Armstrong County to present Gateway Clipper tours on Allegheny River in October

After the Gateway Clipper fall foliage tours sold out quickly last year, Armstrong County is back at it, offering another three tours throughout the day of Oct. 1.

Before last year’s cruises, the Clipper fleet hadn’t offered tours in the county waters for five years.

This year, organizers aren’t billing the cruises as a fall foliage tour.

Last year, Mother Nature delivered prime autumn leaf-peeping about three weeks late, well after the cruise on Oct. 9, 2021.

Fall colors or not, the Armstrong County portion of the Allegheny River is flanked by lush undeveloped tracts of land.

“With this cruise, people can expect to see parts of the river that are inaccessible unless you are on a boat,” said Cheyenne Filous, director of Experience Armstrong, the county’s official tourism agency. “The cruises provide different perspectives of the area and capture what makes Armstrong County special.”

Like last year, three cruises will be offered. This year, it’s a breakfast cruise, sightseeing cruise and dinner cruise.

The Gateway Clipper will launch from Freeport. Last year, because of logistical issues, the tour moved its launch from Kittanning to Freeport.

Filous and Freeport officials are working to highlight the businesses and activities in the borough on tour day.

A shuttle service will be available throughout the day for patrons to easily park and tour the borough before or after boarding, Filous said.

The public can make reservations for the Clipper tour in early summer. Details, still in the works, will be available on the county’s tourism website, armstrongcounty.com, or the Experience Armstrong Facebook page.

Last year, ticket prices were $30 for the day cruises and $75 for the dinner cruise.