If you’re looking for a unique canoeing experience, mark your calendar for the Mill Creek Alliance’s first pop-up livery 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on May 1.
The Mill Creek Yacht Club — a group of urban stream adventurers — has previously hosted events leading paddlers on guided experiences, but this new pop-up lets the public explore the Mill Creek on their own.
The 28-mile creek runs from West Chester through Cincinnati to the Ohio River and winds its way past the region’s vibrant green spaces as well as its industrial patches. (Read about the Mill Creek’s resurgence in this CityBeat story.) But this upcoming canoe trip only covers 1.5 miles of the stretch.
Boats will leave every 15 minutes from Spring Grove Village at Mitchell Avenue and complete their journey at Salway Park near Northside.
“In this stretch of the creek, paddlers can see the channelized section of the Mill Creek, stop on a beautiful sandbar to explore, experience a rich riparian zone and mitigated low head dam and utilize one of the first public Mill Creek access ramps in the urban core,” reads the event description from Mill Creek Alliance.
To adhere to COVID safety, all boaters must paddle in one direction and then walk, drive or ride their bike back; there will be no shuttle between locations. You can leave a locked bike or your vehicle at the terminus at Salway Park.
Registration is $20 per canoe (fits one to three people) and spots are limited. You can register until all available canoes are spoken for. If there’s space left, day-of walk-ups will be admitted with cash only.
Register at EventBrite.
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2021.