Lower Delaware River near Wy-Hit-Tuk Park in Pennsylvania
RIVER TRIP OVERVIEW
Easton / Phillipsburg to Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area
Length: 6 miles
Water Level at Time of Trip: 4.8 feet
Average moving speed: 4.8 MPH with two paddlers
Top Speed: 10 MPH
Time: 1.25 hour
This review covers a trip on the Delaware River from the Scott Park Boat Ramp in Easton, Pennsylvania, to Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area, a unit of Delaware Canal State Park located in Raubsville, Pennsylvania. Launch permits are required to use the boat ramps at the various units of the park from Memorial Day through Labor Day. See the Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area Canoe Launch web page here on National Park Planner for more information.
What is now Delaware Canal State Park was originally Roosevelt State Park. The name was changed in 1989. Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area is the only unit that retained a semblance of its old name. You may also see the park referred to as Delaware Canal State Park, Locks 22 and 23, which is what is on the sign at the entrance.
No part of this river trip is actually within the boundaries of the Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River. I mention this because not all sections of the river from the northern boundary south of Belvidere, New Jersey, to the southern boundary at Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, are part of the park. River sections can be excluded due to excessive shoreline development, poor water quality, or because a municipality along the river does not want to be part of the park. In order to be included, municipalities on both sides of the river must agree. In this case, Phillipsburg did not want to be part of the park while Easton did, though I doubt it would matter anyway due to the industrialized shoreline. The municipalities south of Easton and Phillipsburg, Pohatcong and Williams, also have not supported inclusion, but they haven’t voted against it either. Decisions not to be included are often based on the fact that the municipality may have to impose stricter regulations on the businesses along the river.
THE FINE PRINT
Before starting a trip down the Delaware River, always check the water levels so that you have an idea of the river conditions. The most relevant United States Geological Survey (USGS) water level gauge for this trip is at Phillipsburg, New Jersey. On the day I did the trip in mid-October, the Phillipsburg gauge reported 4.8 feet of water. The observations in my report are based on this water level. If you do the trip when the level is significantly 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 did. If the water level is significantly higher, you may experience more intense rapids, and more of them. Also be aware that regardless of water levels, extreme winds can cause turbulent conditions that require advanced skills on water otherwise suited for all paddlers.
Keep in mind that water level gauges only measure water depth at one location. The actual depth of the river varies from place to place. However, a gauge reading gives a good indication of what the water levels will be like between it and the next downriver gauge. For example, it may be recommended that for an enjoyable paddling trip that Gauge X reads at least four feet, even though you can have a good time in your kayak in as little as a foot of water, perhaps even less. However, a four-foot reading at Gauge X may mean that some areas of the river only have six inches of water. Likewise, the gauge at Washington Crossing read .15 foot at the start of the day when I did the trip at the southern end of the river and -.15 by the evening. Minus? How is that possible? Do I have to dig a well to get to the water? All I know is that there was plenty of water, and I’m not talking about just enough to get by. I’m talking about not being able to see the bottom. So .15 feet of water at Washington Crossing means there is plenty of water in that area, while .15 feet at Gauge X probably means the river is dry in that area.
So you now know the water levels are all relative to the area, and you really need to be a frequent paddler, or know someone who is, to judge when it’s going to be a good day on the river. I’m from Georgia. I went down the Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River once, so I do not know what water levels may require advanced paddling skills or may even be dangerous, or at what levels you may be scraping the bottom of the riverbed. All I can say is that with 4.8 feet of water at Phillipsburg, conditions are excellent for a paddling trip from Easton to Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area. There was plenty of water in the river and the current was moving fast. There were two runs of Class II rapids, the biggest I had come across since departing from the Martins Creek Boat Ramp near the northern boundary of the park. However, anyone with basic paddling skills should have no problems on this section of the river at the stated water levels, and it is easy to go around the rapids for those who want to avoid them.
RIVER TRIP DETAILS
I, for one, do not have a problem paddling down a river through an industrial area such as Easton and Phillipsburg as long as the entire trip is not through such environments. I enjoy seeing old buildings, bridges, and other structures. Upon departing from the Scott Park Boat Ramp, there are three railroad bridges within eyesight, not to mention a small dam on the Lehigh River just as it merges with the Delaware River.
The dam is the Easton Dam, and there have been talks of removing it for over a decade in order to restore American shad migration. It was built around 1830 to create a pool of water that could be funneled into the Lehigh Canal, and it still serves this purpose today. The canals bring in a lot of tourist money, so there is now a fight between the conservationists and the businesses and cities that make money from tourism. If the dam is removed, nearly a $20 million project itself, pump stations would then have to be installed and maintained forever in order to get water into the canal, all at additional costs.
Easton Dam at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers at Easton, Pennsylvania
Other than some turbulent water just past the dam, there is not much worth mentioning about the first three miles of the trip. While the current was swift, there were no rapids, and the river was often as calm as a lake.
Delaware River just past Easton, Pennsylvania
One point of interest on the first half of the trip is a canoe launch at Wy-Hit-Tuk Park that is located about .3 mile downriver from the I-78 Bridge, which itself is 2.25 miles from Easton. There are supposedly two launch sites for hand-paddled watercraft at the park, but I only saw one, and it is very hard to spot. There is an island just past the bridge, and the canoe launch is prior to it on the Pennsylvania (right) side of the river. There are rapids as soon as you get to the island, so if you miss the launch and end up in the rapids where the current is much stronger, you’ll have a hard time paddling back up river.
Island near the Wy-Hit-Tuk Park Canoe Launch on the Lower Delaware River
I had originally planned on exiting at Wy-Hit-Tuk Park and stopped by beforehand to check it out. I discovered that the Delaware Canal runs between the park and the river, and I never found either canoe launch. That’s why I decided to take out at Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area another three miles ahead. The first time I saw one of the Wy-Hit-Tuk Park Canoe Launches was from the river, and it is nothing but a dirt path straight down a hill. While there were two people launching kayaks when I passed by, I certainly wouldn’t want to start a trip from here.
Canoe launch on the Delaware River at Wy-Hit-Tuk Park
Just past Wy-Hit-Tuk Park is Loors Island, and this is where I came upon the first true rapids on my trip down the Lower Delaware National Wild and Scenic River. The river splits into two smaller channels to go around the island, and when this happens the current typically picks up due to a large amount of water suddenly being squeezed into a smaller space. The rapids were Class II by my estimation with waves a foot to a foot-and-a-half high. To run these rapids, stick to the Pennsylvania shore and pass the island on the right. This is the narrower of the two channels around the island. If you don’t want rapids, then pass the island on its left side.
Rapids on the Delaware River just past Wy-Hit-Tuk Park in Pennsylvania
Once past the rapids, the current was very slow. Not paddling, I was going just 1.5 MPH, whereas upriver I had gone as fast as 3 MPH without paddling. This lull lasts for roughly .75 mile until coming to a group of two more islands, the larger being Whippoorwill Island. I paddled over to the New Jersey shore and went around both islands on their left side, as this is the most direct route. The current picked up—I hit a top speed of 10 MPH—and there were even bigger rapids than before, but still nothing more than Class II. I didn’t get any photos because I had to paddle through this section to avoid some rocks and some of the larger waves, which were guaranteed to provide a soaking. Under normal circumstances, I would welcome the larger waves, but it was a cold day in mid-October when I did the trip, so avoiding getting splashed was a priority. I do want to point out that as was the case with the previous rapids, there was plenty of room to avoid them altogether.
Turbulent water on the Lower Delaware River at the downriver end of Whippoorwill Island south of Easton, Pennsylvania
There is one more island to pass before coming to Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area, Old Sow Island. It is located about .4 mile past the downriver end of Whippoorwill Island, and by the time I reached it I had paddled back over to the Pennsylvania side of the river where the park is located. The Delaware Canal runs right along the Pennsylvania shoreline, and there is a sluice halfway down Old Sow that allows excess water to empty into the river. This creates some choppy water, but nothing I would consider to be rapids.
Sluice on the Delaware Canal releases water into the Lower Delaware River near Old Sow Island
Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area is approximately three quarters of a mile from the downriver end of Old Sow Island. There are actually two launches, both involving very steep hills. The upriver launch has a flight of stairs that starts a quarter of the way up the hill. It is located next to an old building that was part of the operation of the canal and locks. I chose to get out here simply because I didn’t know about the second ramp at the time. Luckily I was the cameraman on the trip, so I made my friend carry the kayak up the steps so that I could get photos for National Park Planner.
Old building at Locks 22 and 23 on the Delaware Canal in Raubsville, Pennsylvania
Upper canoe launch at Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area in Raubsville, Pennsylvania
Exiting the Delaware River at Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area in Raubsville, Pennsylvania
The downriver launch is not quite as steep and is easier to get up and down. I ended my first day on the Delaware River here at Locks 22 and 23, and when I departed the next day from this same location, I used the downriver launch.
Downriver canoe launch on the Delaware River at Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area in Raubsville, Pennsylvania
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Last updated on February 21, 2024
