Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, New Jersey - Day Trip

No bike ride is too far when you have good company.

- Unknown 

June 2, 2024

Our plan for bike riding in 2024 was to complete the Delaware & Lehigh Trail by picking up where we left off in Easton, PA, and following it in sections until we completed it in Bristol, PA. We wisely checked the website for the D&L and found that many sections were closed for trail and bridge maintenance. So, instead of attempting the D&L, we decided to try crossing over the Delaware River into New Jersey and riding the trail that runs along that side of the river.

The Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park is a 70-mile long corridor and one of New Jersey's most popular places for outdoor recreation. The canal, completed in 1834, was a route for transporting freight between Philadelphia and New York City. The canal ran from Bordentown on the Delaware River down to Trenton, then turned inland along the Raritan River before reaching its terminus in New Brunswick. Water is supplied to the main canal by a 22-mile "feeder" canal that begins in Lambertville and runs north next to the Delaware River to Bulls Island. After the canal was closed in 1932, ownership was tranferred to the state of New Jersey and it was slowly transitioned into a linear park. In the 1980s a portion of the Belvidere & Delaware Railroad corridor from Bulls Island to Frenchtown was added to the park.

Sign from the former Belvidere &
Delaware Railroad along the trail

We started our ride early on a beautifully sunny June 2nd, starting our ride from the trailhead at the Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead Museum in Lambertville, New Jersey, just across the Delaware River from New Hope, Pennsylvania. We rode north on the gravel canal towpath from there with the Delaware on our left and the canal on our right. The trail passes by locks and lock tender houses and crosses over numerous bridges under a wonderfully cool canopy of trees that line the trail. 

D&R Canal A modern sluice replaced the original  canal gates at this lock

D&R Canal Towpath The Wickecheoke Creek passes under the railroad bridge on the right and flows into the canal. Overflow water from the canal flows down the dam face and into the Delaware River on the far left.

We passed through Stockton, then stopped for lunch at Prallsville Mills, a historic industrial complex including a 1790 linseed oil mill, a 1877 gristmill, a 1850 sawmill, a 1900 grain silo, and a 1874 railroad trestle.

Trailside eatery in Stockton in the railroad station

Prallsville Mills

Heading north past Bulls Island, the trail becomes the Bel-Del Rail Trail, which is more of a two lane dirt track. After passing through Frenchtown the trail narrowed considerably into a  single dirt track which we followed until it disappeared in dense undergrowth where it became a hiking trail. We were surprised to note that we had biked a very easy 17 miles without breaking a sweat!

On our return we stopped at Bulls Island Recreation Area, a really nice park with a long pedestrian suspension bridge that gave us the opportunity to briefly cross over the Delaware to Pennsylvania and the D&L Trail on the other side. This is one of 7 bridges that allow you to easily transfer from each side of the river on the bike trails.

Ramp leading to the pedestrian bridge Fun on the river

Memorial marker for canal workers Delaware River View across the bridge to Pennsylvania

Looking north at the D&L Trail on  the Pennsylvania side of the river

Pedestrian bridge to Bulls Island from the Pennsylvania side of the river

Then we headed back past Prallsville Mills, finally arriving back at the trailhead in Lambertville almost 4 hours after we had started out.

The view of the canal and river at Prallsville Mills

Surprisingly, we only had 61 feet of elevation change along the trail, which helped make our ride much more enjoyable and less strenuous. We highly recommend riding this section of the D&R Canal Trail. Views of the canal and river were beautiful, and the majority of the trail was tree-shaded. There were a couple of rough patches along the trail, but for the most part our ride was smooth. We look forward to returning at some point in the future so we can ride the section from Lambertville south to Trenton.

* All photos and videos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *

Three State Parks & Pittsburgh

 April 27 - 28, 2024

Travel is like an endless university. You never stop learning.

-Harvey Lloyd

We had a college graduation to attend in Pittsburgh on April 28, 2024. Because of the long drive out there we decided to do an overnight and have some adventures on the way out. Our granddaughter joined us as we headed out at 9:00 a.m. on a cool and rainy Saturday, April 27 for the first of four planned stops along our route.

Colonel Denning State Park

Colonel Denning State Park lies between Newville and Landisburg, Pennsylvania. It's located in north-central Cumberland County, approximately halfway between our home in south-eastern PA and Pittsburgh. The park has 273 acres of woodland and a 3.5 acre lake. The park is surrounded by the 96,000 acre Tuscarora State Forest. Activities in the park include hiking, horseback riding, fishing, boating, orienteering, picnicking, swimming and camping.

The campground has 49 tent and trailer campsites, located on a hill. Thirty-one are equipped with electric hookups. Seventeen sites are pet-friendly. Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring, and a dump station is available. There is a modern restroom, located up a steep hill. When we drove through we didn't see many sites that would easily accomodate our 27-foot trailer, so if we choose to camp here, we would likely use our tent.

Our plan was to hike to Flat Rock, a distance of 5 miles round trip. Although the rain had slowed to a light mist when we arrived in the park, heavier rain was forecast. Instead we decided to hike the Rattlesnake Trail, a 2 mile rocky loop trail winding through a forest at the foothill of Blue Mountain. The trail was rated moderately difficult, but aside from the rocks and some up and down climbs, we didn't have any trouble while hiking it. The rain started to come down harder as we reached our car, so we ate our lunch inside the car before heading on to our next stop.

Colonel Denning State Park

Rattlesnake Trail

Rattlesnake Trail Rattlesnake Trail

Fowlers Hollow State Park

Fowlers Hollow State Park, near Blain, Pennsylvania, is located about a half-hour further west from Colonel Denning S.P. At only 104 acres, the park is small, but it offers picnicking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, and camping as well as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. The park sits on the edge of Tuscarora State Forest, offering many more trails to explore.

We liked this campground better than Colonel Denning, although camping here is a little more primitive. There are only 12 campsites with electric hookups which were very roomy and could easily accomodate our RV. Each campsite has a picnic table and fire ring, and there is a dump station available. However there are only flush toilets, and no showers. Pets are allowed.

The down side of this campground is that it is far removed from anything else. If all you are interested in is a quiet, relaxing weekend without crowds while exploring trails in Tuscarora S.F., this campground would be perfect. It is helpful that it isn't far from two other state parks which offer more outdoor recreation opportunities.

Because it was raining when we arrived at the park, we only drove through the campground and then continued on to our next stop.

Big Spring State Park

Big Spring State Park, a day-use area, is tucked into the side of Conococheague Mountain just a 15-minute drive from Fowlers Hollow SP. The 45 acre park is about 5.5 miles southwest of New Germantown in Perry County. Activities here include hiking, picnicking, hunting and snowmobiling.

There are two trails which can be accessed in the park. The rain had slowed to a light mist when we arrived in the park, so we decided to take a chance and explore the short .75 mile Tunnel Loop Trail. The trail leads to a partially completed and abandoned railroad tunnel in Tuscarora State Forest. The trail is fairly rugged, but we were easily able to follow it to the tunnel entrance, getting there just as the rain started to pick up again.

Abandoned Railroad Tunnel

Abandoned & incomplete tunnel

By the time we made our way back to the car it was raining fairly hard, so we decided to forego driving further along the park entrance road to the Hickory Ridge Overlook in Tuscarora State Forest. The clouds were hanging low, so we probably wouldn't have had a good view anyway. So we headed back south to get on the PA Turnpike and head to our last stop for the day.

Braddock's Falls

Braddock's Falls is located in Braddock Trail Park in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, just southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The rain had stopped and the sun was out when we arrived at the park, so we had high hopes of seeing this waterfall. It was a short walk from our car down a disused road to the trail where we found an overlook for the falls. Unfortunately for us, it was only a trickle. Apparently they hadn't received as much rain there as we had earlier in our travels. We did get to see some beautiful flowers blooming all over the hillside in the forest along the path, so it wasn't a total loss!

Braddock's Falls

Braddock's Falls

Blue-eyed Mary

There were several trails in the park that looked interesting, but we were exhausted from the earlier hikes and the long drive, and it was getting close to dinner time, so we called it a day and went in search of a place to eat and our hotel for the night.

Pittsburgh

We awoke Sunday morning, April 28, to sunny skies and higher than normal temperatures, making it feel like summer had arrived. We had some time in the morning before going to brunch with our daughter and her family, so we drove to the Dusquense Incline. The incline was opened in 1877 and was used to move people and goods up the steep slope of Mt. Washington. Today it is a tourist atrraction.

Dusquense Incline View of Point State Park - where the 3 rivers meet

Looking down from one of the cars on the incline Museum at the top of the incline.

Dusquense Incline

After brunch wth our family, we parked our car near Point State Park. The park is located at the confluence of the city's three rivers: the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio. The triangular park is a National Historic Landmark and is home to the Fort Pitt Museum and Blockhouse, sites that were important during the French & Indian War.

The confluence of the Ohio (on the left out of the frame), the Allegheny (leading up through the center) and the Monongahela (leading to the right) Rivers.

One of Pittsburgh's many bridges

Point of Confluence - Point of Conflict - Point of Renewal

Mural along the Allegheny waterfront

Walking along the Allegheny River

The park is also the starting/ending point of the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile non-motorized multi-use path beloved by bicyclists. We have a goal of one day riding the trail to its endpoint in Cumberland, Maryland, where it meets the C&O Canal Towpath, making it possible to continue another 184.5 miles, all the way to Washington, D.C. However, on this day we had to satisfy ourselves by walking along part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail on the Allegheny River as we made our way to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where we watched our daughter receive her doctorate in Occupational Therapy.

After proudly watching our daughter walk across the stage to receive her diploma, we walked back along the Allegheny River to our car for the long drive home. It was an exhausting, but successful and memorable two days. We look forward to going back to Pittsburgh at some point in the future and hopefully spending more time seeing the sites before heading off on our bikes on the Great Allegheny Passage.

* All photos and videos are the property of the authors except where otherwise noted. *