Trails
Establishing trails that complement the Delaware River and its landscape provides recreation and opportunities for appreciation of the natural and cultural resources that make the area so unique. DRGP works with and supports public agencies, non-profit agencies and private citizens to develop land trails that provide opportunities for hiking, bicycling, and disabled access. Our projects for water trails concentrates on developing facilities and programs mostly for paddling activities of canoeing and kayaking.
Delaware River Water Trail
Stretching from the headwaters of the Delaware from Hancock, NY to the head of tide in Trenton, NJ/Morrisville, PA, DRGP works to establish facilities, safe river use and access, and information on the river and its communities. In 2007, working with a steering committee of federal and state officials, the American Canoe Association Delaware Valley Division, and several other agencies, DRGP worked cooperatively to develop a Delaware River Water Trail, A Traveler’s Waterside Guide to the Wild and Scenic Delaware River from Hancock, New York to Trenton, New Jersey. The guide covers 220 miles of the river’s freshwater segment and includes maps and information providing an overview of the river and its remarkable resources and opportunities for recreation. We coordinated the steering committee to develop a Concept Plan and Implementation Recommendations. This management plan will guide development of trail activity into the future, including recommendations on new and approved access, camping and overnight facilities, signage and wayfinding, safety and education, boating regulations, and a marketing strategy.
Delaware River Heritage Trail
It is our goal to help develop land trails that complement the river, providing a recreational activity and also an experience that helps trail users appreciate the rivers history and natural resources. DRGP has been working to develop the Delaware River Heritage Trail in the tidal segment of the river in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, a walking and bicycling trail that links the river communities and provides the means to appreciate the river area’s heritage. The trail will be developed from Trenton, NJ, continue south to Palmyra, NJ, cross over to Philadelphia, and continue north to Morrisville, PA across from Trenton. DRGP completed a State of the Trail Report in 2003, and a Trailhead Feasibility Study of the Lardner’s Point area in 2007. We are working with Burlington County and municipalities in New Jersey to help with the development of an engineering study, trail construction, and interpretive signs and resources; in Pennsylvania we participate in the development of the East Coast Greenway through Pennsylvania, which will also use the same route as the Heritage Trail, and Philadelphia’s North Delaware Greenway, and are working to also develop interpretive resources.