Delaware River Fall Foliage Paddling
Dingmans Ferry Bridge
Now that we are into the month of September many of us are shifting our focus away from the summer activities like camping, canoeing and kayaking, and thinking about fall activities like hunting, hiking and maybe even the fall foliage tourism season, which is only about four to six weeks away. I generally get the itch to do some fall foliage tourism this time of year, and I’ve discovered one of the most interesting ways to do a fall foliage trip is by canoe or touring kayak. But unfortunately most of the rivers and creeks in Pennsylvania are nothing but a trickling stream during the fall foliage season, so unless there is a very heavy rain, a fall foliage canoe trip is out of the question for most Pennsylvania residents.
But there is hope for those paddlers living in eastern Pennsylvania or those who don’t mind traveling a few hours to get there. The Delaware River usually offers a great display of fall foliage and a great way to see it is by paddling straight through the Delawater Water Gap National Recreation Area. A nice trip for tour kayakers or speedy canoers begins at the Dingmans Ferry Bridge and ends at Smithfield Beach, or a little further downriver at the Kittatinny Point Visitor Center. There are several other launch sites along the Delaware that make for shorter trips, such as the Bushkill Boat Access to Smithfield Beach or Kittatinny Point Visitor Center. The leaves begin to change around the middle of October and are usually in peak around the mid to end of October.
Here is a link to the Pocono Mountain Fall Foliage Report. If you should decide to make a weekend of fall foliage on the Delaware River and would like to camp at a commercial campground, Dingman’s Campground is located along the Delaware River.
