Whitewater River in Indiana

Trip Overview

This trip took us from Cambridge City on Highway 40 to Connersville. We had planned on paddling the Whitewater River the entire way, but after we got home and I looked at the maps I realized that we had actually launched in a creek that feeds the river, not the actual river itself. We put it just east of the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 40. There is a bridge roughly 100 yards to the east of that intersection, we launched from the southeast corner of it. The actual river crosses Highway 40 about 1/2 mile to the west, and there is a park a few blocks north that would probably serve as a more appropriate launch.

Needless to say, the creek forced us to walk probably half of the first mile or so. Once we finally hit the actual river things got a bit easier. We did have to get out of the boat many, many times in order to detour through shallows or around fallen trees, but we paddled much more then we walked.

Scenery was fantastic. We were able to see so much more of the river than someone standing on the bridge. Hidden sand bars, fantastic places to swim, pools with some fairly impressive sized fish, lots of birds. There was really very little pollution in the river. We didn't see a lot of trash, and the water itself seemed clean. We did pass a few places where people have thrown old fencing and stuff like that, but not a lot.

The trip took around 10 hours, but we did stop a few times to swim and eat and fish. According to the Indiana Department Of Natural Resources website (http://www.in.gov/dnr/outdoor/canoe/whitewat.htm) the section we paddled is about 18 miles.

We finally arrived out our take-out, Highway 44 in Connersville. We had about 45 minutes before we would be picked up, so we headed over to Kentucky Fried Chicken about a block down the road for a well deserved meal.

I would recommend this trip to someone who doesn't mind having to walk and pull the boat through an occasional shallow spot, as well as someone who sees lifting the boat up and over log jams more of an adventure than a chore. Younger children would likely find this trip to be a bit too long and strenuous, but the two teen boys on our trip really seemed to enjoy themselves. The three middle-aged men had a great time and we're already talking about paddling the next stretch of the river.

Accommodations:

There are no accommodations along the river, but once you reach Highway 44 there are several places within walking distance to get food and supplies.

Fees:

There are no fees or permits required.

Directions:

We launched in a creek (not sure of the name of it) a few hundred feet east of the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 40. To launch in the actual river, go west from that intersection to Center Street and follow that north into Crietz Park. You should be able to launch there, although I can't vouch for it as we did not launch there.

The first bridge crossing is in Milton, Main Street/Milton Road, just east of Highway 1. The second is East 440N, just north of Connersville. The last is Highway 44 in Connersville, on the east side of town where it is joined with Highway 1.

We took out on the southwest corner of the bridge.

Resources:

Indiana DNR website: http://www.in.gov/dnr/outdoor/canoe/whitewat.htm