Submitted by isthisavailable t3_11ykk9p in ColumbiaMD
I want to kayak down these rivers but I have never seen anyone else do it. Has anyone here done it before in the Columbia area? Any recommendations on where to start and finish? Thanks!
Comments
Brentg7 t1_jdc6r92 wrote
when I was a kid back in the late eighties I went over those falls in an inflatable one-man raft unintentionally. I made it over the first one still in the boat after that it was just lots of tumbling, knee banging and getting water in my mouth. there were three of us on three boats. we all survived but nobody made it through in their boat. ended up losing one boat and most of our paddles. fun times
isthisavailable OP t1_jddszot wrote
This is so helpful! Thank you. If you don’t mind me asking, but how to do handle transportation dropping off the kayaks and then getting home after you’ve finished?
bapecow420 t1_jde2565 wrote
I have a truck which makes transpiring kayaks a piece of cake. We’ll drop off the kayaks by the starting point and then take two cars to savage (or where we want to get out), park the truck and take the other car back to the starting point. Because it’s Columbia I wouldn’t worry about anyone taking the kayaks in the 25 minutes it takes to drive around, but you can always hide them in a bush or under the bridge. I’ll clip my car keys into my water shorts so there’s no chance of me losing them on the way, because we have lost a backpack to the water before.
Liakada t1_jd8izyg wrote
They are very shallow in a bunch of spots, so you’ll have to get out and carry the kayak a lot. The Patapsco is more suitable.
free_spoons t1_jd86fke wrote
I've seen people in kayaks and tubes on the middle pax but there's spots where you've got to get out because the rivers will get to shallow.
I don't know where they start or stop but I'd assume you can start around the one lane Bridge on Old Columbia Road. There's a few parking spots to pull over by that bridge
GDilbs t1_jd9huqc wrote
Did a family tube trip on the Middle from Cedar Lane to Old Columbia Road near Johns Hopkins Road in July of 2021. Was a very nice float and nice to cool off in the summer. We were the only people in the river. Had to walk in one or two places. Wear water shoes. A gentleman from the River's Edge community came out, chatted and snapped a few pictures of us floating. He said there were not many people that year. Indicated that Kayakers will go all the way to Savage Mills. He left his card with a link to the pictures at our vehicle. Getting in at Cedar Lane was easy. Getting out at Old Columbia required hiking up a decent hill at the bridge. Will do it again, just didn't have the time this year.
chickwithagun t1_jdch8ww wrote
I bet that’s the guy that took photos of me and my son a few years ago. The photos were amazing.
quizzing-glass t1_jdcqk7o wrote
The Middle and Little Patuxent are both runnable in a kayak at the right water levels. Go to americanwhitewater.org and search for "Patuxent" to see recommended levels, difficulty ratings, rapid descriptions, photos, put-ins/take-outs, etc. Some portages may be required.
i_live_in_maryland t1_jd9z9ug wrote
Did the Middle Patuxent from 108 to Kindler Rd about 10 years ago. There are several "strainers" (total blockages of downed trees and sticks) that we had to get out and carry the kayak around. Mostly in the Middle Patuxent Envinormental Area. Under the 29 bridge there is about a 2-3 ft concrete dropoff which we decided to get out and portage around also.
It's pretty shallow year round, there were a few spots where we bottomed out bad enough at least one of us had to get out and pull/push.
But it was a pleasant float, the water is very calm, and the scenery is pretty good!
Neracca t1_jdpnzed wrote
Try going to Patuxent River Park in Upper Marlboro
bapecow420 t1_jd879pw wrote
I’ve kayaked down the Little Patuxent multiple times and it’s a really fun time! Be prepared for it to take the whole day so bring sunscreen, water and snacks. I usually drop the kayaks in on Stevens Forest Rd or the end of Owen Brown Rd (where broken land crosses over the river). I always go all the way to savage mill but you must be prepared to get out before the falls and walk your kayak down the trial a bit, don’t attempt to go down the falls in your kayak. If you want a shorter trip, the bridge on old Guilford Rd would be a good spot. Be prepared to get out multiple times to go around fallen trees or push through shallow water, so water shoes or crocs would be good to bring.
Let me know if you have more questions! It’s a really fun and mellow kayaking trip, but can prove challenging at certain times.