For the fifth year, paddlers will complete the Ohio River Way Challenge, an extraordinary expedition in 30-foot voyager canoes from May 5-15. Open to the public, the application to join is due April 1, 2025, but we will likely be full before then. Please apply as soon as possible. If you’re interested in being a sponsor, please email forest@ohioriverway.org. Our goals for the Challenge are threefold:

To stop in river towns and connect with leaders and community members to celebrate river-based recreation and to foster new collaborations.
To raise public awareness for the beauty, history, and culture of the Ohio River.
To connect emerging student leaders to projects fostering vibrant communities and ecosystems along the Ohio River.

Each evening, our team will eat at a local eatery and camp for the night. Each morning, we will meet before dawn ready to paddle around 25 miles for up to 12 hours. We plan to waive the fees for university students and their faculty to participate. Check out these Facebook Reels reposted by the University of Kentucky’s CEDIK program.

***Are you press interested in joining the trip?***
Journalists and writers apply here.

If you have any questions, please email challenge@ohioriverway.org.