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Cara and her husband Eric Stallsmith produce IndianaOutfitters.com , a great resource on Indiana's rivers, parks and other outdoor information.
Finding Simple Beauty in Southern Indiana's Rivers
by Cara L.J. Stallsmith

I have found that there are two main camps of outdoor-loving people in Indiana. Some people enjoy the outdoors by trying to cram a year's worth of adventure into their annual week-long vacation. They usually spend this vacation out west somewhere, where they can have rivers of raging white water and mountain vistas (because Indiana doesn't have any "good" places to go). Other people try to enjoy the outdoors as often as they can, using every weekend as a mini vacation, and they just enjoy Indiana for what it does have to offer. I happen to fall into the latter camp. Don't get me wrong, I also love to go out west (or wherever), but I don't want to miss what's in my back yard while daydreaming about Elsewhere. In my many mini vacations I've found some great paddling rivers in Southern Indiana, including three commercially run rivers: the Whitewater River, the Driftwood River and the Blue River.

The Whitewater River, while not offering true white water, does have many fun rapids because of its steep gradient. Falling at an average of six feet per mile, the Whitewater is said to be the swiftest river in the state. My experience with the river supports this assertion. It has always had good flow (about two miles an hour). Its many rapids, relative lack of still water and abundance of wildlife make it a very enjoyable river to canoe or kayak. While the land becomes fairly developed along the river, it is still a pretty and enjoyable paddle.

The Whitewater, which formed as the retreating glacial ice sheet dumped its melt water, flows into Ohio to join the Miami River and eventually empties into the Ohio River. It is run commercially for about sixty-four miles, from Cambridge City to West Harrison (on the border of Indiana and Ohio). Public access points are available in Cambridge City, Connersville, Laurel, Metamora, Brookville and West Harrison.

The Whitewater Canal was started in the 1830s as part of a vast internal improvement program undertaken by the State of Indiana. However, it sent the state into bankruptcy and a private company completed the canal. A fourteen-mile section of the original seventy-six mile canal is preserved from Laurel to Brookville as a state memorial. The Whitewater Canal still provides one access point on the Whitewater River.

The Driftwood River flows for sixteen miles from the confluence of the Big Blue River and Sugar Creek to the East Fork of the White River at Columbus, Indiana. However, the best put-in site is actually one mile north of the confluence, on Sugar Creek. The river mostly winds through farmland with wooded strips bordering both banks, although the southern reaches are more developed. You should allow about five hours to canoe the seventeen-mile trip.

I like to kayak in the spring and summer, and I've personally seen wood ducks, kingfishers and many, many great blue herons. In the right season you might also see fox squirrels or spotted sandpipers. The Driftwood River can yield sunfish, rock bass, bass and catfish. You might also notice a good variety of vegetation along the river, including silver maple, box elder, green ash, sycamore, cottonwood and black willow.

The Blue River, the first river selected for inclusion in Indiana's Natural and Scenic Rivers System, flows by extensive forests, numerous caves, rural farmland and several historical attractions. Large Indian populations once inhabited this area, and remains of their sites can still be found today. The history and the natural beauty of this river make it one of my favorite destinations.

On its journey to the Ohio River the Blue River's meanders have cut deep into the Mississippian limestone bedrock, causing a series of "half canyons" to span the river. Typical of karst (limestone) topography, the area contains many sinkholes and caves (formed as water dissolved the rock). The river's rapids reveal gravel bars, and you must keep your eyes open for potentially dangerous, submerged boulders. While the figures may vary, the river averages about eighty-five feet wide and five feet deep, and the river falls at about four feet per mile.

The Blue River is run commercially for about fifty miles. Public access points can be found at Fredericksburg, Milltown, Rothrock Mill, Harrison-Crawford State Forest, Blue River Chapel, Stagestop Campground and at the Ohio River. The large number of access points on the river allows flexibility in trips of varying lengths, which is a big plus for a river.

While Indiana does not have whitewater or vistas to rival the west, it does offer many fun outdoor resources to enjoy, including several scenic rivers. Something doesn't have to be grand to be beautiful; there's beauty in simple things all around us. Southern Indiana's rivers can help us to appreciate this simple kind of beauty if we just relax and look. It's impossible to cover all the great rivers Southern Indiana has to offer, so look at www.IndianaOutfitters.com for a more comprehensive guide to Indiana's rivers and other outdoor resources.

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