Evening Kayaking at the Poxono Boat Access

Delaware River Poxono Boat Access Kayak Trip
July 29th, 2006

It's not always easy to find a tranquil experience in the heavily trafficked tourism area in the Poconos. But about five years ago, I discovered the Poxono Boat Access in the Delaware River National Recreational Area does occasionally offer that tranquil experience. The boat access is located on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River and is very easy to find. Just 8 miles off of Interstate 80 and up the Old Mine Road, and located just inside the National Recreational Area, the Poxono Boat Access is easy access to wildlife viewing, photography, canoe and kayak exploration, and great fishing.

The experience at the Poxono Access depends on what time of day and week you visit. On the weekends the area can be very active with canoers, kayakers, and fisherman. During the hunting season you may even encounter duck hunters. But when you get into autumn you do stand a better chance of having the access to yourself. I've paddled the access during the week in late autumn and had a near solitude experience. Some of my most memorable solo paddles were at the Poxono Boat Access.

This last paddle at Poxono was my typical experience. with the occasional fish jumping from the water near my kayak. Species of heron gliding overhead or stocking prey on the small islands, and the beavers slapping their tails at the sight of my kayak.

I began my trip by paddling into the mouth of a very swampy cove to get a photo of a heron perched on a tree. With the hard chine, secondary stability, and short length, my kayak is supposed to be designed for this sort of tight paddling so I thought I'd try paddling my way further up the cove. But I didn't get far. I got hung up between a rock and a very large tree branch. For several minutes I struggled to free myself from this position. The water was only a foot deep, but because of the slimy swamp scum, getting out of the boat was not an option. Most people wouldn't even bother paddling around in such slimy water but my adventurous side always gets the best of me and gets me in trouble. I eventually backed my way out of the entrapment and paddled back into the open flatwater where I tried capturing a passing beaver on my camera.

The beaver at the Poxono Access are used to human activity and getting close is often only a matter of positioning your boat near the den and waiting patiently. This one appeared so close I could see its beady pupils. I tried to get a photo with my Sony but I wasn't fast enough. The beaver quietly slipped underwater before I found the right camera setting. I gave up on the beaver.

After a few failed attempts at photographing a heron I paddled myself into the main channel of the river and began to paddle up the Delaware. Padding up the Delaware isn't as difficult as it may sound. The river runs slow through the National Recreational Area, and when the water level is right you can often grab an eddy along the shore and make your way upriver effortlessly. The water level was low during this trip and I wasn't able to find those eddies. But despite this I steadily paddled along the shore and easily gained distance from the boat access flatwater area. I paddled for several minutes when I noticed my camera case was getting wet. Because I had many photos of this section I decided to paddle to shore and put my camera in the rear hatch before continuing my journey up the river.

I often have strange encounters with wildlife while out in the wild. And this trip was no different. After several minutes of paddling up the river I noticed a large object on the rocky shore of the island I was paddling by. The object was familiar to me but I hesitated to believe it was a turkey. I thought to myself that no turkey would meander around on the shore of the Delaware with so much human activity taking place. But it was a jake. I paddled to shore only about 30ft from this bird. After a few seconds of eye contact the jake nervously paced itself deeper into the rocky island shore and continued to scrape around. All this and my camera was in my hatch. Giving up on the turkey I pushed myself into the current a prepared for the upcoming rapid current I would soon encounter.

I attempted to paddle through this section several times in the past and never made it. I was always forced to pull my boat through this section of swift current. This time was different because the water was low compared to what it was during those past attempts. I made it through the current easily but was forced to maintain the pace to get through the upper section of slower current. After several minutes of paddling I was able to steer myself towards shore in search of an eddy. I didn't find the eddy and had to maintain a steady paddling pace for about 15 minutes before finding slower water. It was here I began to quickly make distance from the Poxono Access. I encountered 3 canoe campers setting up camp on the right side of the river. Their chosen campsite wasn't too impressive or comfortable looking. But there really isn't much choice in campsites on this section of the Delaware. The campsites are few in this section and after the flood in June, many of the beaches are severely eroded. There are plenty of uprooted trees and rocks making camping undesirable.

I paddled several hundred yards up around the next bend where I encountered a large island and another section of swift current. I decided to approach this problem by navigating the slower current on the right side of the island. That plan quickly failed when I realized the water level on the right was very shallow and rocky as far as I could see up the riverbed. I retreated back to the main channel of the Delaware where I began my ascent through the swift current I originally tried to avoid.

Paddling through this short but very swift section of river really wasn't too easy. I paddled hard for a minute or two then realizing that I wasn't gaining distance upriver I knew I'd have to increase my paddling pace or relinquish my attack and float back downriver. I stepped up the paddling pace to near my peak. Using the rock ledge about 30 ft to my left as a measure, I slowly inched my way up through the current. Knowing I would not last longer than 3 or 4 minutes at this pace, I decided to maneuver my kayak to catch the eddy to my right. I managed to slowly carve a turn into the eddy where I was able to slow my paddling pace and catch my breath. Without stopping I continued upriver at a more relaxed pace. I paddled past a fly fisherman and up several hundred feet beyond the swift current. By this time dusk was approaching, so I decided to begin my favorite part of this trip by beginning my slow evening float back to the boat access.

On the way back I covered distance quickly. I passed the fly fisherman who gave me a nod, and soon paddled past a lone kayak camper who was enjoying a solitude swim in the warm water of the Delaware. I said hello and quickly paddled beyond him so I don't invade his peace. Soon after the moon was rising and I hit some very slow water, so I decided to paddle downriver to my favorite spot on this section of the river - the Poxono Boat Access.

Paddling this section of the Delaware at this time of evening is more like being in a remote location rather than a popular tourism area of the Poconos. I floated near the shore listening to the sound of the cicada - knowing that their sound would soon disappear for the year. There cool breeze felt natural and the sound of the water and border of trees diluted the sounds of occasional nearby traffic.

Paddling out of the river current and into the flatwater of the boat access area I noticed the water was muddy in one spot and then led into muddy underwater trail. I followed the mud trail for a minute hoping to see a large fish, but to my surprise a beaver silently appeared to my left no more than 20ft from my boat. Seeming to challenge me, it paralleled my boat for several feet before slapping its tail and vanishing under water.

I slowly paddled into the boat access where I heard the call of a screech owl. A fisherman was loading his canoe and took time to point out to me the best catfish holes in the boat access. Then he verified the owl call was indeed a screech owl. He soon left and I was there alone. It was dark but I was able to load the kayak by moonlight. I hated to leave. I drove the eight miles out the Old Mine Road to the sound of crickets and other night critters. When I passed the Delaware Water Gap Information Center I made the turn to Interstate 80. I knew I was back to civilization.

I'll try to do several more evening trip at the Poxono Boat Access before winter.