MAKING A SPLASH!
Marsh Creek Lake offers an easy escape on the water
When Kendall Milam, 24, was in her youth, she swam on the swim team for many years and later, when in high school, she started lifeguarding.
Her comfort on the water, combined with a love of the outdoors, led her to a camp counselor position at Marsh Creek Watersports & Boat Rental located at Marsh Creek State Park, Chester County, about two miles west of the village of Eagle.
“It was a combination of what I love — being on the water and active with kids and my colleagues doing something we all have in common,” she said. “It’s also loving the outdoors and passing that onto the kids.”
Milam said that a child’s experience at camp can be directly impacted by a counselor’s outlook.
“If the camp counselors are having a great time, the kids are going to feed into that and love it just as much,” she said.
After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., a few years ago, Milam returned to Marsh Creek Water Sports & Boat Rental to become a manager and communications director. It is gearing up for its camp season this year in addition to offering boat rentals, night kayaking tours and SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) yoga classes.
At their summer camp for children ages 6 to 13, they do paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing and games. Parents sign their children up for weekly sessions that are held on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday of each week.
“It’s to instill a love of the water and teach them skills,” Milam said. “A lot of kids come in with potentially no experience at all and by the end of camp they are really comfortable.”
Physically active in the fresh air
Some of their campers attend for multiple weeks out of the summer. Regardless of one or several weeks, the camp offers children an opportunity to be physically active while they are in the fresh air outdoors.
“As technology has become such a big part of our lives, there might be kids who prefer to play video games when they start out, but by the end of the week they are super pumped to be here,” Milam said.
Campers also have the opportunity to make new friends.
“It is so sweet to see them get to know each other and have that experience,” she said.
Sailing is one sport in particular that is new to many campers.
“We have three different types of sailboats and the counselors teach them the ropes,” she said, adding they are Sunfish, daysailers and Hobie Cats. “They get to learn how to safely learn to do something like that.”
Increase comfort level on the water
Milam said that chipping in with the ropes enables children to increase their comfort level and get them more passionate about being in the water for years to come. But children aren’t the only ones who can have fun on the lake. Adults can rent paddle boards, kayaks (singles and doubles), electric motor boats and sailboats.
While boat rentals are in the east launch area, the west launch area is ideal for boat owners, mountain bikers and families looking to take a hike on their trails.
“We recommend the yellow trail for mountain bikers in the west launch area,” said Kim Bischof, assistant park manager at Marsh Creek State Park. “For a family hiking, I would recommend taking the white trail to the dam and back — it’s about 1.5 miles there and 1.5 miles back. There is a trail that will take you back a different way, next to the horse fields instead of by the lake.”
If you are heading to the boat rental area at the east launch area, sometimes the lot can get full and it can be challenging to find a spot, so Bischof offered a recommendation.
“If folks carpool it is a way to help us be able to manage parking in the area,” she said, adding that things at the Park really start to pick up two weeks before Memorial Day.
“We become one of the most heavily visited parks in the state,” Bischof said. “We have over one million visitors every year — the majority of those being between Memorial Day and Labor Day.”
When you visit, Marsh Creek Water Sports & Boat Rental has a concession stand, but you can also pack a lunch, bring a blanket or beach chair and enjoy a picnic by the gorgeous 535-acre lake that is a hidden gem for the whole family to enjoy. While the park is open from sunset to sunrise 365 days a year, Marsh Creek Watersports offers a different perspective of the lake after sunset through their night kayaking tour.
“Those are typically once a month and in the hotter months we do it twice a month,” Milam said. “I’m leading our first one and I’m excited.”
Night kayak tours
Held on Fridays, they typically schedule the night kayak tours on an evening when there is a full moon or new moon.
“A full moon gives the lake that magical glow and the new moon means it’s pitch black, so it’s a whole, different, eerie experience of being there as the sun sets and you see the moon rise over the trees,” she said, adding the tour starts 30 minutes before sunset.
The guides accompanying participants have lights on their kayaks to help with navigation on the lake. If you prefer a daytime activity on the water, their one-hour SUP yoga classes take place on Sunday mornings during the months of May and September and Wednesday and Sunday
mornings during the hotter months of June, July and August.
“Beginners are more than welcome,” Milam said. “It sounds daunting, but our instructors are amazing and they really take the time to make sure all are comfortable. It’s a really fun way to be in the water and active.”
Tucked away behind the concession stand near the boat dock is Marsh Creek Watersports’ retail store that offers some handy items that can come in handy for enjoying your time at the lake.
“We have retail water sports equipment like kayaks and paddleboards — we have sunglasses, sunscreen, dry bags, kayak paddles, water bottles, T-shirts, life jackets — all kinds of stuff,” Milam said.
If renting a boat, experience is required to get a sailboat.
“If you say you’re a confident sailor, we will take your word for it and you can go out and have a good time,” she said.
If you don’t have sailing experience, they would steer you to a kayak, paddleboard or electric boat.
“With kayaks, you don’t have to have any real on-the-water-experience in general, “she said. “We like to get those people comfortable on the water and have a really good time.”
More intimate experience on the lake
If you’re looking for a workout, Milam recommends paddle boarding.
“Out of our rentals, the most physical exertion is required for that,” she said. “You are closer to the water and will have a more intimate experience on the lake and will probably get a little wet.”
Through their offering of so many ways to have fun on the lake, Milam discussed the multiple benefits and importance of spending time outdoors.
“It has a direct and positive impact on your physical and mental health,” she said. “If someone has never done water activities, we want this to be the place where they have their first experience.”
Milam added that a positive experience can kickstart a person’s journey or passion for being outdoors or on the water.
“We love those kinds of stories of customers telling us they tried something for the first time and had a great time,” Milam said. “It is very heartwarming to see those people have those experiences with their friends and family.”
Marsh Creek Water Sports & Boat Rental is located in the east launch area of Marsh Creek State Park, 675 Park Road in Chester County. Space is still available for their summer camp for children ages 6 to 13.
For more information, visit Facebook: @MarshCreek, Instagram: @MarshCreekWaterSports or online at www.marshcreeklake.com