For years I have wondered why I don’t see more boats on The Wabash River. In fact, I have never seen a kayak on the river. Last week, I asked a co-worker what they did over the weekend and she said “We kayaked The Wabash”. After 20 questions, or more, I was ready to try it out this weekend with my wife.
We decided to go from Tapawingo Park in West Lafayette to Fort Ouiatenon. According to my research, about a 2 to 3 hour trip.
First thing we had to do was get a vehicle to The Fort and then backtrack to Tapawingo. If you want to float a river, you do need a vehicle at each end.
I was a little worried about the current. My wife and I had always kayaked on local lakes like Bicentennial Park and Fairfield Lakes. We put in our kayaks and the current was, nothing really. I am sure after a storm it could pick up but it felt like we were just floating on a long lake.
The first part had a lot of traffic noise, but it was cool seeing the pedestrian bridge from a totally different angle. A couple on the bridge waved at us. After we got away from town, it gets very quiet and scenic. We tried, unsuccessfully to get a picture of a bald eagle. Every time we got close, he or she would take off and fly further down the river.
I can say it was a very easy float. We did have to watch out for some logs and a few low spots. It took us 1 hour and 50 minutes to get to the fort.
If you are new to kayaking, I would not tackle the river or any river first. Go out to a lake, learn the kayak and when you are comfortable, give it a shot. Our next adventure, Davis Ferry Bridge to the the fort.
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