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Blacklick Creek - Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick


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Blacklick Creek,

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Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick

Usual Difficulty II-III(IV) (may vary with level)
Length 6.2 Miles
Avg. Gradient 43 fpm
Max Gradient 66 fpm

The best drop on Blacklick


The best drop on Blacklick
Photo of Rand McFarland by Lisa McFarland (KHCC) taken 1234587600 @ 4.5', 1000cfs

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
Blacklick Creek at Josephine, PA
usgs-03042000 3.80 - 5.50 ft II-III(IV) 04h33m 3.41 ft (rc= -0.2 )


River Description

Blacklick Creek is located in southern Indiana County, Pennsylvania.It has been overlooked for years by many paddlers because of its bad reputation for acid polution and a devastated landscape, both the result of a coal mining past. Today, the Blacklick is a river in recovery. It has a way to go yet, but the upstream acid mine drainage has been significatly reduced (the boulders are no longer orange). The conversion of the railroad bed to the Ghost Town multi-use trail included some clean up of the banks and hill sides. Trees have grown back and hide much of what remains of the boney piles and discarded mine equipment. The over-all impression the paddler now gets is one of beauty, mared only in spots. The white-water starts about a hundred yards above the Rt. 259 bridge in Heshbon. Put in from the Ghost Town Trail upstream of the bridge on the northern side. It is permissible to drive up to the gate to unload boats and equipment. Parking is back at the gravel lot by the road. The put-in is just beyond the gate on the right by a large rusting cable winch. You may also put-in on the down stream side of the North end of the bridge, but this is difficult and you miss some rapids. This section starts with about 3/4 of a mile of ledges and boulder gardens that lead into Auld's Run Rapid (IV-). On your right you will pass Auld's Run, a small tributary. It is bright orange. Auld's Run Rapid is just below. Work your way over to the right and eddy out on the right just above the drop. You can scout the rapid from here(by boat or bank). The line is a diagonal one from right to left. If you drop over to soon you land in a nasty hole. The middle has submerged rocks in it. So you need to get all the way over to the left near the leaning boulder to drop over the ledge. The river maintains a busy class II-III pace for the next two and a half miles. With one last good class III just past the half way point. After this drop there are still a bunch of small ledges that provide good surfing opportunities. As the rapids and the scenery decline you are coming into the town of Blacklick. The take-out is at Saylor Park in Blacklick on river left (Josephine is on river right). Take out above or below Old Indiana rd. This is the first road bridge encountered below Heshbon. Above the bridge is a shorter portage to the parking lot, but the bank is steep. Below is a better place to beach but a longer walk.


StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2009-08-02 21:33:17

Editors

Stream Team Editor
Randall McFarland
P.O. Box 192
Grand River, OH 44045


Hap on the Blacklick

Detail Trip Report Edit  Hap on the Blacklick  @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick, PA(106.13KB .jpeg)

Typical BL rock garden

Detail Trip Report Edit  Typical BL rock garden  @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick, PA(147.20KB .jpeg)

Acid Mine Drainage

Detail Trip Report Edit  Acid Mine Drainage  @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick, PA(290.75KB .jpeg)

Valley of the Blacklick

Detail Trip Report Edit  Valley of the Blacklick  @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick, PA(148.55KB .jpeg)

Photo#323628

Detail Trip Report Edit    @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick, PA(81.84KB .jpeg)

Jamie on the Blacklick

Detail Trip Report Edit  Jamie on the Blacklick  Indiana County, Pa, PA(1.13MB .jpeg)

This is the bridge just below the put-in from the Ghost Town Trail

Detail Trip Report Edit  This is the bridge just below the put-in from the Ghost Town Trail  @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick, PA(1.25MB .jpeg)

Nasty Wood

Detail Trip Report Edit  Nasty Wood  Blacklick Creek, PA(2.36MB .jpeg)

The best drop on Blacklick

Detail Trip Report Edit  The best drop on Blacklick  Blacklick Creek, PA(1.05MB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

3.8 ft is a min. level for a fun run, some holes are stickier at lower levels
4.5 ft is an optimum level for this crick

 I have run Blacklick @ 5.0 ft with no issue (max. level is an individual decision)

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
Blacklick Creek at Josephine, PA
usgs-03042000 3.80 - 5.50 ft II-III(IV) 04h33m 3.41 ft (rc= -0.2 )

RangeWater LevelDifficultyComment
3.80 -5.50 ft barely runnable-high runnable II-III(IV)

Report - Reports of Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
Blacklick Creek [PA] Nasty Wood 4.27 ft. Randall McFarland
84d20h16m @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick [PA] Account of 08/30/09 n/a Randall McFarland
84d20h24m @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick [PA] Typical BL rock garden n/a Randall McFarland
84d20h33m @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick [PA] Acid Mine Drainage n/a Randall McFarland
84d20h44m @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick [PA] Valley of the Blacklick n/a Randall McFarland
84d21h47m Indiana County, Pa [PA] Jamie on the Blacklick n/a Randall McFarland
84d22h27m Blacklick CreekRoute 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick [PA] This is the bridge just below the put-in from the Ghost Town Trail n/a Randall McFarland
168d13h40m Blacklick Creek [PA] Rt. 259 Bridge at Heshbon n/a Randall McFarland
169d15h31m Blacklick Creek [PA] Jamie on the Blacklick n/a Randall McFarland
281d15h31m @Blacklick Creek Route 259 to Saylor Park in Blacklick [PA] Account of 08/30/09 n/a Randall McFarland
282d05h31m Blacklick Creek [PA] The best drop on Blacklick 4.5', 1000cfs Randall McFarland
1y239d06h31m Blacklick Creek [PA] 40620.jpeg 4.0 ft Randall McFarland
1y245d06h31m Blacklick Creek [PA] Rock Garden 4.27 ft. Randall McFarland

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News





icon of message No guide books for this stream. If you know of a book that describes this stream please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run.

User Comments


2009-05-06 10:38:19 (200 days ago)
3 of us did the III-IV section on May 5 2009 @ 4.16. The log is still there but is passable to the
left. Edit

2009-05-04 09:25:56 (202 days ago)
Randall McFarlandDetails
Ran Blacklick 5/3/09, approx. 2 miles below Heshbon there is an island. A big log remains stuck on
the very large square rock in the center, at the bottom of the right channel. The log is across the
passages on both sides of the rock. The right channel of this island should not be run. The left
channelis open. There are pictures of this hazard in the photo sec.

2009-05-04 07:07:19 (202 days ago)
Randall McFarlandDetails
Rt. 56 is a high bridge, and so is not really used as a put-in for the class I sec. of the
Blacklick. You can put in at Rt.403 in Dilltown or up river where River Rd.(SR 2012) crosses the
river. These are put-ins for the class I sec. that ends at Heshbon. The II-III(IV-) sec. starts
here on Rt. 259 up stream of the bridge, use the Ghost Town trail to access

2009-04-05 08:02:40 (231 days ago)
Does anybody know where the exact put in location on 56 is? I can't figure it out! Thanks. Edit

2008-03-24 05:52:59 (608 days ago)
Randall McFarlandDetails
Saylor Park in the town of Blacklick is now a good take out. The bridge work has been completed.
Also, the Ghosttown bike trail ends at Saylor Park with its own bridge. This trail makes a bike
shuttle to Heshbon easy.

2004-01-02 20:04:56 (2151 days ago)
Brad RobertsDetails
Re: Blacklick crik in Pa, give me info, <NT> backayaking New
Date: Jan 02 2004, 21:15 GMT
From: swampboy62

Needs 3.8 feet on the gauge at Josephine to run. Gots 12 miles of I-II, 6 miles of III-IV. More
info in the AYH guidebook.

Steve Z
"swampy"
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Rapid Descriptions

icon of message No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run.


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