a better kayak and with training. So basically we are rookies and definitely don’t want to do any class III rapids. I was writing and hoping there is part of Harpers Ferry (because my son wanted to go there) or even another place that is calmer water for floating and no more then class 1 rapids. He wanted to float for a day, camp one night, then float for another day. So I will check out Brunswick. Launch and park under Rt 17/287
How long would we be on the water in Brunswick?
I will definitely check out River and Trails Outfitter near Harpers Ferry thank you.
Randy