Friendsville Parking Lot Update

The Friendsville, Maryland paddler parking lot is being finished. This lovely town of 500 people is doing what it can to accomodate the hundreds of paddlers who arrive here for summer releases on the Upper Youghiogheny River. The project owes much to the vision and leadership of long-time resident Jess Whittemore and the support of Mayor Spencer R. Schlosnagle and Town Council. American Whitewater helped paddlers raise $25,000 towards the lot and this "seed money" has helped attract over $200,000 in grants! The project proved more difficult than expected; after one grant application was turned down the grass field was opened this past summer while the lot was redesigned and rolled into a different grant that included a number of improvements in town. This contouring and graveling work constitutes is phase 1 of the parking lot project; phase 2 with additional graveled spaces will be added when funding becomes available. We thank the town for their persistence, and their ongoing support for Upper Yough whitewater.