200 years in the past Three Rivers Level was one of the occurring spots in Central NY. Right here the Oneida and Seneca Rivers kind the Oswego river and movement north to Lake Ontario.
It was a distinguished assembly spot for Native Individuals and when the colonists arrived they made camp on the similar location. An inn was quickly erected and commerce on the rivers expanded with salt mining operations on Cayuga and Seneca. The height of Three Rivers Level rose and fell with the Erie Canal, and lately it’s a quaint park within the city of Clay.
The shores of Three River Level Park had been lined with fisherman on a heat summer season Saturday in mid-August.
Farah and I pulled into the park and made our strategy to the far finish of the lot to park proper subsequent to the water. Lower than 50 toes of grass separated us from the blending of the three rivers.
We arrange the kayaks, grabbed our provides and made our strategy to a minimize in financial institution on the southern finish of the shoreline. Right here a shallow footpath led to about 15 toes of mellow shoreline excellent for launch paddle craft. We had been off, however had been confronted with a tricky choice: Which river ought to we journey?
With none analysis or background information we selected to go north on the Oswego River. There’s nonetheless some leisure boat site visitors on the rivers and we caught to the edges as a mixture of pontoon boats and cabin cruisers handed us. For the primary mile of the paddle I nearly forgot we had been nonetheless in suburbia.
The closely forested river was lined with cattails and lily pads and I noticed a couple of ospreys fishing overhead. The extra we traveled north the extra the wind whipped the water chopping it up. All of the extra motive to remain on the edges
Quickly a extra industrial sight stuffed our imaginative and prescient because the NY State Canal Firms headquarters got here into view on western shore. Right here a fleet of tugs and different boats lay within the dry docks, some wanting as previous because the canal itself. On the opposite facet of the river the treeline gave strategy to fantastically manicured yards and a few giant houses. We had been positively nonetheless in suburbia.
About half a mile north we discovered some reprieve from humanity. Alongside the East shore we ventured right into a small minimize out within the river that led to a pond. The water was blanketed in lily pads and a plethora of water fowl waddled alongside the banks. Maybe a remnant of the river’s former path or an end result of human involvement, the pond supplied calm waters in comparison with the river.
We had been content material to drift for a bit, eat snacks and relaxation. Feeling lower than bold this was a great flip round level and we headed south as we exited the pond.
Again on the park the banks had been nonetheless stuffed with fishermen. We returned to the spot we launched from, hauled our gear onto the grass and dried out within the solar. The park has just lately come again into the highlight. With the city of Clay quickly increasing and enormous quantities of financial growth within the space like Micron, there’s been an elevated deal with growing the waterfront.
The park positively might use a facelift and a few further amenities, however I hope they forgo main business growth. It’s cool to suppose the shoreline hasn’t modified a lot in 200 years.
