Fairmont, West Virginia to Pittsburgh 128 miles
Class Grad Size (Area/Volume) Scene/Poll Level
A Pool Large (2,720/4,494) Pt Marion D/C
Large (4,407/8,090) Greensboro
Large (5,213/8,973) Charleroi
Huge (7,337/12,500) Braddock
Topographic Maps: Fairmont West (WVa), Fairmont East (WVa), Rivesville (WVa), Morgantown South (WVa), Morgantown North (WVa), Masontown, Carmichaels, Mather, California, Fayette City, Donora, Monongahela, Glassport, McKeesport, Braddock, Pittsburgh East, Pittsburgh West
County Maps: Marion (WVa), Monongalia (WVa), Greene, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland, Allegheny
Other Maps: A set of detailed navigation charts is available for $8.00 (2003 price) from the District Engineer, Pittsburgh District Corps of Engineers, Federal Building, 1000 Liberty Avenue., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15222‑4186. http://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/nav/order_form.pdf (2004)
Description: This is a wide flat river with little visible current. The wind direction and speed is often a bigger factor than the current. The stream is controlled by dams with navigation locks. There is a lot of motorboat and barge traffic. This traffic is faster but often less maneuverable than canoe traffic, and it creates considerable wake turbulence. This is a river in transition from a former high-pollution condition to a much lower level of pollution. Fish are evident until about 20 miles upstream of Pittsburgh. The water starts blue-green at Fairmont, giving way to murkiness as you approach the industry in Pittsburgh. Pollution is obvious, but not offensive until you get past Lock and Dam No. 3, which is within 20 miles of Pittsburgh. It is an area of abandoned ferry crossings, and coalmine operations with many bridges. Towns are built right up to the water's edge. A trip on this river is for people who like their canoeing with conveniences (restaurants, stores, ice cream stands, etc.). [Reported 1989]
Difficulties: Be sure you know where the dams are; they are fatally dangerous from either the upstream or downstream side, and it's easy to miss noticing them from upstream. Plan to be on the lock side of the river well above the lock and dam. To pass through a lock, approach it close to shore and keep clear of large boats to give them room to maneuver. Have a 50‑foot line available in each boat and follow the lockmaster's instructions. See more detailed instruction on lock passage, under the write-up for the Ohio River.
Keep clear of large boats and barge tows. Barges are moving faster than they look, sometimes almost silently. They need lots of room to maneuver. Stay clear not only of the physical barge itself, but also of the very turbulent wake created by the push-boat. These boats not only make wake out the back, but some also have additional propellers pointed sideways, so that the wake may come straight out the side. Not only are barges hard to maneuver, they are slow to turn and stop. This means that by the time a barge captain sees a canoe, it is too late to avoid it. In addition the barges themselves block the captain's line of sight far in front of the boat.
This section of the river contains power boaters as well. Most of them will stay well clear of you, but others may want to create some waves for you to deal with.
Shuttle: Numerous public access points have been established for the use of boaters and fishermen; they are shown on the Pennsylvania Fishing and Boating Map published by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the Allegheny River Access Sites published by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and the Navigation Charts for the Monongahela River published by the Corps of Engineers. The table on the following page lists these access points and the river mile distance from the Pittsburgh Point.
Gauge: Call the weather service recording. If they say "not safe for recreational boating" it is probably too high.
Normal Wet Period: All year, see comment under gauge.
The following established access points are available.
Location river
mile
Fairmont 127.3 Right
Pricketts Creek 120.7
Right
Opekiska Lock and Dam 115.4
Right
Hildebrand Lock and Dam 108.0
Left
Uffington 104.5 Right
Morgantown Lock and Dam 102.0 Left
Morgantown 101.1 Right
Star City 97.8 Right
Pt. Marion Lock and Dam 90.8 Left
Pt. Marion 90.3 Right
Two River Marina
Lock and Dam # 7 85.0 Left
Greensboro 84.5 Left
New Geneva 84.7 Right
Greys Landing Lock and Dam 82.0 Right
Masontown 79.3 Right
Chuck's Boat club 72.9 Left
Isbella 71.3 Right
Rice's Landing 68.5 Left
Ten Mile Creek 65.6 Left
Sunset Marina 0.5 mile up Ten Mile Creek 65.5 Left
Green Cove Yacht Club 0.25 miles up Ten Mile 65.5 Left
East Fredericktown 63.8 Right
Rackrall's Bay Reasturant
Maxwell Lock and Dam 61.2 Right
Dammiecd Marina
West Brownsville 56.0 Left
Bair's Marina
California 51.8 Left
Wayne Street
Roscoe 48.5 Left
Speers 43.4 Left
Charleroi 42.3 Left
Lock and Dam #4 41.5 Right
Monessen Access
North Charleroi 41.1 Left
Webster 36.4 Right
Forward Township 34.1 Right
Monongahela (Penn Fish and Boat Comm) 33.2 Left
Monongahela Borough 31.9 Left
New Eagle - Howard Street 30.1 Left
Lock and Dam #3 23.8 Right
Molnar's Marina
Carousel Marina - Elrama Street
Elizabeth Riverfront Park 23.1 Right
Coal Valley 18.5 Left
Atlantic Beach
Glassport River Front Park
Mckees Point Marina (Left bank Youghiogheny) 15.5 Right
Irving Works Beach
Lock and Dam #2 11.2 Right
Braddock 10.7 Right
Pittsburgh (Birmingham Bridge) 2.2 Left
Station Square 0.1 Right
Point State Park 0.0 Left