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Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath
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Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath
Well, it's been about a year since my last "Bike Adventure" post (a no-cars-needed adventure to Wharton State Forest from Philadelphia, via PATCO), so I think it's high time for another.
I present this Friday afternoon: Bike Adventure to the Delaware & Raritan Canal trail. This is about as pleasant and easy a day's ride as you'll find in the area – good one for taking your sweetheart and a picnic, too: starting south of Trenton, the trail follows canals on both sides of the Delaware River, meaning you don't have to come back the way you went.
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| http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/delawarecanal.aspx |
| Click to download the full map |
This one, too, does not require having a car. My buddy and I simply hopped on the R7 to Trenton.
Bikes are allowed on weekends on all SEPTA Regional Rail trains, for no extra fee.
(Although it can be a little annoying – conductors vary in their enthusiasm for accommodating bikes. Usually, they ask you to put 'em in the rear car, in the handicapped area; just make sure you're ready to yield to any handicapped passengers, please!)
Here's a pic of the method I've come up with: I lay down a piece of newspaper and prop up the back wheel on the seat.
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| Patent pending. |
Rather than start at Trenton, we got off at Bristol and tried to find the trail, failing miserably and winding up biking thourhg a bizarre part of Tullytown that appears to be a giant, sprawling landfill. Anyone know anything about that?
Anyway, we picked the trail back up around the Morrisville access area, above, and proceeded to bike a leisurely 25 miles or so to New Hope along the beautiful and historic Delaware Canal, one of many similar such canal towpath-cum bike trails around the country and the northeast in particular. (Another favorite: the C&O Canal path from Washington, DC to Cumberland, MD).
Along the path are several historic houses and buildings, including old lock houses, which once housed families responsible for opening and closing the locks along the canal and collecting tolls from canal boats hauling cargo.
South of New Hope, the trail comes up along the Delaware itself, offering some nice views and – be you not so concerned about rampant industrial pollution of the river – swimmin' opportunities.
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| Ummmmmmmmm. |
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New Hope is a cute town with tourist stuff, restaurants, and cute little museum of canal history (they ask for donations; when I went to drop a few bucks in the basket, I realized the only dollar already in there was fake – so give 'em a few bucks, would you?).
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| Bike Buddy Corey, learnin' at the New Hope canal museum |
We turned around at New Hope only because we had started late; the trail actually continues another 40 miles or so, and the – the the best part – joins a trail along the Lehigh River, the two combining in an awesome-looking 165-mile bike route through old Pennsylvania coal country.
I love connections like that, so, hopefully by the end of this summer I'll have a report on the whole thing.
Has anyone out there done it already? Tell us how it went.
And, on that note – send more bike adventures by email or post them here!
Have a good weekend, all.
[...] Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath :: The Clog :: Blog … Well its been about a year since my last ampquotBike Adventureampquot post (a nocarsneeded adventure to Wharton State Forest from Philadelphia via PATCO) so… [...]
Thanks, Isaiah. This is a great bike ride. The trail on the PA side is nicer. We picked it up in New Hope and went west up the river pretty far. The trail was discontinuous in places but still really cool. The canal path on the NJ side is also nice--but somehow you know you're in NJ the whole time(how do they manage it?). And the take-out in Lambertville goes right past a sewage treatment outlet (ah, maybe that's how).
"bizarre part of Tullytown that appears to be a giant, sprawling landfill. Anyone know anything about that?" It is a landfill.
you can also ride up to Bulls Island, camp, and then bike through New Hope and over to Doylestown in the morning to take the R5 home.
It's funny that you missed finding the canal towpath in Bristol. It starts in the park across the street from the station (just to the right of the fountain and Gazebo) and continues under the tracks to Green Lane and Route 13. You then have to cross Rt 13 (somewhat frightening) and the trail starts again behind the Days Inn past Home Depot where you have to cross 13 again. There are a couple of more barriers to get to Morrisville including climbing over a steep railbank.
[...] Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath :: The Clog :: Blog … [...]
[...] Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath :: The Clog :: Blog … Well its been about a year since my last ampquotBike Adventureampquot post (a nocarsneeded adventure to Wharton State Forest from Philadelphia via PATCO) so… [...]
[...] Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath :: The Clog :: Blog … Well its been about a year since my last ampquotBike Adventureampquot post (a nocarsneeded adventure to Wharton State Forest from Philadelphia via PATCO) so… [...]
[...] Bike adventure: Delaware River Canal towpath :: The Clog :: Blog … Well its been about a year since my last ampquotBike Adventureampquot post (a nocarsneeded adventure to Wharton State Forest from Philadelphia via PATCO) so… [...]
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