Delaware River near Riegelsville, New Jersey

RIVER TRIP OVERVIEW

Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area to Riegelsville (NJ) Boat Ramp
Length: 3 miles
Water Level at Time of Trip: 4.1 to 5.2 feet
Average moving speed: 4.5 MPH with two paddlers
Top Speed: 5.8 MPH
Time: 40 minutes

This review covers a trip on the Delaware River from the Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area in Raubsville, Pennsylvania, to the Riegelsville Boat Ramp in Riegelsville, New Jersey (there is a Riegelsville, Pennsylvania, on the other side of the river). The ramp is also known as the Holland Church Access Boat Ramp.

No part of this paddling 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 this case, the municipalities of Pohatcong and Williams 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 you have an idea of the river conditions. The most relevant United States Geological Survey (USGS) water level gauges for this trip are at Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and at Riegelsville. On the day I did the trip in mid-October, the Phillipsburg gauge reported 4.1 feet of water and the Riegelsville gauge 5.2 feet. The observations in this report are based on these water levels. If you do the trip when the water 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 reported. 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 4.1 feet of water at Phillipsburg and 5.2 feet at Riegelsville that there was plenty of water on all sections of the river covered on this trip. The current was moving fast, but there were no rapids, so even beginning paddlers can take this short river trip under these conditions.

RIVER TRIP DETAILS

If launching from Theodore Roosevelt Recreation Area, which is a unit of Delaware Canal State Park, use the downriver canoe launch located on the far side of the restroom building, not the one closer to the parking lot with the stairs. Both are no cake walk to launch from, but the downriver launch does not have as steep a path down to the water as does the upriver launch.