Tourism became a major economic resource in the 1870s, when the railroad began bringing city dwellers to the country. Boarding houses, hotels, and resorts sprang up during this period, with one resort hosting over 100,000 visitors during its peak years. This industry began to wither during the Depression, but it has slowly been replaced by campers, hikers, anglers, hunters, and canoeists.

Today, almost 500,000 people visit the Upper Delaware Valley each year, over half of them still river users.