Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River is a 73.5-mile section of the Delaware River that is managed by the National Park Service. The northern boundary of the park begins at the confluence of the East and West branches of the Delaware River near Hancock, New York. The southern boundary is at the No. 2 Railroad Bridge near Sparrowbush, New York. The river forms the border of Pennsylvania and New York.

The National Park Service owns the river up to the ordinary high water mark, so under ordinary conditions the federal land is covered with water. This means that nearly all the accessible land along the river is privately owned. However, if you are paddling down the river and need to pull over to take a break, nobody is going to bother you. If you need to use the restroom, just don’t pull over in front of somebody’s house (there aren’t many houses on the river). Keep in mind that other than at boat launches, most of the shoreline is inaccessible due to vegetation and muck.

One of the few spots of accessible shoreline along the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

There are 17 public watercraft launches within the park. These are all free to use. Most of the New York launches are owned by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the Pennsylvania launches by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Some launches are for all types of boats, motorized and hand-paddled, and some are only for hand-paddled watercraft such as canoes, kayaks, and rafts. See the Watercraft Launches web page here on National Park Planner for details and photos of each boat launch.

In addition to the river, the National Park Service owns the Zane Grey Museum and the Roebling Delaware Aqueduct. Both of these historical sites are open to the public at select times of the year.

The National Park Service has also come up with six suggested hiking trails along the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. None of these are on federal property and are thus not technically part of the park, but for those unfamiliar with the area, the suggestions are most welcome.

There is no official visitor center for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, but visitors can get a park brochure at the Park Headquarters Building (outdoor brochure box) located at 274 River Road in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania, and at the Zane Grey Museum. These two locations are also where visitors can get their National Park Passport books stamped. The passport stamps are on the exterior of the buildings and are thus available outside of normal operating hours. The dates on the stamps are not changed daily, so be sure to change them yourself before stamping your passport.

Brochure box and National Park Passport stamp station at the National Park Service Headquarters for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

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