River guideNew Jersey
Delaware River
Compare nine New Jersey access plans below, including four guides with different rapid, dam or tidal-water commitments. Five shorter or combined choices stay here with their own launch, landing and shuttle details. All are planning only: station observations do not supply a same-day paddle score. Three older itineraries have specific review explanations instead of launchable plans.
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Choose a launch and take-out to see the map and access details. Check current access locally.
9 access plans
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Choose a Lower Delaware trip by its hazards and finish
Choose the gauge for your section of river
NJDEP directs D&R park river users around Frenchtown, Stockton and Lambertville to Riegelsville. The six corresponding plans now use USGS 01457500 as proxy context. Belvidere remains the launch-area station for the Foul Rift trip; the two Firemen’s Eddy downstream choices retain Trenton context. None provides a calibrated recreational cutoff.
Belvidere to Phillipsburg includes Foul Rift
Foul Rift is a Class II feature for experienced boaters, not a routine extension of a gentle access-to-access float. Review the rapid, equipment and rescue plan locally. NPS access markers suggest about 14–15 miles, replacing the unsupported seventeen-mile label. Belvidere telemetry is upstream launch context; finish at the NJ Phillipsburg ramp before the Lehigh confluence.
Watch for on this river
- USGS 01457500 observation time and trend as regional proxy context; no local-depth or safe-flow inference
- Current access notices, cold water, wind, wood, river traffic, daylight and shuttle arrangements
- USGS 01463500 observation time and trend as regional proxy context; no local-depth or safe-flow inference
Check your selected plan for additional hazards and restrictions.
More about access, rules and safety
Start below one wing dam and finish above the next
For Bull’s Island–Lambertville, the NJDEP map places the island river ramp below the Lumberville wing dam. Byram is above it. Use the correct river ramp and finish at Lambertville before the separate Lambertville wing dam; a start at Byram or finish at Firemen’s Eddy changes the hazard plan.
Lambertville to Firemen’s Eddy requires whitewater passage
Staying in Lambertville’s upstream pool cannot reach Firemen’s Eddy. The local paddling club describes complex whitewater below the wing-dam opening and calls for full whitewater equipment and local knowledge. Arrange a qualified local passage plan. This guide supplies neither a safe line nor a verified public portage; choose another trip if the group cannot negotiate the hazard.
Washington Crossing and Trenton are different commitments
The shorter Firemen’s Eddy option finishes at the NJ Washington Crossing access. Continuing to Trenton adds Scudders, the Falls at Trenton and tidal water. The archived water-trail map identifies that transition; arrange current rapid scouting, tide planning and a usable municipal landing. A Trenton discharge reading is not a tide prediction.
Compare the Kingwood, Fairview and Byram choices together
Kingwood–Byram combines Kingwood–Fairview and Fairview–Byram. NPS markers give 1.4 plus 5.9, or 7.3 reference miles; the former 6.1-mile label did not reconcile. Fairview is a primitive non-motorized access, with a carry and parking check distinct from Kingwood’s ramp. These remain individual choices with their own shuttles, rather than three repeated guides.
Use Lower Delaware access rules
These nine plans are outside Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Its campsite arrangements and numeric gauge-height closure bands do not govern this corridor. Check the manager of each launch. NJDEP’s park guidance lists five river launches and a Memorial Day–Labor Day permit season, with Lambertville excepted; that is not a blanket permit rule for every listed access.
Access
- This is Lower Delaware planning, outside Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Check current access notices and the manager of each launch; do not transfer Middle Delaware campsite rules or gauge-height closure bands.
- Coordinates are facility-area anchors. The NJDEP GPS inventory is dated October 2001; confirm present parking, carry, vehicle access, fees and waterline before staging.
Safety
- Wear a fitted PFD continuously and carry suitable rescue equipment, communication, spare layers and an offline plan. Current, cold water, wind, wood, bridge piers and motorboat traffic require a local check.
- Use the named New Jersey public accesses. Private banks, bridge shoulders, Pennsylvania facilities and the parallel canal are not automatic alternate landings.
- NJDEP recommends Riegelsville for the D&R Canal State Park’s Delaware River corridor around Frenchtown, Stockton and Lambertville. It is downstream of the Lehigh confluence, unlike Belvidere. This is regional river context, with no calibrated route score; hydrologic normal-flow percentiles are not paddling-safety bands.
- Trenton is downstream river-observation context. Stage is not the depth at another access and discharge is not a tide forecast. No same-day paddle score or calibrated recreational cutoff is supplied.
Rules: Check each launch manager’s current rules. NJDEP’s D&R park guidance requires river-launch permits from Memorial Day through Labor Day at its five listed launches, with Lambertville excepted. That does not establish identical terms at Frenchtown, Fairview, Belvidere, Phillipsburg or Trenton. River boating and the parallel canal have different rules.
Camping: No on-route camping is established by these access sources. Reserve lodging or a designated campground separately; ramps and private river banks do not grant camping rights.
Trips currently unavailable
We have not confirmed the access or complete itinerary for these trips. Choose an available trip above.
Kittatinny to Worthington: upstream itinerary unverified
NPS lists Worthington upstream of Kittatinny. This older trip orders the sites upstream without explaining an upstream paddling plan. It is unavailable while the intended direction, facilities and itinerary are reviewed. The old identity is preserved rather than silently changing the launch and finish.
Worthington to Poxono: upstream itinerary unverified
NPS places Poxono upstream of Worthington. Public launch listings do not establish the former upstream shuttle plan. This trip is unavailable until its intended itinerary and current facilities are verified; reversing the endpoints would be a different plan.
Byram to Bull’s Island: wing-dam passage needs review
The NJDEP map places the Lumberville wing dam between Byram and the Bull’s Island river ramp. The former advice to avoid wing dams did not explain how to complete this short trip. It is unavailable until a supported passage or lawful carry is reviewed. The two launches are not interchangeable sides of the dam.
Planning sources
Guides and maps checked . We have not inspected these trips in person. Check current access and closures before launch.
Quick answers
Delaware River paddling FAQ
Where can I paddle the Delaware River?
Paddle Today tracks 9 Delaware River routes across Delaware River / New Jersey, Warren County / Delaware River. Compare the route cards on this page, then open an individual route for put-in, take-out, distance, and access notes.
How should I check Delaware River water levels?
These planning routes have no live conditions score. Use each route’s gauge notes and source guidance, then check current waterway notices, weather, access, and local conditions before launching.
How should I choose a Delaware River trip?
Compare distance, difficulty, launch access, and shuttle needs. These routes are planning references; verify current conditions with the linked sources before choosing a trip.