New Jersey | Warren County / Pequest River
Pequest River
NJDFW Route 46 Fish & Wildlife access to Orchard Street Bridge access
Check current paddling conditions for this Pequest River route, including water level, recent gauge trend, weather, and route details.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
The top card is the quick read. This lower section keeps the longer gauge trend, gauge context, and hourly forecast together.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
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
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A bounded lower Pequest River planning reach between two NJDEP-listed public access settings near Route 46 and Belvidere.
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.
Put-in
Route 46 Fish & Wildlife accessNJDEP identifies both Route 46 and Orchard Street Bridge as public Pequest access settings, while the coordinates come from official on/near-water NJDEP monitoring records rather than a current ramp survey; confirm waterline, carry, parking, and legal paddlecraft access.
Take-out
Orchard Street Bridge accessThe route is bounded above the Belvidere dam sequence. Do not extend downstream, use the Delaware, or substitute a fishing pull-off unless its current public landing and downstream safety are separately verified.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- NJDEP identifies both Route 46 and Orchard Street Bridge as public Pequest access settings, while the coordinates come from official on/near-water NJDEP monitoring records rather than a current ramp survey; confirm waterline, carry, parking, and legal paddlecraft access.
- The route is bounded above the Belvidere dam sequence. Do not extend downstream, use the Delaware, or substitute a fishing pull-off unless its current public landing and downstream safety are separately verified.
- Pequest WMA and trout-management areas can have seasonal restrictions, hunting/fishing conflicts, stocking activity, and carry-in/carry-out rules; check current signs and manager notices.
Watch for
- USGS 01445500 direct Pequest discharge, gage height, recent rainfall, and American Whitewater low-flow status
- low water, shallow rocks, diversion weir, strainers, cold water, rapidly rising flow, bridge traffic, and the Belvidere dam sequence
- Route 46 and Orchard Street parking/carry/waterline, WMA hours, trout restrictions, daylight, and shuttle failure
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.
Score & sources
Why this score
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
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.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Pequest River at Pequest, NJ |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | Not calibrated yet |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official data source |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | American Whitewater Pequest reach guidance and NJDEP Pequest access listing |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
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.
- Named moving-water corridorPequest River US Route 46 to Orchard Street Bridge planning reach
American Whitewater describes the Pequest as a Class I–II recreational reach with Route 46 as a common put-in and multiple public access options; this record is bounded before the Belvidere dam sequence.
- Public endpoint evidenceNJDEP Route 46 Fish & Wildlife access and Orchard Street Bridge access
NJDEP’s official trout-water access listing names both Pequest locations; it is an access inventory and requires current confirmation of paddlecraft use, parking, carry, waterline, and landing.
- On/near-water coordinate evidencePequest River at Route 46 and Pequest River at Orchard Street Water Quality Portal records
The NJDEP monitoring records provide named on/near-water anchors for the public access settings and are not silently treated as surveyed ramp coordinates.
- Direct flow evidenceUSGS 01445500 Pequest River at Pequest, NJ
Use current discharge and gage height with American Whitewater’s route-status context, local depth, recent rain, wood, diversion-weir, and Belvidere dam checks; no numeric recreational cutoff is inferred.
- Camping postureNearby basecamp only
NJDEP WMA material establishes carry-in/carry-out and day-use controls, not riverbank camping rights.
- Live gaugeUSGS 01445500, Pequest River at Pequest, NJ
Direct route-context station: use current discharge, gage height, recent rain, and visual conditions together; no numeric recreational cutoff is transferred.
- Approved route imageryRights-cleared same-river or same-water-trail context image
Approved USGS Pequest River at Pequest station image; it provides same-river context and does not certify current endpoint access, flow, wood, or dam conditions.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- American Whitewater Pequest reach
- NJDEP Pequest fishing-access listing
- NJDEP Route 46 on/near-water coordinate
- NJDEP Orchard Street on/near-water coordinate
- USGS Pequest River at Pequest
- USGS 01445500 monitoring location
- USGS 01445500 current conditions
- New Jersey public-access inventory
- Approved route image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Quick answers
Pequest River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Pequest River?
Paddle Today watches Pequest River at Pequest, NJ 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 Pequest River route start and end?
This route starts at Route 46 Fish & Wildlife access and ends at Orchard Street Bridge access, about Approximately 2.8 river miles on the water.
Is this Pequest 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.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.