Last updated on July 19, 2022 by Jeremy
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For many years, Kayak Pittsburgh operated a rental location directly on the Allegheny River, just below the Roberto Clemente Bridge on the north side. We’ve always tried to get a rental here, but the days we were free often faced extreme heat or very high river levels (read: incredibly fast flow), so we missed our chance. before they close.
So when the business moved upriver to a new location at James Sharp Landing in Sharpsburg in 2022, we knew we had to go as soon as it opened.
What can you see while kayaking in Sharpsburg?
The Allegheny River near James Sharp Landing is a tranquil and beautiful place to kayak.
The launch point at the landing stage is located approximately half a mile west of the Highland Park Dam and Sixmile Private Island. Although you are allowed to kayak nearby, there are some restrictions. You can’t get very close to the dam for safety reasons, and Sixmile Island is privately owned, so you can only view it from a distance.
But renting an hour of kayak will allow you to have a good overview of this calm part of the river where you are most often alone in nature apart from a few jet skis or boats departing from the nearby marinas.
To be honest, for half of our kayaking, we didn’t consider any particular site an attraction, just laying around, floating in the river and enjoying being away from the hustle and bustle of the city (despite our proximity to downtown- town ). Being able to get out onto a calm body of water so close to downtown is truly one of the great things about the Allegheny River!
So while we were only kayaking for about 30 minutes of our one hour rental, this place still made it easy to explore.
That being said, kayaking on rivers always comes with some concerns to keep in mind. First of all, while the dam somewhat regulates the water flow here, you should always check for updates after heavy rains. We went during a dry spell and felt hardly any current, but after periods of heavy rain we expect that to change considerably – so if you’re not a confident kayaker, be aware of that .
But that being said, in times of slow flow, this kayaking trip was incredibly easy and reminded us of kayaking on a lake rather than a flowing river!
All in all, while there may be a little less to see kayaking near Sharpsburg, we had a relaxing hour on the river just outside of downtown Pittsburgh and would recommend to visit Kayak Pittsburgh for fun on the river!
Kayaking in Pittsburgh is located at James Sharp Landing at 1301 Main Street in Sharpsburg, PA.
Looking for other places to kayak near Pittsburgh? Discover 10.7 Marina and Sycamore Island as well as kayaking in North Park! Or check out more great ways to get out on Pittsburgh’s rivers here!
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