Now's the Time to Enjoy the Cuyahoga

I stepped out of my kayak into thigh-deep, rushing water and couldn't help but smile.

The kayak was a loaner from Kent State's Crooked River Adventures. The river was the Cuyahoga. And my Patch friends and I had accidentally paddled past the take-out point at Brust Park for our trip from Kent to Munroe Falls.

Despite the shallow river, the current was too much for us to paddle against, and we all had to get out of our boats. Still, we were all smiling.

If you haven't taken a trip with Crooked River Adventures, now's the time. Green, lush scenery crowds the wide river's banks on the 4.5-mile trip south from along Middlebury Road and on to Munroe Falls.

I've enjoyed the trip offered by Camp Hi Canoe Livery in Hiram on the upper Cuyahoga many times, but this past weekend was the first time I took the trip south from Kent. Unlike the upper river trip, there are fewer turns, the water is shallower and the river is much wider. You encounter fewer residential properties — and possibly more blue herons — and are largely isolated during the trip, except as you follow the city's hike and bike path early on along . You will see quite a few planes take off from the .

Crooked River Adventures, , has already had as many visitors this year as it did all of last year — more than 2,300 canoe and kayak trips.

The livery offers two different trips scheduled several times a day on Saturday and Sunday. Reservations are available for weekday trips. And they offer either canoes or kayaks and teach you the basics to handle both.

Our trip, the shorter trip, can be finished in less than two hours. I'm told the extra two miles to Water Works Park in Cuyahoga Falls is worth it.

This year there's been where people found themselves in trouble in the river. Most of those took place earlier this year when the water level was higher and the current much faster.

Still, even in the summer months, the river is an awesome thing to behold — and respect. Even at low-water, I found the current was tough to walk against in knee-high water. So if you want a safe way to experience the beauty of the river, check out Crooked River Adventures and take an adventure of your own on the Cuyahoga.