Antietam Creek Canoe

My wife and I recently used Antietam Creek Canoe to set shuttle for us on Antietam Creek. We have our own equipment, so we didn’t need any rentals, but the canoes and kayaks that they do have for rent are very well maintained. Greg, the owner, met us at ACC’s campus at Devil’s Backbone, showed us where we could stow our boats and equipment, and then caravaned with us down to the Potomac river take-​out where we left our vehicle while we jumped in his truck for the ride back. He’s very personable, has some fantastic stories from the past 15 years of running his livery service (make sure to ask him about the various groups he’s run down the creek!) and offered some sagely advice about which rapids and bridges needed scouting and where the best places were to eat lunch. He then dropped us off at the ACC campus so we could get underway and provided us with a river map and some trash bags as «just in case» measures if we capsized and needed something to keep the wind off of us until we dried out. As he said «If you don’t wind up needing them for that, you can always put trash in ‘em!» All in all, one of the better shuttle experiences we’ve had and I’m positive he’d be a great person to rent from or have guide you down river.
Outstanding service overall, but here’s the kicker! He took the time to run our shuttle the morning of his 70^th birthday party. I don’t know many people in this world that would go out of their way to set shuttle for two strangers at 10AM when they had their own birthday party to go to and hour’s drive away not much later. We’ll definitely be using ACC again!

**This is stop 4 on my list «Road Trips Around DC: Canoeing and Civil War History in MD”**
This company is wonderful! They essentially work with you to figure out if kayaking or canoeing is better (mostly dictated by water level that day), teach you pointers before you get in the water, and even give you a map and a zip lock bag for valuables before sending you on your merry way down the river…
You show up at their address at Devil’s backbone (about 15 minute drive from Antietam Battlefield and Inn at Antietam, both also part of my list) and it’s a residence with a big garage. It seems deceiving until you notice all the kayaks and canoes laying around which are the dead giveaway.
They have a wonderful dog who may be the first to greet you and they spend time with you to make sure you are comfortable with your kayak or canoe and with the map. Life jacket and ore (s) included of course. They let you know if there are any downed trees or other obstacles and how to navigate around them which is clutch. It’s a national park and you’re literally canoeing through the battlefield so the river isn’t exactly maintained routinely, so pay attention to what you’re told about downed trees (lean forward, not back when going under a low hanging tree).
The run is awesome! We did the «most asked for» which is labeled as such on their website from Devil’s Backbone to Burnside Bridge (an important battlefield site) and it was about 8 miles or 4 hours. The map they give you is very detailed so you know exactly where you are and when to get out. They meet you at the end to drive you back to your car which is nice so you’re not totally on your own.
This really felt like genuine canoeing to me– not commercialized, rock and tree obstacles along the way to challenge you, and not even that many houses along the river so you really feel like you’re at one with nature. Oh, and there are lots of cows mooing to cheer you on along the way.
Arranging the trip and paying for it are super simple. just call them and they have a great sense of humor and after just a mere minute, you know they care and want you to have a great time. Their website has a ton of information so don’t be overwhelmed– just comb through it and it’s as thorough as you can get: what to bring, what not to bring, what to wear, the water level and rapid categories that you’ll see, as well as local places to stay and eat (this is how I found Inn at Antietam).
If the water is at such a height to allow you to pull over for lunch, ask them where it is best to do so. At one point, it seemed on the map that there’s a general store close to the river if someone stays behind with the gear! Again, ask them.
Go on a weekday– we were the only paddlers we saw on the whole river and we ran into only a family wading into the water. Otherwise, we were totally isolated and it was wonderful and peaceful.
Bring sunscreen. Bring a sense of adventure. The owners are super and have great stories. You’ll love it.