Delaware River near the Eshback Access Boat Ramp in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

ESHBACK ACCESS TO BUSHKILL ACCESS RIVER TRIP

Length: 4 miles
Water Level at Time of Trip: 5.65 feet
Average moving speed:  4 MPH with two paddlers
Top Speed:  4.7 MPH
Time: 1 hour

Starting a trip down the Delaware River from Eshback Access is better suited for those with hand-launched watercraft versus those trying to launch motorboats from a trailer. This is a dirt ramp with limited parking, whereas the Dingmans Ferry Boat Ramp one stop upriver or the Bushkill Access Boat Ramp one stop downriver are concrete ramps with large parking lots.

Eshback Access Boat Ramp in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Before starting a river trip through Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, it is a good idea to check the water levels so you are aware of the river conditions. At the northern end of the park, the USGS water level gauge at Montague (which is at Milford Beach) is the gauge used by the National Park Service to assess conditions. Levels between five and seven feet are typical and provide plenty of water for a trip down the river with conditions suitable for anyone with basic paddling skills. If the Montague gauge reads less than four feet, there may be spots on the river with very little water. Levels over seven feet require more paddling experience, and the river is closed due to extreme danger when water levels at Montague reach fifteen feet. Be aware that regardless of water levels, extreme winds can cause turbulent conditions that require advanced skills on water otherwise suited for all paddlers.

On the day of my trip, the gauge at Montague reported 5.65 feet of water, and the only other gauge within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the Water Gap gauge at the southern end of the park near Depue Island and the Worthington State Forest Campground, reported 6.12 feet. Regardless of which gauge is more pertinent to the Eshback-Bushkill section of the river, there was plenty of water. Keep in mind that the observations in my report are based on these water levels. If you do the trip when the levels are lower, you may be dragging your boat to deeper water in some places and probably won’t experience the same degree of rapids as I report (historically, water levels at Montague rarely dip below five feet). If the water levels are significantly higher, you may experience more intense rapids, and more of them.

A mile downriver from the Eshback Access Boat Ramp is a small island called Buck Bar. I went around it using the channel on the right side of the island, though if there is plenty of water in the Delaware River, I don’t think it makes much difference which way you go. When the main river splits into two narrower channels to go around an island, it typically picks up speed, but that wasn’t the case when going around Buck Bar. The water remained as calm as it had been since departing Eshback.

Delaware River flows around Buck Bar a mile south of Eshback Access, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

However, about a quarter mile after passing Buck Bar, there is a small stretch of riffles where the Delaware River makes a bend to the south (left). The current moved right along through this area, though there was nothing even beginning paddlers need to worry about. The faster water and small waves just make the trip on the otherwise calm river a little more exciting.

Small section of riffles on the Delaware River a half mile past Buck Bar, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Beyond that one run of rapids, the Delaware River remained calm and uneventful all the way to the Bushkill Access Boat Ramp.

Calm water between Eshback Access and Bushkill Access on the Delaware River in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Bushkill Access is located on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River. There is a concrete boat ramp as well as an earthen launch area for canoes, kayaks, and other hand-paddled watercraft. It makes no difference which one paddlers use. The dirt canoe launch just gives paddlers the opportunity to depart or land at Bushkill without having to compete with those using the concrete ramp to launch their motorboats from a trailer. Note that the concrete ramp comes first. The canoe launch is another hundred yards downriver.

Concrete boat ramp at Bushkill Access in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Canoe launch at Bushkill Access in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

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