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

 Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

- Albert Einstein

September 14, 2025

The Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal State Park is one of central New Jersey's most popular places for boating, jogging, hiking, bicycling and fishing. The 70-mile-long park includes wooden bridges, spillways, locks, waste gates, and stone-arched culverts, as well as bridge and lock tender houses. The canal is a great place for lovers of history, and people like us who enjoy riding their bicycles on trails.

The canal consists of two parts: the 22-mile long "feeder canal" wanders along the Delaware River from just north of Frenchtown to Trenton. The 36-mile main canal winds northward from Trenton to New Brunswick.

We rode our bicycles on the northern end of the feeder canal from Lambertville to Frenchtown in June 2024. You can read about our ride and view photos of the trail by clicking on this link to a previous blog post. In June 2025 we returned to the feeder trail so we could ride the southern section from Lambertville to Trenton's Cadwalader Park. You can also read our blog post about that ride by clicking this link.

We picked a sunny September day for our return to Trenton, New Jersey so we could complete another segment of the trail. We started our ride where we left off in June 2025, at Cadwalader Park. 

Highlighted section of trail we rode on this trip

Cadwalader Park is the largest urban park in the city of Trenton. The nearly 100-acre green space is also the city's oldest park. At one time the park had a train stop along the long gone Belvedere & Delaware Railroad. Much of the D & R Canal Feeder Trail passes along the former rail corridor.

View from the trail

We followed the trail as it wound its way through the city, crossing over the canal at intervals until the trail split. We took the right-hand trail following the canal until it disappeared beneath the city. The left-hand trail is known as the D&R Greenway. Taking that path makes for a shorter ride because it avoids winding around and crossing over streets in the busy city, but it doesn’t follow along the canal. We opted to take the Greenway later in the day when we returned to Cadwalader Park.

The main trail through the city can be a little difficult to follow. Even though we watched carefully for trail signs, we still managed to get slightly off course for a couple of blocks until we reconnected with the trail.

Near Southard Street in Trenton, the canal disappeared, perhaps underground, just as it intersected with the U.S. 1 highway. It popped back up into view again about a mile later at Mulberry Street. From there the trail frequently paralleled the busy U.S. 1.

View from the trail

About 4 miles outside of Trenton, we passed by the Carnegie Road Bridge Tenders House, one of many located along the trail. The first bridges along the D&R Canal were A-framed swing bridges. The house, built in 1860, housed a "bridge tender", whose job was to observe traffic on the canal and operate the bridge. Unfortunately, the historic house was very much in need of repair. The swing bridge was replaced years ago with a more modern one.

Carnegie Road Bridge Tender's House

Just before the intersection of U.S. 1 and Interstate 295, we came to a long ramp leading the trail up a switchback and over a pedestrian bridge over the highway.

Pedestrian Bridge over U.S. Highway 1

Continuing on, we came to another bridge crossing and bridge tender house at Port Mercer. The current bridge replaced an earlier swing type bridge. The house was open for free tours that day and we stopped to take a peek inside before heading back on the trail.

Port Mercer Bridge Tender's House Inside the house

Inside the house

A little further on, the trail passed beneath the Dinky Railroad Canal Swing Bridge. The king-post style swing bridge replaced the original A-frame swing bridge that was commonly used along the canal when it first opened.

Dinky Railroad Canal Swing Bridge

As we approached Princeton, we could see Carnegie Lake and the "Ideal Course" on our left. The Ideal Course serves as a training site for Princeton University's rowing team and it's where the Carnegie Lake Regatta is held. We could see rowers in sculls as we rode on the trail between the lake and the canal. We also saw a lot of kayakers on the canal along this section of the trail.

Kayaker on the canal

Next we came to the Millstone Aqueduct. The original aqueduct was erected shortly before the canal opened in 1834. It allowed canal boats to safely cross the Stony Brook (which was later flooded to create Carnegie Lake) where it met the Millstone River. The current aqueduct was constructed a little north of the original one in 1868 and the original was demolished. Later, after the canal became a state park, a wooden pedestrian walkway was added to continue the trail on the east bank of the canal. It's a popular fishing spot. We passed several fishermen casting out their lines as we passed over the walkway.

Millstone Aqueduct

Just beyond the northern end of Carnegie Lake where the Millstone River empties into it, we arrived in Kingston, which is one of the most heavily visited places along the trail. There were 14 locks along the canal at one time, and lock #8 is still located at Kingston. Next to it is the c.1834 lock tender's house and a tollhouse/telegraph station.

Kingston Lock #8

Kingston Lock #8 Spillway Kingston Lock #8

The lock tender's house was open to the public on the day of our visit. Two original first-floor rooms contained displays related to the area's history and an interactive model demonstrating how a lock works.

Demonstrating how a lock works

Lock #8 and Lock Keeper's House

After viewing the house and the lock, we headed back the way we had come. In Trenton we took the D& R Greenway instead of the main canal trail. The out-and-back ride for our ride from Trenton to Kingston was 31.5 miles long and took us a little over 4 hours including breaks and the stops to see the tender houses.

We enjoyed riding the D&R Canal Trail very much in the past, and this segment of the trail was no exception. Other than briefly losing the trail riding through Trenton, the rest of the trail was easy to follow. As in the other segments, this stretch of the trail was mostly level, the gravel was well packed and there were only a couple short stretches of single track. There were a lot of historical points of interest and plenty of beautiful scenery to soak in. We're looking forward to returning to Kingston at some point in the not-to-distant future so we can continue our ride on the next segment of the trail. If you would like to see a video of our ride on the Trenton to Kingston section of the D & R Trail, click here.

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *

Upper Bucks & Saucon Rail Trails, Pennsylvania - Day Trip

When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.

- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

August 29, 2025

One of our favorite outdoor activities is riding our bikes on the many rail trails across the country. For this ride, we chose a trail a bit closer to our home in southeastern Pennsylvania. Actually, it's a couple of new to us trails since officially, one ends where the other begins.

We started our ride on the 3.2 mile-long Upper Bucks (County) Rail Trail at the Veterans Park Trailhead in Quakertown. The trail follows the old Bethlehem Branch of the SEPTA rail line as it makes its way north to Coopersburg in neighboring Lehigh County. The trail is mostly crushed stone, but features an 800 foot-long boardwalk over a marshy area.

The trail is part of the Circuit Trails Network, a growing trail system across Greater Philadelphia with a goal of 800 miles of connected trails. It's also part of the Highland Trail, which will eventually stretch across 13 counties in Pennsylvania's Highland country.

The trail was paved for a short section through Veterans Park as we made our way past the park's playground and athletic fields. Just after the trail sloped upward into a woodland it turned to gravel. We passed through the communities of Shelly and Melody Lakes before crossing meadows along a power line and then back into the woods. We could faintly hear traffic noise from the nearby route 309, but it didn't bother us.

Just south of Coopersburg we rode across a boardwalk over a wetland and passed by an interpretive sign explaining the region's geological history. The trail slopes down slightly as it passes by quarries and concrete plants before arriving in Coopersburg and linking to the Saucon Rail Trail.

The Saucon Rail Trail follows the bed of the former North Pennsylvania Railroad (NPRR), which supported the industries in Coopersburg, Upper Saucon Township, Lower Saucon Township and Hellerstown. The railroad transported coal, iron ore, dry goods, groceries and grains and also provided commuter transportation. The NPRR provided a vital link from Philadelphia in the south to Bethlehem and the coal regions of the north. Later the line was used by the Reading Railroad, which later became ConRail, and eventually SEPTA. The last train to run on the line was in 1984, after which SEPTA removed the rails and ties. In 2011, the first phase of the Saucon Rail Trial between Coopersburg and Hellertown was opened.

The 7.5-mile-long trail begins at the southern edge of Coopersburg, where the Upper Bucks Trail ends. The wide crushed stone trail easily accommodates bikers and pedestrians and it's relatively level with only a 1% grade. The trail is well-marked with 6 foot wooden posts every half mile and smaller posts at each road crossing with the name of the road.

The Saucon Trail is envisioned to become part of an intercity greenway that will eventually connect the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton-Phillipsburg area with the Philadelphia metropolitan area via the Upper Bucks Rail Trail. Currently, there are plans to extend the Saucon trail at it's northern end into Bethlehem where it will connect with the South Bethlehem Greenway.

Heading north on the other side of Coopersburg, the trail passes over Tumble Brook, then by some community parks, the campus of DeSales University, and the Saucon Valley Country Club grounds. Along the way riders will find signs commemorating the different train stations along the route at Coopersburg, Center Valley, Bingen and Hellertown. There are also signs along the trail of its past history as a railroad in the form of old telegraph poles and signal towers. In addition, we passed through rock cuts and over several repurposed railroad bridges. The trail also passes by the nationally recognized "Allentown Formation", a 515 to 500 million year old dolostone rock formation of geologic interest and the Hellertown Marsh.

Tumbling Brook Allentown Formation Dolostone

Along the trail   Refurbished Railroad Signal Light

Upon our arrival in Hellertown we made a short detour to the nearby Hellertown Union Cemetery where we paid our respects to a much-loved friend and ate our lunch in the shade of a tree. After returning to the trail we continued on to the trail's end at Bachman Street before heading back toward Quakertown.

Former location of the Hellertown train station

Hellertown Union Cemetery

We enjoyed our ride on the Upper Bucks/Saucon Rail Trail. Although there wasn't a lot to look at aside from the trees and some streams, the trail was easy to ride through a mostly quiet area. We will likely ride it again. If you want to view our YouTube Video of our ride on the trail, click here.

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *

Lums Pond State Park - Delaware

 Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach us more than we can ever learn from books.

- John Lubbock

August 3 - 8, 2025

Lums Pond State Park is located in Bear, Delaware, very close to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The park surrounds Delaware's largest freshwater pond. The area was once home to native American communities living along Georges Creek. The creek was dammed in the early 1700s to support local milling operations. In the early 1800s, while the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal was being built, the pond and surrounding area were bought by the canal company. In 1963 the land was purchased by the state to preserve the area for outdoor recreation.

Lums Pond is one of our favorite places to go camping. There is a lot to do within the park and the surrounding area. 

The Campground

The campground is one of the nicest we've ever stayed in. At the time of our stay, there were only 73 full hookup sites and 10 tent sites. However construction was in progress to create more sites, and cabins are expected to be constructed by March of 2027. The current sites are widely spaced around two loops with open fields running behind the sites.

Amenities include a new playground and camp store/laundry room complex and a very nice/clean bath house with private shower rooms along one end of the building. The campground is one of the cleanest we've ever been to. That is thanks in no small part to the several campground hosts scattered around the grounds who do much of the maintenance in the park. Every time we used the bath house it looked like it had just been cleaned!

Warning: Lums Pond is a very popular campground. It can be difficult to get reservations. We were only able to get reservations during the week, which worked for us, but won't work for everyone. But, as mentioned previously, construction was underway to add some more sites to the campground. We're not sure that's a good thing because we like the quiet, small campground feel of the place. But on the other hand, it might make it easier to get a reservation.

As an added note, if you are using your GPS for directions, make sure you enter Lums Pond State Park Campground as the destination. Otherwise you'll be sent to the opposite side of the lake where the main entrance to the park is located.

For a video review of the campground at Lums Pond State Park, click here for our YouTube video.

The Park

There is a lot to keep visitors busy without having to leave the park. In addition to the usual picnicking areas, there's a nature center, a boat rental facility, hiking & biking trails, athletic fields, boat launches, a disk golf course, and an off-leash dog area. 

Also located within the park is a Go Ape! Adventure Park with a ziplining and ropes course. They have a separate course just for kids. We did the course on a previous camping trip to the park (when we were a tad younger!) and had a great time, especially on the zip-lines. If you plan to do the course, you should bring along a pair of gloves to protect your hands. But if you forget, they do sell them on-site.

Summer 2018

There are 4 trails in the park. The two largest are the Little Jersey Trail at 7.9 miles, and the Swamp Forest Trail, at 6.9 miles. Both trails circle the lake, but the Little Jersey Trail is a good choice for mountain bikers. We rode it on a previous trip with our gravel bikes with no problem.

The Swamp Forest Trail

We chose to hike the Swamp Forest Trail during this trip, although we had to start our hike on a short stretch of the Little Jersey Trail where it merged with the Swamp Forest Trail due to part of the trail being closed. When the two trails split we headed off onto a narrow track through the forest. There are a lot of bridges and boardwalks to cross as you circle the lake, and there are some nice views of the lake. The trail also passes right under the ropes course for a short distance and takes you past the boat rental shed and a boat launch. After passing over a bridge across the far northwestern arm of the lake, the trail heads back in the direction of the campground's fishing pier and boat launch. It was a very nice hike with plenty of shade and was mostly quiet except for the occasional sound of voices from park visitors.

Trail Map

Golden Oyster Mushrooms Cardinal Flower

The Pond

Lums Pond is larger than some lakes we've paddled our kayaks on. The pond covers about 200 acres. So what is the difference between a pond and a lake? Nothing, really! Lakes tend to be larger and/or deeper than ponds, but there are plenty of examples of "ponds" that are larger and deeper than lakes. There aren't any specific rules on naming such bodies of waters, so the only difference between the two is the word you choose to describe them!

Kayaking route

The roughly v-shaped Lums Pond stretches west to east and is the largest freshwater pond in the state of Delaware. You can't swim in the pond, but you can rent kayaks or paddle boats to explore the lake and all of its inlets and coves. The pond is also considered the best place for freshwater fishing in the state. Anglers can expect to find largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish and pickerel in its waters. 

We didn't have a Delaware fishing license, but we did bring our own kayaks which we launched from a launching area a very short drive from the campground. We spent about 2.5 hours exploring the lake and watching people zip-line over its surface. We saw a lot of turtles and waterbirds as we made our way around the lake.

Great Blue Heron Painted Turtle Great Egret

Little Blue Heron   Zipline fun!

If you'd like to watch a video of our adventures in Lums Pond State Park, please click here for our YouTube Video of the highlights.

Area Attractions

One of the best things about Lums Pond State Park is that you can ride your bicycle from the campground to a trailhead for the Mike Castle Trail along the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The C&D Canal, first completed in 1829 and widened in the early 1900s, is one of the busiest canals in the world. The waterway is 14 miles long and shortens the route for vessels wanting to travel between the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. The Mike Castle Trail is totally paved and travels through grasslands, forests, tidal marshes, past ponds, and an old burial ground. It's a very scenic trail.

Mike Castle Trail Map

We rode our bikes out of the campground and along some quiet roads for about a mile before reaching the trailhead. We loved riding this trail. It's totally paved and stretches from Delaware City in the east to the Maryland border in the west, where the trail becomes the Ben Cardin Recreational Trail before ending in Maryland's Chesapeake City. We rode on both trails, covering just under 30 miles in 3 hours. If you'd like to see our YouTube video of our ride, click here.

Bethel Lighthouse in Chesapeake City

Georgetown Bridges African Union Church Cemetery along the trail in Delaware City Freighter crossing under the Chesapeake City Bridge Map of our ride on the trails

We also drove to Elk Neck State Park near North East, Maryland, where we hiked out to the Turkey Point Lighthouse. This lighthouse is a favorite of ours and we try to visit it at least once a year.

Turkey Point Lighthouse

Hawk or Eagle?

Then we drove into the small bay town of North East where we explored the quaint shops, found some wall murals and had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - Woody's Crab House. It's a "must stop" if you happen to be in the area.

Our meal at Woody's Crab House Woody's Crab House

Woody's Crab House

* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *