When Creeks are Low – Paddle the Mon!

Thanks to a growing appreciation of Greene County’s great outdoors, kayaking and canoeing have become the next best thing since sliced salt rising bread. Just ask any paddler who has hit the spring waters of Dunkard Creek near Mt. Morris, then stopped by Rising Creek Bakery for a sandwich with all the fixings and a loaf of that historic frontier bread to take home.

Greene County’s big creeks can be a happy challenge when winter ends and high waters fill the valleys. Kayak launch sites on Ten Mile and Dunkard creeks have made them safe and accessible to the growing number of paddlers who claim these waters as their own. From early April through June and sometimes even into July if it’s a rainy summer, there are stretches of the county’s big creeks waiting for adventure.

But when summer brings dry weather, it’s the mighty Monongahela that calls to paddlers for its increasingly pristine waters that flow south to north, from Morgantown WV to Pittsburgh.

With the efforts of a group of intrepid volunteers, Greene County’s only canoe/kayak launch on the Mon has been restored and strengthened in Greensboro. Its name – Potters’ Landing – is a nod to the pottery that once made this old river town famous.

The original wheelchair accessible launch was dedicated in 2015 and became the prototype for launches in Monongahela, Fredericktown and Charleroi, along with six launches in West Virginia near Morgantown. After having its pilings torn loose by floodwaters in 2018, a campaign was launched to install taller, heavier pilings driven deep into bedrock. Work finished up this fall and the launch is open for paddling up and down the river, as far as you feel like paddling!

There is a gazebo and public restrooms nearby. And a biking and walking trail along the edge of the river. Over the years, the old town of Greensboro has drawn artists as residents. Outdoor sculpture displays can be found throughout town, including a huge Greensboro pot by sculptor Jamie Rinehart jutting out of the lawn near the restored log cabin that houses a small museum. A sculpture of bridges by Steve Murdoch can be seen near the gazebo and a mural of all things Greensboro greets visitors as they enter town.

The town itself was almost lost to the river when Lock 7 was removed in 1986. The river rose 15 feet and the Army Corp of Engineers decided it needed a flood plain. The Corp began making plans in 1992 to condemn all the houses in old town, including historic ones like the old brick department store that is now River Run Books. But homeowners and the community, organized as the Nathanael Greene Historical Foundation, went to court to prevent this. In the end, six historic buildings were raised up, restored and returned to the borough. Now restructured as Nathanael Greene Community Development Corporation, the nonprofit continues to promote the history of Greensboro and funds walking trails, community improvement projects, events and “learning” festivals. Art Blast on the Mon, held during Labor Day weekend, celebrates hands on art, local musicians, heritage exhibits and of course, delicious regional food.

Trip Planning

• Learn more from the locals that kayak our waters with Kayak Greene County.
• GPS Coordinates to Potters’ Landing in Greensboro PA: 39°47’35.7″N 79°54’35.9″W

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