Pittsburghers don't have to travel to West Virginia to find a wild and wonderful experience.

The pristine Kiskiminetas River, which separates Westmoreland County from Armstrong and Indiana counties, has beautiful stretches of calm waters, serene valleys and wooded hills.

The Kiski River begins in Saltsburg, Indiana County, about 35 miles northeast of Downtown Pittsburgh. It is formed by the confluence of the Conemaugh River and Loyalhanna Creek.

It borders several small Westmoreland County towns, including Vandergrift, and flows into the Allegheny River near Freeport.

The Kiski is only about 3 feet deep in many areas, so it is free of motorboats. And that makes it a fun retreat for a slow, lazy paddle adventure on a hot afternoon.

Eric Sutliff is owner of the Saltsburg River & Trail in Indiana County, a boat rental business on the river.

"It's not unusual to have a couple hundred people on the river during the weekends," he said. "And business has been great this summer."

Mr. Sutliff is proud of his vision 10 years ago to develop a business that would honor and preserve the wilderness legacy of the river.

"This is kind of a Huck Finn area," he said, "with rope swings, fishing and wildlife all around, like eagles and osprey."

Ten years ago, he and his wife were often the only people venturing out onto the river.

During this hot summer, he has had a hard time keeping up with the demand for his boats.

He has two vans that run all day, taking people to various start and end points on the river.

The shop has 60 to 100 kayaks and canoes to accommodate families, couples and groups.

Boaters have several different trips from which to select -- from a short, one-hour family paddle with young children to a more demanding all-day trip.

One of the shop's most popular trips for novices is the 7-mile paddle from the Conemaugh Dam downriver to Saltsburg, which is a scenic area. That takes about 21/2 hours. A trip downstream from Saltsburg to the Roaring Run area near Apollo is another pristine region that is a four-hour trip.

More experienced boaters are offered an adventure trip beginning in the upper elevations of Chestnut Ridge in the Laurel Highlands, with boaters passing through the gorge of Pack Saddle Gap.

Those looking to learn a little more about wildlife and plants can take a self-guided water trail on Loyalhanna Lake. Boaters receive a brochure that explains many of the features along the mile-long trail, and are guided to various trail markers. Signs detail the river's geography and history, and local plants and wildlife.

Group trips, with more than 10 people, are very popular, too.

"We are on Carnegie Mellon University's list of things for incoming freshmen to do on weekends, so we get a lot of students then," Mr. Sutliff said.

The website www.rivtrail.com boasts that the store will customize trips, too. A group, for instance, could paddle five miles and get out for dinner and drinks. Or a family could plan a picnic lunch.

River's Edge Canoe & Kayak Adventures, outside Leechburg, Armstrong County, is another popular Kiski River destination. Its website is www.the-rivers-edge.com.

"We've had people come here from 36 states and 10 countries," said owner Neill Andritz.

One of the most popular river runs is an 8-mile section from the Roaring Run watershed near Apollo downstream to his business site.

"We just had a couple from Ohio on their honeymoon, and they were in their 80s," Mr. Andritz said. "They stayed in Vandergrift and went to the Armstrong County Folk Festival in Kittanning."

He attributes his wide-ranging customers to the Internet and to advertising by the Armstrong County Tourist Bureau.

River's Edge opened four years ago, with 800 people. This year, Mr. Andritz is hoping to hit 3,000 customers. The business won't close until Nov. 1, and the fall foliage season, which peaks in October, is a popular draw.

Mr. Andritz has 32 canoes and 35 kayaks, and most are out on the weekends, he said. Most of his customers are families, out for a fun recreational day.

The newest boat rental business on the Kiski is NorthWest Kayak and Canoe Rentals (www.northwestkayakandcanoe.com). It is a family-owned business in Bell, run by Bill and Judy Barker and their children.

This is the third year at their location not far from Avonmore. This year, they have expanded to a second site at nearby Keystone State Park. They have bait for fishermen, as well.

Weekend rental prices at the three sites for single kayaks are about $35 for four hours or more. Canoes, which can hold several people, go for $42 to $55 a day. Rates are cheaper for weekdays and for groups of at least 10.

For those with their own boats, there are several public docking areas along the river, including one recently installed by the Roaring Run Watershed Association, near the parking lot for its trail near Apollo.

The Kiski River has not always been a welcoming waterway. It has made a dramatic comeback over the past 30 years, after being polluted with mine acid drainage from abandoned coal mines.

But thanks to several major cleanup projects, spurred by local environmentalists and watershed groups, the water is clear, and many fish species have returned. That led to the state declaring the Kiski and Conemaugh as rivers of the year in 2000.

The StrongLand Chamber of Commerce, covering the Kiski Valley region, has sponsored an annual spring river sojourn of boaters for the past 13 years to promote the Kiski's recreational potential. Boaters begin in Apollo and make an all-day trek to Freeport, stopping for lunch or dinner at area restaurants and historical sites.

There also are several rails-to-trails in the Apollo and Saltsburg areas that visitors can use to take a bike ride or hike.

"It feels farther away [from the city] than it is," said Mr. Sutliff. "We're only 20 or 30 miles from Pittsburgh, a one-hour drive for most people. But it's a refuge."

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