Pennsylvania boasts 28 designated Water Trails which serve to link outdoor recreation with water conservation efforts and community engagement along our remarkable streams and rivers. Water Trails vary in length from 14 miles to over 220, but they are all exceptionally suited for low-impact use such as kayaking canoeing, paddling, and floating and they are accessible via public launches and put-ins at distances that provide a wide variety of trip lengths to suit any almost any level of experience. Water Trails are managed by local entities who provide useful information and resources such as physical and interactive web maps, float itineraries, safety information, group paddling trips, informational kiosks and signage, and so much more.

Whether you are new to paddling, new to paddling in PA, or looking for an adventure on a waterway you haven’t yet explored, planning an excursion on a designated PA Water Trail is easy with so much information at your fingertips!

The Pennsylvania Water Trail Program is administered by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the National Parks Service. This is important because with such a remarkable amount of support the Program is able to provide local managers and their community partners with the resources and technical assistance they need to be able to ensure you have the best possible experience paddling a Water Trail.

For example, each year PEC administers the PA Water Trails Mini-Grant funding program. Grants of up to $7000 are available on a competitive basis for projects that implement the PA Water Trail Program’s eight guiding principles: Partnership, Stewardship, Volunteerism, Education, Conservation, Community, Vitality, Diversity, Wellness and Well-being.

Proposed projects must advance program goals such as creating recreational opportunities for all Pennsylvanians on Water Trails; developing trails that support sustainable use of natural resources; increasing and improving physical and psychological access to Water Trails; and connecting water trails to land trails or to other culturally significant community assets. While typically the Water Trail Manager applies for a Mini-Grant, eligible applicants include also other registered non-profit organizations and public entities such as a county, municipality, or municipal agency who work closely with Managers to serve the recreating public on these waterways.

Some examples of recently awarded projects include a paddling program on the Delaware River designed to remove barriers to participation for populations that have historically been underserved and underrepresented on Water Trails; evaluating existing access and signage on the Middle Allegheny and creating an updated Water Trail Map for paddlers; the production and installation of Water Trail information kiosks at access locations along the Schuylkill River, new mile markers and other wayfinding signage on the Shenango and on the Three Rivers Water Trails; and immersive educational experiences for middle school students that combine environmental learning with recreational activities.

The 2025 Water Trail Mini Grant Program begins will be accepting applications beginning in August this year.

Also happening this summer and fall is an Artist-in Residency Program on three of Pennsylvania’s Water Trails, including on the Swatara Creek. Meg Lemieur of Philadelphia, a nature-journaling educator and creative mapmaker will spend at least three weeks “on location” connecting local community members to the Swatara and the remarkable recreation opportunities through creative, experiential, interactive, and exploratory art. By the end of her residency, Meg will create a locally meaningful piece of artwork that reflects the stories of the people, places, histories, cultures, and natural environment of the Swatara and its watershed, and depicts the relationships among water recreation, cultural identities, and environmental stewardship.

You can stay on top of all of these programs and opportunities, view a map of all the designated Water Trails, find contact information for local managers, and so much more, including a newly released Five-Year Strategic Action Plan for the Water Trail Program, by visiting www.pawatertrails.org

Hope to see you out on a Water Trail soon- and if you go, ALWAYS WEAR YOUR LIFE JACKET and follow all local and state boating and fishing regulations and safety information.