National Parks along the Delaware River

Rafters and canoeists on the Upper Delaware paddle past Hawks Nest NY.

Photo by James L. Bauer

 

From the junction of its two branches at Hancock NY, to its mouth at Delaware Bay and Wilmington, Delaware, the Delaware River flows more than 330 miles.

More than half of these miles are protected within two areas administered directly by the National Park Service and three areas are supported through partnerships with the National Park Service. For more information, please link to their websites from this page.

 

Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (Home Page)
is a 73-mile stretch of free-flowing river with abundant whitewater, forming the boundary between Pennsylvania and New York north of Interstate 84. Of these 73 miles, 1/3 are designated as a national scenic river of the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System, and 2/3 are designated as a recreational river.

The river itself is the park. Except for some land at the Roebling aqueduct and the home of Zane Grey, almost all of the riverbanks are privately owned.

 

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (Home Page)
is a national park encompassing the 40 miles of the Middle Delaware River (below) and 67,000 acres of river valley in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. THis part of the river is calm, passing cliffs, fields and forest.

The park contains 100 miles of hiking trails(left), including 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail, as well as historic villages, scenic waterfalls, river beaches, campgrounds and canoe campsites.

 

Middle Delaware National Scenic River (included in this website)
is a 40-mile stretch of calm water within Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (above) forming the boundary between Pennsylvania and New Jersey between Milford PA in the north and the village of Delaware Water Gap in the south.

The northern 35 miles of these 40 miles are designated a national scenic river of the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System; the remaining miles of the river within the recreation area (near the Water Gap) are designated a recreational river.

The Middle Delaware River is part of the Delaware River Water Trail, a unit of the National Recreation Trails Program.

 

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (Home Page) encompasses sections of the Delaware River near Easton PA, and of the Lehigh River from Easton PA inland to mining country and to Lehigh Gorge PA.

The Corridor works with state and local entities to coordinate two 19th century canals, associated early railroads, state parks, and museums of anthracite mining and industrial history.

The National Heritage Corridor is a National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary.

 

Lower Delaware Scenic & Recreational River (Home Page) is a total of 67 miles of the Delaware River, forming part of the boundary between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The northern boundary begins just south of the Delaware Water Gap and the southern boundary is Washington Crossing State Park near New Hope, and 29 miles north of Philadelphia.

Of these 67 miles of river included in the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System, 39 are located on the Delaware River main stem while 28 miles of three tributaries to the Delaware are designated on the Pennsylvania side.

The Lower Delaware Scenic & Recreational River is managed in partnership with local entities, and includes state parks, scenic river towns, the Delaware Canal, and the historic sites in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey of Washington's Crossing of the Delaware in the Revolutionary War.

 

The National Parks System | The National Wild & Scenic Rivers System