It is worth getting a canoe to own or renting from companies? We are wanting to start to get into canoeing but I am a little worried about purchasing one or two then not finding places to use it. I know you can use them up near Cooks Forest but are there plenty of other campgrounds around that has areas for canoeing?

Why are you limiting yourself to campground canoeing?There are a lot of state lakes and rivers you can canoe on if you get a launch permit from the fish commission.There are different types of canoes,so talk to a dealer about how you plan to use it and do a water safety course with the kids.

Thanks for the tip sorefoot I didn't think of the water safety course for the kids. Plus would the state parks have the info for the launch permit you are talking about?

they might. easier to go to the fish&boat commission web site.

ok thank you

Raystown, otter lake, lymans run lake, kettle creek, Pinchot park, redmond lake, juniata river, lots n lots of places to canoe...i would say rent a few times to see if you want to invest in a canoe... Its what we plan to do. Almost all the state parks rent canoes. Moshanon does too.

There are alot of campgrounds/outfitters along the upper Delaware river where you can rent tubes, canoes or rafts.They will take you up river and you float back to camp.If you want to do it yourself, accesses are about 5 miles apart.Delaware River National Recreation Area web site should have more information for you.

You can get the launch permits at state park offices and many WalMarts. I think it is 10 or 12 dollars a year or 19 for a two year permit. There is a great book (I think it is called either Pennsylvania Paddling or Canoe Pennsylvania - I will get my copy tomorrow out of the camper) that gives details on the rivers in PA, the length of various runs, and what the water levels should be for your trip. If you go to the fish and boat commission website, you can get detailed maps for the water trails. I think you can order two per e-mail address per year (may be wrong on that...hubby takes care of such things!) By the way, we don't canoe (rented one once, decided it would have to be renamed the divorce boat - as we are both like to have control!) but we do kayak and have been on Pine Creek through the Grand Canyon of PA, the Youghioheny at Ohiopyle, Clarion, the Delaware, and we spend a lot of time on the Raystown Branch of the Juniata, in addition to a great deal of lake kayaking. We also kayaked and crabbed from our boats at a little state park campground in Maryland - Jane's Island.
I would suggest renting some different ones before buying (or find an outfitter to rent from - Fat Jimmy's in Bedford,PA will deduct the cost of rental if you purchase from them - that is how we tested out our latest kayaks we bought) If you decide to purchase one, you want one you can be comfortable and steady in! Enjoy!