Paddle TodayFind the best paddle near you today
RequestRequest

Live score, water level, and weather.

See all 6 routes on Delaware River

New York | Delaware County / Hancock and Lordville

Delaware River

Hancock NYSDEC access to Lordville NYSDEC access

Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.

Route location

Loading the route coverage map.

Open access map
DistanceApproximately 9 river miles between the NPS Hancock and Lordville public accesses
DifficultyModerate
Typical timeAbout 4.5 hours at the NPS planning speed of 2 mph
ShuttleCar shuttle
The Delaware River at the USGS Callicoon monitoring station, used as same-river proxy context for the Hancock-to-Lordville route in New York.
Route photoUpper Delaware River at Callicoon; Hancock-to-Lordville proxy-gauge contextPhoto by U.S. Geological Survey

Need to know

Why this call
This route is documented for planning, but does not receive a Paddle Today score.
View Primary Source

Route alerts

Email me when this route improves

We'll email you when this route climbs into Good or Strong. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.

We only email on a new threshold crossing.

Conditions

Gauge history and hourly forecast

Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.

Gauge detail

Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view

Gauge

Recent trend

Checking preferred range.

Checking trend.

------------

Weather

Hourly forecast

Checking weather.

Loading today's forecast.

Next 8 hours

Short-route forecast

Checking the next several hours.

Checking the best short-route window.
----Loading--

Route overview

Quick facts and what's next

Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.

Quick facts

On-water distanceApproximately 9 river miles between the NPS Hancock and Lordville public accessesHancock NYSDEC access to Lordville NYSDEC access
DifficultymoderateThe NPS describes mild rapids and quiet pools, but current, cold water, strainers, changing channels, wakes, limited cell service, and the need to reach a small hand-launch exit make this more than a flatwater park paddle.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage the vehicle at Lordville, then drive to Hancock. Confirm both small access lots, hand carries, seasonal road conditions, and parking signs; keep the shuttle clear of private drives and bridge approaches.
PermitsCheck posted rulesFollow current NPS, NYSDEC, boating, PFD, parking, access, and posted rules. Launch and retrieve only at the designated public accesses; no route-specific paddling permit is identified.
CampingOptions nearbyNPS says shoreline camping is generally not permitted because most river-valley land is private. Use Hancock/Lordville lodging or a managed campground as a nearby basecamp; no endpoint camping is claimed.
SeasonMay-OctMay through October is the practical planning window; late fall through spring increases cold-water and low-daylight consequences, while every season remains subject to current, weather, debris, and access checks.

Plan ahead

Upcoming outlook

These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.

TomorrowChecking

Waiting on forecast.

WeekendChecking

Waiting on forecast.

Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

A planning-only Upper Delaware access-to-access section from the public Hancock NYSDEC hand launch to the Lordville NYSDEC hand launch. The NPS publishes the public canoe/kayak access rule, the approximately 9-mile Hancock-to-Lordville distance, direct safety guidance, and both endpoint access systems. This shorter section makes the northern part of the existing Upper Delaware corridor separately discoverable without implying private-bank access or a one-day commitment.

DirectionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Prepare this trip

Take the plan with you

Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.

Download GPXAdd to calendar

Start

Put-in

Hancock River Access / 1070 La Barre Street
Open map

Hancock is hand-launch-only public access; confirm the current carry, dirt-lot condition, seasonal restroom, and exact river entry.

Finish

Take-out

Lordville NYSDEC hand launch
Open map

Lordville is a public hand launch with limited parking and no trailer ramp. Confirm the landing, bank footing, parking, and current signs before relying on it as the finish.

Plan this segment

Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.

Access caveats and watch for

Access caveats

  • Hancock is hand-launch-only public access; confirm the current carry, dirt-lot condition, seasonal restroom, and exact river entry.
  • Lordville is a public hand launch with limited parking and no trailer ramp. Confirm the landing, bank footing, parking, and current signs before relying on it as the finish.
  • Navigable water does not create a right to land, scout, or camp on private banks. Use only the named public access system.

Watch for

  • USGS 01427510 unavailable, rapidly rising, or inconsistent with upstream conditions; it is a downstream proxy here
  • current, cold water, low-water gravel, strainers, sweepers, eel weirs, bridge and wake exposure, thunderstorms, and limited cell coverage
  • Hancock and Lordville lot/carry/water-entry status, seasonal restroom, private-bank signs, and the daylight margin for the small Lordville landing

Route gallery

See this route on the water

Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.

The Delaware River at the USGS Callicoon monitoring station, used as same-river proxy context for the Hancock-to-Lordville route in New York.
Upper Delaware River at Callicoon; Hancock-to-Lordville proxy-gauge contextPhoto by U.S. Geological Survey
USGS public domain; clearly labeled proxy-gauge context

Score & sources

Data and sources

See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.

Read quality
Checking live inputs.

Pulling the latest gauge and weather. Usually under 10 seconds.

Gauge inputChecking

Waiting on the gauge read.

Weather inputChecking

Waiting on weather.

Next stepChecking

Waiting on enough data to give the next step.

Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking

Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.

Why
  • Checking evidence-strength notes.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing

These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.

Gauge siteDelaware River at Callicoon, NY
Gauge heightChecking
DischargeChecking
24h trendChecking
24h changeChecking
Current bandChecking
Rain last 24hChecking
Rain last 72hChecking
Air tempChecking
Water tempChecking
WindChecking
GustsChecking
Rain timingChecking
Ideal rangeNeeds paddler reports
Known low-water floorNot calibrated yet
High thresholdNot calibrated yet
Evidence strength behind the rangeOfficial and local sources
Gauge observedChecking
Paddle Today updatedChecking
Main source behind this scoreNo segment-specific runnable band published; use the downstream same-river Callicoon gauge as clearly labeled trend context, plus NPS height/PFD guidance, upstream weather, current, debris, and visual checks
Gauge sourceChecking
Weather sourceChecking
Rainfall sourceChecking
NotesWhat to know before you go

These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.

  • Public endpoint chainHancock and Lordville are designated public NYSDEC canoe/kayak accesses

    NPS and NYSDEC identify both endpoint access systems and restrict hand launching to the public access sites.

    Source

  • Named section distanceApproximately 9 paddling miles Hancock to Lordville

    The NPS paddling-distance table publishes the access-to-access distance and a 2 mph planning speed.

    Source

  • Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 01427510 Delaware River at Callicoon, NY

    NPS identifies Callicoon telemetry for the upstream Upper Delaware; for this shorter upper section it is retained as downstream trend context, not a local cutoff.

    Source

  • Route-specific safetyPFD, cold-water, strainers, wakes, eel-weir, weather, and changing-condition controls

    NPS publishes the height-based PFD posture and Upper Delaware river-safety warnings.

    Source

  • Camping postureNearby lodging or managed campground only; no general shoreline camping

    NPS identifies private river-valley land and limited permitted camping rather than open shoreline camping.

    Source

  • Approved route imageUSGS Callicoon Delaware River station context photo

    The public-domain same-river image is clearly labeled as proxy-gauge context and does not certify this exact reach or current conditions.

    Source

  • Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 01427510, Delaware River at Callicoon, NY

    USGS 01427510 is a downstream same-river proxy at Callicoon for this Hancock-to-Lordville section. Use it with upstream weather and visual checks; it cannot show local strainers, wakes, water temperature, access closures, or landing conditions.

    Source

  • Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch

    National Park Service / NYSDEC / USGS and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.

    Source

  • Image decisionApproved watershed/proxy-gauge context image used for route presentation

    The image is clearly labeled as watershed/proxy-gauge context and does not claim to depict this exact reach.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.

Reports

Paddler reports

See recent photos and notes from people on the route.

Share your trip

Help build the route page

Add photos or send a quick condition report.

Photos

Upload route photos

Add access, hazard, or on-water photos.

No files selected yet.

Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.

More in New York

All 296 routes
New York route guideBrowse every tracked New York route.Delaware County / Hancock and LordvilleJump to routes in this region.

More on Delaware River

All 6
Balls Eddy PFBC access to Hancock NYSDEC accessDelaware County / Hancock and Upper DelawareModerate · Approximately 5 planning miles from Balls Eddy through the West Branch confluence to HancockCallicoon NY DEC access to Narrowsburg DEC River Access / De Mauro LaneSullivan County / Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational RiverModerate · About 14 river miles by the NPS access-distance table (CanWePaddle listing says 9 miles)Hancock River Access to Callicoon NY DEC accessDelaware and Sullivan Counties / Hancock, Lordville, Long Eddy, and CallicoonModerate · Approximately 27 river miles between the NPS Hancock and Callicoon access areasLordville NYSDEC access to Long Eddy NYSDEC accessDelaware County / Lordville and Long EddyModerate · Approximately 9.5 river miles between the NPS Lordville and Long Eddy public accesses

Nearby routes by distance

East Branch Delaware RiverFish's Eddy DEC hand launch to Cadosia DEC hand launch / Hancock East–West Branch forks · about 5 mi awayEasy · 9 river miles to the Hancock forks; use the Cadosia DEC hand launch as the verified public take-out unless the final junction landing is separately confirmedWest Branch Delaware RiverHale Eddy, New York to Balls Eddy, Pennsylvania access · about 7 mi awayEasy · 6 river milesWest Branch Delaware RiverDeposit Airport Road hand launch to Hale Eddy NYSDEC hand launch · about 11 mi awayModerate · Approximately 3.9 river miles from the Airport Road upstream access to Hale EddyBeaver KillCooks Falls access on Old Route 17 to Peakville bridge · about 15 mi awayModerate · 4 river miles

Quick answers

Delaware River paddling FAQ

What water level is good for paddling Delaware River?

Paddle Today watches Delaware River at Callicoon, NY and uses Not calibrated yet as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.

Where does this Delaware River route start and end?

This route starts at Hancock River Access / 1070 La Barre Street and ends at Lordville NYSDEC hand launch, about Approximately 9 river miles between the NPS Hancock and Lordville public accesses on the water.

Is this Delaware River route good for beginners?

This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.

Flag a change

See something outdated?

Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.

Report a changeEmail update