The Dayton area is a kayak capital

By James Cummings
Dayton Daily News

Jessica Marks of Dayton has always been interested in hiking and backpacking, and now she's interested in branching out into water sports. Linda and Wayne Springer of Kettering plan to live in a lake-front property in Tennessee when they retire.

But before they venture out onto the open water, the three of them spent a few evenings paddling around the swimming pool at the Downtown YMCA. They were attending a beginner's kayaking course taught by Five Rivers MetroParks.

"At the starting level, it's not hard to do, and it's a lot of fun," Marks said. "I'm finding out that there are a lot of places to go kayaking around here already, and my husband and I are planning to check some of them out."

Greg Brumitt, outdoor recreation director for MetroParks, said the Dayton area has one of the best concentrations of kayaking sites in the state, and, if plans for a white-water park reach fruition, Dayton will be even more of a paradise for kayakers.

"The Mad River is a great paddling venue," Brumitt said. "Every Tuesday and Wednesday in the summer groups meet near Eastwood Lake and go down the Mad River to north Dayton. People come from all over the state to paddle here."

Other excellent sites, according to Brumitt, are the Eastwood MetroPark Lake, sections of the Stillwater and Great Miami Rivers and Twin Creek from Preble County through southwest Montgomery County.

What the Dayton area doesn't have is a lot of natural rapids, Brumitt said. That's why he's excited about the possibility of a man-made white water park that's in the study stages.

MetroParks last year proposed constructing a 1,200-foot raceway along the bank of the Great Miami River near downtown's Riverscape, and a marketing firm has been hired to do a feasibility study on the idea, Brumitt said. The course would include a few curves and possibly boulders and could be shifted from slow water for everyday use to faster water for kayaking competitions.

"If we could have a white-water course, I'm pretty sure we would go there," Marks said. "Just paddling is fun, but that would be incredible."

Contact James Cummings at 225-2395.