Floating the Youghiogheny River (“The Yough”) from Connellsville to Dawson, PA is a very doable family float that everyone in my crew seems to enjoy. It has become for us a must-do summer activity in Fayette County, PA.

If you are interested in local beaches to swim and kayak/paddle board, be sure to check out another post A Guide to Local Lake Beaches In and Near Fayette County, PA.

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I am by no means an expert in this area of river recreation. But we have a friend who is a river guide who has helped us navigate this activity and I’m just translating some information he has shared with us. So with no lifeguards and a moving body of water, you’ll certainly want to use caution and you are completing this activity at your own risk. Most importantly, make sure everyone is wearing a life jacket.

Summary

  • Ages– This is a fun activity for all ages in my crew, from my parents to my kids. I still haven’t taken my youngest child because I don’t think she can sit very still yet. But I have taken my son as young as 2 years 10 months.
  • Flotation Devices– We have taken paddleboards (SUPs), kayaks, and inner tubes.
  • Distance– Approximately 6 miles
  • Time– Approximately 3-4 hours for the float. But it takes us more like 6-7 hours once we factor in getting the gear ready, running the cars around, and breaking down the equipment.
  • Pace– Slow, easy, and relaxing. A few small rapids here and there.
  • Put in – Connellsville Yough River Park
  • Take Out– Dawson

Why We Love This Float

I think this is a great family float for many reasons.

  • Pace– A very nice slow pace, much like a moving lake. You can mostly float, but some paddling may be required depending on water levels. There are a few small rapids that make it interesting for the kids.
  • Great Allegheny Passage– The Great Allegheny Bike Trail runs river left along this float. So if there were an emergency, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to exit via the bike trail.
  • Cell Service- Additionally, thinking about an emergency, there is decent cell service along the float.
  • Length– It’s just the right amount of time for our crew, not too long, not too short. It’s about a 3-4 hour float and a 6-7 hour day when accounting for lunch, prepping gear, and running shuttle.
  • Halfway– There’s an island, just about halfway through where we like to break up our trip with lunch and some swimming.
  • Short Trip to Run Shuttle- When I use the term “run shuttle” I’m referring to how we place cars where they are needed. You will need at least two cars for this activity. But it’s a roughly 30 minute round trip drive to take a car to the take-out location and return with one car to the put-in.
  • Registration Not Required- Some places in PA such as state parks required kayaks to be registered. At this time to my knowledge, there is no registration required for this trip.
  • Clean- This part of the river is fairly well kept. Big thanks to The Youghiogheny Riverkeeper Program, a program of the Mountain Watershed Association for their hard work with clean up, defending pollution, and conservation. Of note, this part of the river can definitely turn into a party, so we typically avoid floating on holiday weekends like Memorial Day for example, and not everyone cleans up after themselves, unfortunately. So you will still likely encounter some garbage, which is why we take a trash bag to help clean up.
  • Trains- There are train tracks on river right, so it’s always fun when a train goes by.
  • Fishing- We have not fished, but there are opportunities to fish. The General Braddock’s Fish Club stocks around 10,000 trout in the yough river every year so you can fish with your PA fishing license and gear.

Guided Tours

If you are interested in floating this calmer section of the Yough, but you don’t want to take this on yourself, you can look into some guided tours.

The Uniontown KOA Campground will drop you off at the put-in and they offer equipment rentals. Get all the details here.

Youghiogheny Stand Up Paddleboarding (Yough SUP) offers guided paddleboarding tours on this section of the river and Hazelbakers River Trips offers trips with canoes and kayaks a little further downstream.

For added excitement, you can also raft more active parts of the Yough River with guided tours near Ohiopyle with the following vendors.

When To Go – Checking Water Levels

For a successful trip, you need the water levels to be right. If the water is too low, you are likely to get stuck several times, and you may need to walk your flotation device at times. If the water is too high, you run the risk of floating past and missing your take-out location.

Our river guide friend suggests checking water levels at americanwhitewater.org

  • Visit americanwhitewater.org.
  • Click “River Info”
  • In the search bar, type “Youghiogheny” and hit submit.
  • This site doesn’t have a measure for this exact stretch of river, so we sort of gauge it by reading the numbers for Youghiogheny II – Bottom (Bruners Run to Connellsville) and Youghiogheny III -Lower (Ohiopyle to Bruner Run).
  • Then we want to look at the numbers which represent cubic feet per second. Our friend suggests not to go when the water is below 1.3 ft or above 2.8ft. So you want to go when the numbers are between 1.3-2.8. In the example below, 2.18 fall in the range and is a go for the day!

Although I’m not familiar with using this site, Connellsville’s mayor Greg Lincoln also suggested using waterdata.usgs.org to gauage the river. In his opinion, 3-3 1/2 river height is the perfect river height for floating. Thanks for the tip Mayor Lincoln!

Kayak/SUP Gear and What We Pack

This can be done in a variety of ways, but I’ll share the gear we use and what we pack.

  • Floatation Devices- We typically take inflatable kayaks, inflatable stand-up paddleboards, and inner tubes.
    • Kayaks– I own some dated Sevylor Inflatable kayaks similar to this which have served us well. My sister has this kayak and likes it. Our inflatable kayaks are not the best at steering, but since it’s just a float, it doesn’t matter too much. You can also take hard kayaks naturally, we just don’t own one.
    • Stand Up Paddleboards- My sister’s family has been enjoying their Runwave SUP Board and their Roc SUP Board.
    • Inner Tubes- My dad enjoys his Inner Tube, which he purchased locally at Spotto’s in downtown Connellsville. They have a nice selection of other inflatables. We typically tie the inner tube to someone who is paddling, like a kayak or SUP.
  • Flotation Gear– Most inflatable kayaks and SUP boards come with pumps and paddles. But in the event they don’t, make sure you have pumps and paddles.
  • Life Jackets- Make sure everyone in your party wears a life jacket. Here is a life jacket we got for my three year old.
  • Dry Bags- It helps to put personal items like phones, wallets, and keys in a dry bag to keep them dry so you don’t have loose items everywhere.
  • Waterproof Phone Bag- If you want your phone handy for pictures, it’s convenient to pack your phone in a waterproof phone bag.
  • Carabiners– It’s helpful to have carabiners to attach your items to your flotation devices like your dry bag and water bottles.
  • First Aid Kit- It’s always a good idea to have a first aid kit with you, just in case.
  • Lunch- We like to stop halfway to eat packed lunches. Some of our favorite snacks to pack are PBJ’s, pepperoni rolls, peanut butter energy balls, chips, fruit, etc. Don’t forget to pack plenty of water.
  • Clothing
  • Garbage Bag- Pack a garbage bag for your gargbage, and for garbage you see along the way. Let’s all work together to keep the river clean.
  • Bug Spray and Sunscreen
  • Toys– Not a lot. But with my son’s young age, it helped to keep him occupied with a simple toy or two. He had fun with these squirt guns on the float.

Ok if you are still with me, let’s get into the details of what this float looks like.

Launch Area

The put-in or launch point is located at Yough River Park in Connellsville (259 N 6th St). We park in a lot between the hotel and the bridge to unload all of our gear.

This park is located along the Great Allegheny Passage and has a visitor center with restrooms. The playground is helpful in entertaining the kids while we get the gear ready.

We launch at the beach area just a short distance down from the parking area.

Run Shuttle

We typically unload all of our gear. If we have enough adults, someone stays behind to inflate the flotation devices and load/prep the gear, while two others run shuttle. Two drivers follow each other in separte vehicles to the take-out area in Dawson leaving one vehicle at the take out, and returning to the launch area in the other vehicle.

It’s about a 10-15 minute drive (one way) from the park to Dawson. After crossing the bridge into Dawson, take the first left onto River Road. We park in a parking lot next to the former Phil’s Nightclub which is about 0.25 miles down the road from the bridge.

Another tip from Mayor Lincoln is that you can also take out at Uniontown KOA Campground for a small fee.

Once the two drivers return to the launch area, the logistics are out of the way and the fun can officially begin!

Just because I’ve made this mistake before, just make sure your keys are packed with you in your dry bag on your flotation device. After you get out of the river, someone will have to run shuttle back to get the other vehicle at the launch area.

The Float

Take off from the beach at Yough River Park. Of note, you might occasionally hit an upstream breeze on this float.

The way I sort of keep this float organized in my head is by counting bridges, but truthfully I don’t know the names of the bridges.

Bridge Number 1 is within view of the launch area.

Then, a little further downstream you’ll go under bridge number 2 (West Yough Overlook).

After bridge number 2, I’m on the lookout for the island where we like to take a break. It’s not quite halfway, but close. I would say the second half of the float is a little longer. But it’s a nice place to stop.

The island is next to a tall stack on river right.

We typically keep to the left of the island and pull off on a beach on the left side of the island or toward the front of the island.

We like to eat our lunches here and swim around for a bit before heading out again.

Then “bridge” 3 comes in to view. It’s not really a bridge, but more like footings with hanging cables.

Then when you see bridge number 4, you have arrived in Dawson and it’s time to start thinking about exiting the river.

Just about .25 miles past the bridge, is the takeout on river right. It’s a rocky beach with a set of stairs which lead up to the parking area where we dropped the vehicle off.

And that’s the float! Remember to pack out all of your trash and pick up other trash you might come across.

Here is a video from someone else sharing their experience of the float.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bob_tiktopper/video/7103335614019554606?_t=8Tg1UNtWfOg&_r=1

If you found this information helpful, or if you do this float a little differently, please leave a comment. If you get out there and float, tag me on Instagram @adventureswkelly. I’d love to see and hear about your adventures floating the Yough!

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