BEAVER CREEK STATE PARK Officials consider creating a livery for canoes, kayaks

Last year, nearly 3,000 boaters launched craft from the park.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST LIVERPOOL -- More opportunities to enjoy the beauty of Little Beaver Creek are under review.
Being considered is creation of a canoe and kayak livery that would operate from Beaver Creek State Park, Jim Tillman, park manager, said Thursday.
The livery would be run as a private business. Besides renting canoes and kayaks, it also would provide shuttle service back to the park from at least one point downstream, Tillman explained.
Details of the service are being worked out. But Tillman added that the state already has approved the park's being host of the enterprise.
The livery, he continued, likely would be run as part of a retail business that already operates in the main section of the park off Echo Dell Road, selling camping supplies, crafts and refreshments.
Looking ahead: It's possible the livery could be established in time for the spring paddling season on Little Beaver, which generally runs from April through May, until water levels in the rocky stream are so low that boating on it becomes difficult.
Canoeists and kayakers also return in the fall when levels rise again.
"We're excited about the possibility" of having a livery based in the park, Tillman said.
It's been nearly a decade since any livery was operated along Little Beaver Creek, which has been recognized for the state and federal governments for its beauty.
Paddlers now must bring their own craft and arrange rides to put-in and take-out points.
Several miles south of the park, the Little Beaver empties into the Ohio River.
About 3,000 people launched canoes or kayaks in the state park last year.
The number of boaters using the creek from the park easily could double if a livery is established, Tillman said.