Thursday, March 27 2025 10:26

Spring into the Water

Written by Edwin Malet

Sailing, paddling and tubing in the Brandywine Valley

Photo: Moonloop Photography, courtesy of GWCVB

The calendar says spring has arrived. On the Chesapeake Bay, you might be hoisting sails, taking advantage of spring’s early winds, dreaming of summer breezes. But that, unfortunately, would involve a several-hour drive. Perhaps something closer?

Here, in the Brandywine Valley, if you’re looking for water to enjoy sailing, sailboarding, canoeing, kayaking, tubing or paddleboarding, you’ve got options.

Sailing at Marsh Creek and French Creek State Parks

Marsh Creek Water Sports & Boat Rental

The first place to look for fun on the water are two of our nearby state parks: Marsh Creek and French Creek. Marsh Creek in Downingtown has a big, beautiful 535-acre lake for plenty of water sports options. You can rent boats — sailboats, kayaks, paddleboards, canoes, windsurfers — at Marsh Creek Water Sports & Boat Rental, including rental sailboats like Hobies, Sunfish and daysailers. The shop is open from April until October and has helpful staff who offer lessons for beginners.

The Marsh Creek Sailing Club, which loans boats for a fee, conducts races on Sundays as well as two annual regattas on Saturdays: one in spring and another in fall. Great for testing your skills.

French Creek State Park in Elverson — not to be confused with French Creek in northwestern Pennsylvania — has two lakes, 66-acre Hopewell Lake and 22-acre Scott’s Run Lake, both with boat launches. The Hopewell Lake boat rental opens in May and closes in September and rents kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, rowboats and Sunfish sailboats.

The weather at both state parks is virtually the same. Windspeed averages about 8 miles per hour in April, declining slightly through the summer to 5 mph, and picking up again in fall.

New Castle Sailing Club

New Castle Sailing Club

Although sailing options in Chester County are more or less exhausted at the state parks, there’s one other to consider. In New Castle, Delaware, about 45 minutes from West Chester, you can access the Delaware River. The river is a mile wide at that point and is much wider upstream and downstream.

The New Castle Sailing Club has a fleet of 14 club-owned sailboats, 17 to 19 feet long, moored in the river. Mostly, the club members use the boats during the season (membership is $500 for initiation and $350 per season afterward). But occasionally boats are available to prospective members for a smaller fee. In early spring, the club provides sailing instruction.

Paddling the Brandywine

A major advantage of sailing is the wind: it will move you, for free. A disadvantage is that wind isn’t available all the time or everywhere. And you can’t sail on a narrow stream. In other words, around Chester County, although there are waterways throughout, there are places where sailing isn’t feasible.

For these places, you’ll want a canoe, kayak, raft, paddleboard or maybe an inner tube. And you’ll have to depend on your arms, back and the water’s current to take you where you want to go.

Northbrook Canoe Co.

Northbrook Canoe Co., based outside West Chester, has what you need to explore the rivers and streams of Chester County. Operating from May to October, it supplies canoes, kayaks and tubes for your “voyage” down the Brandywine River. Several events hosted by Northbrook through the summer feature the popular “Twilight Dining” — a short, scenic paddle ending in a candlelit dinner under the stars, plus live music and a bonfire.

Other events include May’s Northbrook Canoe Challenge benefiting the Cerebral Palsy Association of Chester County. And, in October, you can test yourself in the 51st Marshalltown Triathlon, which features 2.3 miles of paddling on its second leg.

Farther west, operating from May to September, Brandywine Outfitters in Mortonville also rents canoes and kayaks to explore the Brandywine River, specializing in tours of the ChesLen Preserve. But they cater to groups and won’t accept an individual renter.

Brandywine Creek State Park

Brandywine Creek State Park

If you rent a canoe, kayak or tube with one of a local outfitter, there’s a good chance you’ll end up in Brandywine Creek State Park, located just three miles north of Wilmington. You’ll find yourself on a pleasant, peaceful creek, generally 3 feet deep, rich with wildlife, including trout, bass, bluegill and carp.

You may also see many kinds of turtles, frogs, salamanders and snakes, not to mention moths, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects. And on the water and in the surrounding woods, you may see a variety of birds, including herons, woodpeckers, ducks, sparrows, warblers and hawks. It’s a naturalist’s paradise. Check out iNaturalist.org for a list of over 600 species observed there.

The Schuylkill River

In addition to the Delaware River, there are two other large rivers that touch Chester County: the Schuylkill to the east and the Susquehanna to the southwest. They’re both well suited for canoes and kayaks — if you have your own sailboat, you can certainly try it. The Schuylkill in particular is known for its annual Schuylkill River Sojourn — a week-long trip by kayak or canoe organized by Schuylkill River Greenways.

Schuylkill River Sojourn

Held each June since 1999, the Sojourn is a 112-mile guided trip starting in Schuylkill Haven and ending at Philadelphia’s Boathouse Row. About 80 people make the full trip, camping along the watershed, and about 200 others join for as little as a day. The cost is about $120 per day per person, with Schuylkill River Greenways providing direction, meals and first aid.

Of course, if you can’t make the Sojourn, you can still enjoy the Schuylkill River on your own, and you can access it from several spots. Phoenixville SUP supplies stand-up boards and kayaks. Port Providence Paddle in Phoenixville and Schuylkill Canal Boathouse in Mont Clare also rent canoes, kayaks, rowboats, paddleboats and tubes. At Port Providence, we suggest treating yourself with a stop at Fitzwater Station afterwards. Thank us later.

Conowingo Reservoir and Islands

KayakLanCo

At the other end of County Lines country, straddling the Pennsylvania-Maryland border, is the Conowingo Reservoir, a 23-mile stretch of the Susquehanna River between the Conowingo and Holtwood Dams. It’s an hour-and-a-half wild and scenic drive to Holtwood from West Chester, at the northwest end of the reservoir. You’ll see Hennery Island, the Chestnut Islands, the Bear Islands and over 50 others dotting the river.

Choose from several companies that offer guided trips of the Susquehanna. Note, though, that they’re generally farther upriver. Or rent a kayak from KayakLanCo in Millersville and explore. And if you have your own kayak, canoe or sailboard, you can explore on your own.

 

Whatever you choose — sailing, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, tubing — there are a number of ways to get wet in and around Chester County. Don’t feel landlocked! As spring approaches, discover your options. And take one!


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