Central Jersey is home to two National Scenic Byways which feature the Delaware, Millstone, and Raritan rivers and the canals that follow them. Each waterway provides a quiet respite from modern life, while historic sites and villages along the way offer a glimpse into days gone by.
These places can be enjoyed by bicycle, on foot, or by canoe or kayak. The canal towpaths are flat, thanks to the locks along the way that gradually transition the water level and grade. They’re closed to motor vehicles, so they’re safer and quieter than travelling along roads. You also could drive to one or more of the sites or towns along the trails.
My husband, Joe, and I have found that by cycling the towpaths, we can take in lots of scenery, and yet stop whenever we want. On every outing, we’ve seen turtles sunning themselves on logs, and great blue herons intently stalking their dinner. Our efforts also allow us to indulge in treats without guilt, so we seek out ice cream.
The Delaware & Raritan (D&R) Canal
Lawrence Township to New Brunswick (28 miles)
The D&R canal originally connected Bordentown and New Brunswick. It was dug and built by hand, mostly by 3,000 Irish immigrants who worked six days a week for six months to pay the cost of passage from their homeland. Completed in 1834 at a cost of $3 million, mules pulled barges along its waters until 1932.
Since we crave quiet outings, we haven’t ventured south of Route 295 on the canal towpath. The towpath north of this is so peaceful, it’s hard to believe Route 1 is just a short distance away. You can park by the Port Mercer Canal House, where the canal meets the Stony Brook. At Turning Basin Park in Princeton, four miles north, you can rent a canoe or kayak. It’s a mile or so walk into town if you turn left and follow Alexander Street.
After following Carnegie Lake north for four miles, the towpath reaches Kingston. At the Locktender’s house, you can turn right off the towpath and go a third of a mile on Route 27 to reach PJ’s Pancake House and Bakery. Situated at the intersection of Laurel Avenue, PJ’s also offers ice cream.
There are trails on both sides of the canal between Kingston and Rocky Hill, and the Millstone River is to the left. Two-thirds of a mile up the trail on the right side of the canal, there is a short but steep path to Rockingham Historic Site. The house served as George Washington’s final headquarters while he awaited the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
Griggstown, four-and-a-half miles north, is another place to rent canoes and kayaks. The stone Bridgetender’s house next door is headquarters for the Millstone Valley National Scenic Byway. Four miles north, there is another Bridgetender’s house at Blackwells Mills.
The village of East Millstone, two miles north, is worth a detour. Turn right onto Amwell Road to cross the canal and pass the Bridgetender’s house. At the 1734 Franklin Inn, take the first right onto Market Street. The ice cream bars we got at Sunrise Creek Deli were heavenly on a summer day. After another block, Market ends at Elm Street. Meander along William and Franklin streets, parallel to Market and connected by Livingston Avenue. The village, with its Greek revival and Victorian homes, was settled in 1730. The Franklin Inn was used by both British and American generals during the Revolutionary War.
A stone mortar used by the Raritan Native American tribe to grind corn was originally found in East Millstone. It is now situated in front of the Old Millstone Forge on North River Street in Millstone, a third of a mile west on Amwell Road.
The Millstone River ends three-and-a-half miles north, where it meets the Raritan.
A mile-and-a-half north, the trail crosses under Route 287 – and there is a portable restroom! The canal wraps around South Bound Brook, first settled in 1681. Queen’s Bridge, which leads to Bound Brook, was the site of several Revolutionary War battles on April 13, 1777, reenacted every year.
The Van Wickle House in Somerset offers a step back in time. After crossing under Route 287 once more, take a right over the bridge to cross the canal. Walk a short distance on DeMott Lane to the house on the left. Standing on the front porch of the 1722 house, you can imagine the early owners looking across the wetlands to the Raritan. Fifty years ago, a Rutgers professor saved the house from demolition for a proposed strip mall.
This spring, Joe and I gingerly crossed the stone spillway two miles ahead, just south of the Landing Lane Bridge in New Brunswick. The spillway is now closed for construction, so you cannot continue north. The bridge was partly demolished by George Washington and his troops as they retreated from the British. Looking closely where it crosses the canal, we could see an old turntable. The northern terminus of the trail is a short distance north, just south of the Route 18 Bridge. To reach it, we walked through overgrown brush and aggressive Canada geese.
The D&R Feeder Canal
Washington Crossing to Frenchtown (22 miles)
The D&R feeder canal in New Jersey follows the Delaware River. You can park at Washington Crossing State Park, near the Nelson House, to the left of the trail. This is the site where the General and his troops landed after crossing the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776. A pedestrian bridge on the right side of the canal takes you to the Johnson Ferry House, used by Washington and his staff during the crossing. The bridge here connects to the Pennsylvania town of the same name.
The bustling town of Lambertville is seven miles north. Just south of town, the trail takes a right across the canal by the Locktender’s house and continues north on the right side of the canal. At Bridge Street, you can cross to the equally busy town of New Hope, Pennsylvania.
One newcomer to the Lambertville dining scene is Local Greek, a half block north of Bridge Street. We’ve enjoyed their Princeton location, but their Lambertville location is in a beautiful building with a patio that overlooks the canal and offers wine from Old York Cellars in Ringoes.
The next cross street as you go north is Coryell, by Finkle’s Hardware. Since the trail is closed north of Lambertville (the bridge over Alexauken Creek is out), cross the canal bridge and turn right onto the path on the left side of the canal.
However, if you want a homemade ice cream detour first, don’t cross yet but continue north for a half mile. At Niece Lumber on Elm Street, turn right and take the first left onto Union Street. Owowcow Creamery is past the lumberyard on the left.
After you leave town, the next bridge over the canal leads to Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead Museum, which preserves the area’s agricultural heritage.
The small but scenic town of Stockton is three miles north. The Stockton Food Store is right on the towpath at Bridge Street. On an unseasonably cool June day, their homemade coffeecake and coffee hit the spot.
Cravings, at 10 Risler Street, offers breakfast, lunch, and delicious soft and hard ice cream, including an excellent mint chocolate chip. From Bridge Street, go one-third of a mile north on the trail and turn right at the gray shed with “Cravings” painted on it. Cravings is across the parking lot and Risler Street.
Prallsville Mills, with its historic grist, saw, and linseed oil mills — and arts offerings — is a third of a mile north. The trail is closed here because the bridge over the Wichecheoke Creek is out. To continue north, travel through the mills’ parking lot, take the bridge on the left to cross the creek, and take an immediate left onto Daniel Bray Highway, which has wide shoulders on both sides. A captain for George Washington, Bray gathered boats for the Christmas night crossing of Revolutionary War troops.
At Bull’s Island Recreation Area in Raven Rock, three miles north, you can return to the canal trail. There is also a pedestrian bridge to Lumberville, Pennsylvania, here.
Frenchtown, nine miles north, is the northern terminus of the trail. Like Stockton, its Bridge Street offers a few places to eat. We enjoyed an al fresco lunch at the Frenchtown Café. The town is named for the French Revolution fugitives who settled here.
It’s worth a trip across the bridge from Frenchtown to Uhlerstown, Pennsylvania to see the covered bridge there. Once across, take a left, then the first right onto Uhlerstown Hill Road and go a half mile.
The Delaware Canal
Washington Crossing to Lumberville, Pennsylvania (22 miles)
Pennsylvania’s Delaware Canal follows the Delaware River for nearly 60 miles, from Bristol to Easton. This canal opened in 1832 and operated for 99 years. Unlike the D&R canal, the Delaware canal has not been dredged, and becomes dry or overgrown as you go north. The canal trail between Washington Crossing and Lumberville is very rural, with the exception of New Hope.
There’s parking by the trail at General Stark Road at Washington Crossing State Park. To see the historic houses, Durham boat barn, and blacksmith shop at the park, go half a mile east on General Washington Memorial Boulevard. Many buildings are undergoing renovations through the fall.
Heading north on the trail, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is five miles up, just west of the trail.
Two miles north, just south of New Hope, there are a few short sections of the towpath that have been filled in with large gravel. They are difficult, but not impossible, to navigate with a bicycle. Also, the trail detours left across the canal and along River Road/South Main Street until you reach the Locktender’s house.
Centre Bridge, four miles north, is literally a crossroads. The bridge here takes you to Stockton.
Lumberville is three-and-a-half miles north. Lumberville General Store, circa 1770, makes its own ice cream. At the pedestrian bridge, take a left to cross the canal and then a left onto River Road to the stone building. I plan on trying their cinnamon on a future visit.
Although the Delaware Canal trail continues north of Lumberville, several sections are washed out or closed until repairs are made. I don’t recommend a detour on River Road, with its minimal shoulder and truck traffic.
If you’re cycling near the Delaware River on either the D&R feeder canal trail or the Delaware canal trail, try the new shared use path adjoining the Scudders Falls Bridge to cross between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Unlike other bridges over the river, you don’t have to dismount but can cycle across. It’s three miles south of Washington Crossing in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, via either canal trail, so you can add a six-plus mile loop onto your ride.
However you travel on the above trails, you’ll find peaceful scenery and historic waterside towns, right in our area.
Facilities on the trails are scarce, except at some historic sites and park offices. Check the trails’ websites for closures before you go. For safety, travel with a partner or group.
D&R Canal State Park, New Jersey, www.dandrcanal.com.
Millstone Valley National Scenic Byway. On Sunday, August, 28, portions of Canal Road in Franklin Township will be closed to motor vehicles from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the 2022 Franklin Walk n’ Roll. The website also offers a free online driving tour. www.millstonevalley.org.
Delaware River National Scenic Byway, www.delawareriverscenicbyway.org.
Delaware Canal, Pennsylvania, www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/DelawareCanalStatePark/Pages/default.aspx.
