Take Me to The River: Undammed Forever

AMC Outdoors, March 2005

Flowing from source to sea, the Delaware is the largest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi and the last major free-flowing river on the East coast. From two small headwaters in the Catskill and Pocono mountains, it runs all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, a journey of 331 miles through four states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Its 12,765 square miles of watershed include 216 tributaries and supply 700 million gallons of water daily to 20 million people. It supports an astonishing array of wildlife: bald and golden eagles; Red Knots and Sanderlings; hawks, mink, beaver and black bear; trout, shad, and horseshoe crabs.

Recreational opportunities abound, from paddling peaceful flatwater or Class 3 whitewater to hiking its bountiful banks. The river is also home to a multi-billion dollar maritime complex that sprawls from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington, Delaware, and encompasses numerous public and private ports in three states, including the port of Philadelphia, the largest freshwater port in the world.

Bill McLaughlin, Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs for the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, say it boasts “the second largest concentration [six] of refineries in the country and the largest on the east coast. [It] brings in billions of dollars of revenue, and probably hundreds of thousands of jobs .We process 60 million tons of cargo annually. We are the largest cocoa bean port on the east coast [think Hershey, Penn.] and handle close to 90 percent of the total winter fruit that enters the U.S. market from South America.”

Those less interested or less reliant on it for industry look to the Delaware for play—and it offers three very different playgrounds. There’s the upper section along the New York–Pennsylvania border, the middle section within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and the lower reaches that eventually meet the bay and the ocean beyond.

The Upper Delaware, 73 miles of which was designated a National Scenic and Recreational River in 1978, provides a calm, lazy float or a thrilling rapids ride. Lenny Grefig, former Canoe Chair of the New York–North Jersey Chapter, likes to paddle the Mongaup, a popular secondary tributary of the Delaware River. “It’s popular because there are releases every two weeks,” Grefig says. She canoes all year round, even when snow is on the ground and the windchill is minus-11. “I just wear a dry suit!” she laughs. “The Delaware itself is good training for beginning whitewater paddlers, to show them how to eddy or maneuver. It lets people think. It doesn’t move that quickly and there are no consequences for falling out of your boat—no massive rocks to get smashed into.”

The Middle Delaware is completely within the Water Gap, with 40 miles of river and more than 100 miles of trails to keep any paddler or hiker happy. Below the Water Gap to Washington’s Crossing—the place where George Washington and his troops rowed across on December 25, 1776, to defeat the British—the river changes again, growing wider and deeper. Eric Pavlak, canoe chair for the Delaware Valley Chapter, recommends the Lambertville wing dam area. “The rapids run all summer,” he says. “I also like the upper part above Port Jervis—flat water, with high cliffs and trees. You can go down to around Mohican [Outdoor Center] and camp on one of the islands.” “The Delaware changes with the water levels and the seasons,” Pavlak adds. “In spring, it’s amazing to watch thousands of fish head upstream. And if you’ve never had the experience of watching 5000 snow geese take off at once, you can’t imagine the deafening roar of their wings.

And others took note of this natural beauty as well. In 2000, Congress approved Wild and Scenic River designation to 65 miles of the Lower Delaware as well as to White Clay Creek, a tributary—the first such designation in the state of Delaware.[See sidebar.] Tom Gilbert, DelawareValley chapter member and former Executive Director of the Highlands Coalition, likes the Palisades—where red sandstone cliffs tower 500 feet above the river south of Riegelsville. “Then there’s Tohican Creek [another tributary of the Delaware] where the whitewater paddlers come for the twice a year releases.”

Brave paddlers can venture downriver to where recreation meets commerce, in the stretch that runs from Trenton to the Delaware Bay. The intrepid Charlotte Kidd, former AMC paddler, likes to float through Philadelphia on the waters of the Schuylkill, the Delaware’s largest tributary. “Once, I paddled out on the 4th of July, around 11 p.m. The city fireworks were fabulous.” Kidd feels strongly about her city paddles. “Paddling on the Schuylkill is a way to fall in love with it. It becomes a living, viable thing: the shapes of the trees, the color of their bark. The birds I get so close to. The river is not just a blur through the windshield.”

Farther down the river, hikers can hoof the 25-mile Schuylkill River Trail, which connects downtown Philadelphia with Oaks in Montgomery County. Birders can enjoy 9,700-acre Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge for migratory waterfowl or the 200-acre tidal marsh at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

For revolutionary War buffs there’s the Fort Mifflin trail to explore. Art lovers can always put in on the Brandywine River and make a stop at the Brandywine River Museum, a 19th-century gristmill housing an unparalleled collection of works by three generations of Wyeths, who called this area home.