Dam 3 in Beverly to Dam 2 in Lowell

Muskingham River

September 2019

Dam 3 in Lowell to Dam 2 in Devola

PLEASE NOTE: This is a large, nearly 9 mile pool with only 1 public put-in at the lock and dam in Lowell. For safety reasons as a solo paddler I generally like to put in at the furtheest downriver point and then paddle upriver and back again. Yet, so far I've found that the access points on the Muskingham lie all the way upstream - you have to paddle down and then up. That's the case here and in at least the next 3 upriver pools. Please be aware of the current and make your own judgement as to how much of this section you want to paddle. I try to come in the summer or early fall when the water is tranquil in order to paddle the whole pool.

Both Lowell and Devola are the sites of absolutely beautiful old lock and dams! It's a pleasure to put in from either place, but today I put in from Lowell. After talking with the lock master and getting his OK, I walked my boat and gear over the lock wall and then down the bank of the little island that's out here. You might not recognize it as such, but there is a little island here - Buell Island. It looks like it's man-made by the canal which channels water through the lock. Here are some scenes...

Once on the water I saw that the dam was just in view upriver so I decided to go ahead and paddle up there instead of doing it later. Below is the scene from the water once I put in. You can see the dam upriver along with a boat, the William Marshall, assisting with some work being done on the bridge... I think the views are incredible here!

...and below are some scenes from the dam. There are some really nice areas to beach here amid a couple little islands, although they're usually soiled by geese. One thing I noticed is that as I paddled up the chute on the far left side of the photo below I noticed a large, round millstone just under the water near the dam.

On down the river... This is a really nice, peaceful section and there's beautiful farmland all around you for most of it even if you can't completely see it up on the bank. This is one of those sections that if you've got some heavy things to sort out it can be a very contemplative place from which to do so. That's how I started out kayaking and hiking. I had issues that couldn't be resolved and that created an enormous amount of energy that somehow needed to be expended. Only taking long trips did so for me.

About a mile downstream from the lock wall you'll make a left curve which will be followed by a long, 5 mile right curve which roughly takes the shape of your right ear. This entire area is all wonderful farmland which is overall quite peaceful despite the fact that Ohio Route 60 runs alongside you almost all the way. Two streams come in about 2 miles down, one on either side - Bear Creek and another unnamed stream. Neither were navigable. Bear Creek is below...

The next miles pass slowly as you merge into your environment. There are a few points where people have set up river access, and a couple of these include old ramps. Do I get bored when I paddle? I'd say no. I'm an exercise/documentumentary paddler. I enjoy the physical activity, but I also enjoy experiencing the things that the Lord has especially invited me to see. You see, sometimes I wonder what my purpose in life could possibly be. I don't have a family as most others do and I don't have a vocation. It makes me wonder whether the Lord might have created people like me whose sole purpose is to appreciate his landscapes. So much goes unnoticed by those who have more to do than I. Perhaps that's why I've been given such a simple life. I sure hope documenting experiences like this will be helpful to someone.

As for the exercize aspect, I love the paddling motion itself. When you paddle you're using the largest muscles in your body to propel you, yet it's a beautifully smooth display of power. You know the feeling that comes to you when you see a pushboat pushing barges on a larger river? It's similar to that. The peaceful, smooth progress of the vessel belies the power that is being exerted to propel it. Honestly, when I see cars passing me on the roads while I'm paddling I hope to be a symbol of peace to them - and to bring them peace.

March Run comes in at the earlobe of the shape I've described, unnavigable. There was quite a bit of wood lying onshore as you can see in the photo below and it made me wonder what might have been here at one point. Route 60 is veering away from you now, leaving you in the most peaceful section of the day.

Once you finally see a left curve ahead of you you'll be nearing the dam outside of Devola, but just prior to it on your right you'll notice that Rainbow Creek enters. This stream was navigable, although I didn't get too far past a couple bridges before I met a deadfall blockage. I thought the concrete support system on the rail bridge, in particular, was interesting.

I'd say that at this point you're not quite 2 miles from the dam in Devola. There will be a long line of houses on your right side and at one of the first I saw what looked like a really nice carved wood pelican. Then, when you reach the point where a ramp comes in on your left and a riverside dock and restaurant called the Edgewater Grill is on your left, you'll want to start paddling on the left side. This is as the left curve in the river continues. Here's the thing - in the summer when the water level is low it's possible that you may not hear the rush of water going over the dam ahead of you. Paddling directly along the left side here should hopefully prevent some unexpected surprises. I eventually met the lock wall as I very slowly and cautiously paddled up.

I generally prefer putting in at a ramp myself, but as you look at the bank in the photo above, I suppose that you could put in here if it's OK with lockmaster. I'm not sure if he saw me today, but you can see he was up there somewhere - note the open door. This facility is pretty popular as it's a great fishing spot - especially on the other, downriver side. It's also an easy drive from Marietta and anyone in Devola could walk here as well. It was a this point that I headed back. Below are some perspectives. The lockmaster was gone at my origin when I got back. I think they get off at 5.

...and I've just got to show one more perspective of the lock...

DIRECTIONS:

Type "Lowell Lock #3 Park" into an online mapping system such as Google Maps and you can get directions from whereever you are. Once there, I'd walk over and check in with the lockmaster to make sure it's OK to put in. Better yet, here is the Ohio DNR website if you want to call ahead. There's a "Locks" tab in the middle of the linked page that if you click it it will show you the contact phone numbers for all the locks as well as this one.