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NORMAL PADDLING SEASON: MARCH - MAY. Pine Creek is an all-natural, free-flowing river (no dam controlling the water flow). River levels will often fluctuate between high and low. Most people want to go when it is an average level (2.5 to 3.5 feet). The river level changes every single day, and it is very hard to predict exactly what you will encounter on the date of your trip. We always recommend that you check the river level about 2 or 3 days before your trip so you can better know what kind of conditions to expect. Pine Creek is often too low for paddling in summer. Pine Creek requires snowmelt and rainfall to be floatable. The water in Pine Creek is almost always going to be cold. Wear a wetsuit to help keep you warm while on the river. Wetsuits virtually eliminate the danger of getting hypothermia. Pine Creek Outfitters has wetsuits of all sizes (kids up to 4XL adult). There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong outfit.
AREA WEATHER: This area receives very little rainfall when compared to the rest of Pennsylvania. Many storms tend to break up as they approach our hilly and mountainous region. That is good news for those that don’t like rain, however Pine Creek needs rain to produce good boating conditions.
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4.5 feet High Water Swift Current |
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2.5 feet Average Water Steady Current |
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1.8 feet Minimum Level |
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1.0 feet looks like fun . . . |
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If you go when it is this low, you haven’t been checking the river level. |
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This is the minimum level for canoes and kayaks. Class I (easy) difficulty. |
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Good depth for boating. Class II rapids (moderate). Most prefer it at this level or a bit higher. |
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This means we just got rain. The river rises to class III, becoming far more intense. |