History & Adventure Along the Upper Delaware River

A view of Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct from the river

When most people hear the words “Delaware River” it conjures up an image of George Washington standing in a boat, surrounded by ice, while his troops did all the rowing. Let’s flash forward about 230 years and head upriver about 150 miles…oh yeah, and make it summertime. Here, the river cuts through a canopy of green trees, the water is cool and refreshing, and peoples’ interests lie in attacking whitewater rapids, not German mercenaries. Here the river is a place of respite and recreation.

Every summer hundreds of thousands of people flock to the Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River for boating, fishing, camping, and wildlife viewing. On any given summer day, rafts, canoes, and kayaks mingle with anglers, swimmers, and spectators on the water and around the shore. With about a half-a-dozen touring companies each with as many bases and campgrounds, about 15 public launches for privately owned boats and off-river based guiding companies, and all the private homes along the river with their own launch areas, one would think the river would be anything but tranquil. Guess again. Anyone with the will and means to make a few small sacrifices can enjoy blissful tranquility on the Delaware just about any day of the summer, even on peak holiday weekends.

Timing is usually the key. Starting a run at 9:00am almost ensures a full two hours of having the river to yourself. Start early and paddle past the crowded campgrounds still waking up from the previous night’s revelry. More times than not, the only other folks on the river this early are fishermen and park rangers. The average start times for most of the people using the commercial outfitters seem to fall between 11am and 1pm. A short 6 mile run means you will be pulling out at 11am and packing up just as the crowds begin to muster. Similarly, postponing your put-in time until after 2:00pm can often mean the crowds are 30-60 minutes ahead of you. Since kayaks and canoes are much faster than river rafts, expect to pass a few of these along the way. Unless the rafts are full of noisy partiers, once you pass them you tend to forget they are even behind you, after all, you are facing downstream.

Rachel Waters from Waymart, PA kayaks frequently on the river

Location is also another important factor. The bulk of the rapids fall between Narrowsburg and Pond Eddy. In fact the elevation change in the 26 miles from Narrowsburg to Pond Eddy is 160 feet, the bulk of it occurring in the first 10 miles. Under the right conditions a paddler at the head of a rapids section can look at another boat only a few hundred feet downstream and actually get a sense of feeling higher than the boat in front. While this area does remain wildly popular, a greater number of starting points are 12 miles south of Narrowsburg, past, what is arguably, the best section of the river.

Pick up a map from the National Park Service before your trip. A number of outfitters offer
kayaks, canoes, and rafts for rental. http://www.nps.gov/upde/planyourvisit/boatrentals.htm
If you are venturing on your own, be sure to plan accordingly and check the river
conditions on the hotline: 845-252-7100

The Ten Mile River launch is one of the best places to start a trip down river. It is an easy launch with lots of room for unloading and it is fairly calm, so getting into the water is a breeze. Additionally, directly across the river lie a small set of riffles that can be reached by paddling upstream just a little ways. This is a good place for a novice to give it a try. If you are a first-timer, try the riffles. If it proves to not be for you, paddle back to the shore and it is an easy out. If you continue downstream you will encounter more rapids, each set getting slightly more difficult until reaching the Zane Grey launch in Lackawaxen. Also along this section are some great rock formations that are perfect for a picnic, sunning, or swimming. Between the Kunkeli Rapids and the Zane Grey launch, Minisink Falls drops to the river from the left. You can explore the falls if you can park your boat and if you are willing to make the short trek up to the falls via the tunnel under the highway. 

To get up close and personal with Minisink Falls
means getting out of your boat and venturing through
a concrete conduit

Below Lackawaxen, Cedar Rapids, Stairway Rapids, and Mongaup Rapids also offer some fun. Even these rapids are definitely worth hitting, tacking them on from a launch at Ten Mile means a very long day on the water. Additionally, they are spaced a good distance apart from each other, so there are some monotonous stretches of river, especially at Pond Eddy, in this area. Likewise, the further south you go towards Matamoras, the busier the river gets. For whatever reasons, proportionally more paddlers tend to tackle the Pond Eddy to Matamoras section than they do points further north. 

No matter where you paddle, wildlife sightings are common. Mallard Ducks, Canada Geese, and Common Mergansers can be spotted with little effort. Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles are almost as common. Aquatic mammals such as Beaver, Otter, and Muskrat are less commonly seen, but no stranger to the river by any means. Similarly, non-aquatic birds such as Tanagers, Blackbirds, Waxwings, and Swallows can all be seen perching along the banks.

Mother Mallard and her ducklings. The Upper Delaware is a great location
for bird watching either in a boat or from the banks

The historians and geologists can also find plenty of things to spark their curiosity along this section of river. Rock formations carved out by eons of rushing water can be explored up and down the banks. Several waterfalls can be seen from the river here as well, most cascading down craggy cliffs from some unknown source far above the river. Old rock quarries dot the landscape. Long abandoned, only piles of rock tailings are left to tell where they once were. These quarries served to provide Bluestone a growing country from the colonial period through the 1930s. A few are still in operation today, but operate on a very large capacity within eyesight of the river. It may be a wild and scenic river now, but at one time this was a highway on industry. Rafts of felled timber floated down this river well into the mid 20^th century and along the shores canal boats hauled tons of Anthracite Coal from Scranton to the markets in New York. Remnants of the canal system can still be seen below Lackawaxen where John Roebling was commissioned to build an aqueduct to alleviate canal traffic that crossed over the river (see photo above.) Now a bridge for vehicles, Roebling’s aqueduct still stands today as the oldest suspension bridge in the country. The aqueduct was built just a few hundred yards downstream from the Minisink Ford, a natural low water section in the river, where, two-and-a-half years after Washington made his famous crossing 150 miles downstream, another lesser known figure of the Revolutionary War made his own crossing. Here, in 1779, Joseph Brant, a Mohawk, lead a mixed force of Loyalist militiamen and Iroquois warriors across the river after decisively defeating a contingent of New York militia on the hills just outside of Lackawaxen. History, it seems, is not without a sense of irony. The site of Washington’s crossing is managed by state agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. While it is a National Landmark, this designation is generally considered lesser in precedence than a National River since a landmark may be established by the Secretary of the Interior, whereas a National Scenic and Wild River can only be established by the President or Congress and is managed by the National Park Service.

Please check out these National Park Service webpages prior to your adventure. 

Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River

River Safety

Equipment & River Distances

Tusten Mountain Trail: Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River

Looking out from the Tusten Mountain vista.

Most of the Delaware River from northeast Pennsylvania border with New York to just south of the borough of Delaware Water Gap falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River covers the northern section while the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area presides over the southern part. In addition to the actual “river” the “Water Gap NRA” has an extensive collection of trails for biking, equestrian use, and hiking. The “Upper Del” is not so fortunate. The vast majority of the land abutting the river is private and hiking opportunities are scarce. There are a few areas of note for woodland ramblers to check out, one of which is the Tusten Mountain Trail.

Located about halfway between Narrowsburg, NY and Lackawaxen, PA, the Tusten Mountain Trail is a three-mile loop that offers a nice view of the valley as well as a wide array of other natural and manmade things to investigate. While not lengthy, it is definitely a moderate hike due to some steep sections as well as some rocky (and in winter, icy) terrain.

Park Service map. Note marks parking area.

The trailhead is rather easy to find. Simply park at the Ten Mile River boat launch and look for the kiosk. Maps for the trail, provided by the Park Service are generally available there. The trail is located on private land owned by the Greater New York Councils of the Boy Scouts of America and is situated within the Ten Mile River Scout Camps approximate 14,000 acres. Several scout tent sites and lean-to areas are located along the trail. Please be respectful of the property and friendly to any scouts or other hikers you may encounter. This area of the scout camp is primarily used for weekend camping by scout troops that are canoeing on the river and for hiking. Additionally some weekday encounters with scouts can be expected in summer as this area is sometimes used by older scouts on multi-day backpacking treks. The campsites are available for use by scouting units, but are not open to the general public.

The trail officially begins at the kiosk and follows the dirt road along the Ten Mile River for a short distance before coming to a stone bridge. The bridge was constructed in 1875 and is a favorite subject for artists and photographers. Immediately after crossing the bridge are some ruins. Reeve’s Mills and Tusten were former villages that used to occupy this area. Here the trail gradually begins its ascent, still following the road for about another 0.4 miles. An abandoned quarry is visible on the right side of the road in this section. Immediately across the road is an old tailings pile from the quarry. Presumably, quarried stone was loaded onto sleds or carts and taken to market; the scrap was pushed to the side and left in piles. This is one of many tailings piles and quarries that dot the entire mountain. After a little bit, the road makes a quick descent. There is a large boulder on the right side of the road and a small vehicle turn-around to the left.

Here, turn right and proceed about 100 feet to a sign-in box. After signing in, hikers can choose to proceed directly to the summit by taking the left fork on the yellow trail or opting for a longer ascent on the red trail. The yellow trail rises sharply with only two short, flat sections. It involves some scrambling near the top. The red trail is rather flat until it meets up with the other part of the yellow loop. From the yellow/red intersection the trail is fairly gradual until it meets the cliff and then it gets rather steep and sketchy. Regardless of which way one takes to the top, crossing through this terrain will be necessary in order to complete the whole loop. Similarly, side trails and intersections can be found no matter if one hikes the loop clockwise, or counter-clockwise. Anyone hiking here should be wary of these side trails as some are not blocked off and a few lead miles away from the area. Others lead to private property and few, if any are marked or show up even on satellite maps.

Some notes attached to the official BSA map for Ten Mile River Scout Reservation.

The summit area has a great vista that overlooks the river. Several large slab rocks are perfect for a picnic or just a quick rest. Immediately below the summit is another old quarry and is worth exploring, but use care. A number of other quarries can be found in the way down from the summit by following the loop clockwise. Anyone hiking the trail in a counter-clockwise manner will encounter the other quarries on the way up.

Wintertime trekkers up Tusten Mountain should be prepared for ice. Snowshoes are not always needed, but boots and some sort of cleat (Yak-Trax, Kahtoolas, etc.) are suggested. Similarly, melting snow can make the trail muddy quite often throughout the winter. Rain runoff and seep make parts very muddy the rest of the year. Boots are not needed in warmer months, but they are not a bad idea.

Turkey and upland game birds are frequently seen in the area. Vultures are a common sight from the vista and eagle watchers should be on the lookout closer to the river. There are a number of Poplar trees in the area as well. Their white blossoms can frequently be seen in the spring along with Bluets, Violets, and Red Columbines. Great Rhododendrons also grow in the area along with Mountain Laurel. Due to the summer canopy, these bushes usually do not bloom. If they do, it is generally later in June and early July. Of course autumn is a wonderful time to explore this trail as well. There is a wide variety of hardwood trees on Tusten Mountain and each yield different hues from late September through the end of October. Although the trail is closed for a two week period during deer hunting season in late November and early December, Tusten Mountain offers something for every hiker year round. 

Tusten Mountain Trail Information: http://www.tusten.org/TustenTrail.htm

Ten Mile River Scout Reservation: http://www.tenmileriver.org/

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River: http://www.nps.gov/upde/index.htm