Upper Yough (MD) Update
Posted: 02/12/2015
By: Mark Singleton
The Upper Youghiogheny River is a classic with a long and colorful history of whitewater boating.
Predictable summer releases make this one of the main Class-IV+ playgrounds in the east. The
rapids are continuous, technical, beautiful, and intoxicating.
Access to the river has also been a long running issue. American Whitewater signed an agreement
in June 2001 with the state of Maryland to manage the Sang Run put-in access on the Upper Yough.
However, limited take-out parking overwhelmed the community during summer releases. Over the last
few years, American Whitewater worked with the paddling community to raise $25,000 to go towards
a take-out parking lot in the town of Friendsville, Maryland. This "seed money" was
leveraged to attract over $200,000 in grants for the town to complete the take-out facility with
additional parking.
American Whitewater has learned that Jess Whittemore was re-elected to the Friendsville, Maryland
Town Council. Thanks to Jess's leadership, and support form Mayor Spencer
Schlosnagle, the town partnered with the whitewater community to welcome
hundreds of river runners to the area for summer releases on the Upper Youghiogheny River. The
new whitewater take-out parking area is now complete and ready for action, and American
Whitewater volunteers are already planning to help the town maintain the site.
Remember: access doesn't just happen! Be respectful in town and be sure to donate at Sang Run
to help AW maintain that site, too!