First Trip ~ New Jersey Kayaking

First Trip

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So you just impulse-bought a new kayak at Walmart. Now what?

Don't take it someplace hairy for your first trip. Pick a place that is easy - shallow enough to stand up, no tides, no wind, no waves, no motorboats, no currents, no cold. Find some nice inland lake, I have quite a few of them listed. Learn how to get in and out of the boat, how to paddle, etc. Get a feel for things before you head out into the big water.

Also, figure out how to secure the boat for transport. The pool noodles and twine that you used to take the boat home from the store on the roof of the car are not suitable for the highway. Get whatever racks and tie-downs you need and figure out how to set them up properly. I always use a minimum of two completely independent tie-downs, even for the most local of trips. On the highway, double that.

Advice for Beginners,

Rahway River

Rahway River
( 40.68294, -74.33542 )

Orange Reservoir - Rahway River ( 40.75964, -74.28903 )
Rahway River - Clark ( 40.62884, -74.29746 )
Rahway River - Cranford (N) ( 40.66036, -74.30627 )
Rahway River - Cranford (S) ( 40.65097, -74.30133 )
Rahway River - Cranford (W) ( 40.65900, -74.30997 )
Rahway River - Jackson's Pond ( 40.62805, -74.28492 )
Rahway River - Lenape Park ( 40.67407, -74.31426 )
Rahway River - Mohawk Park ( 40.64041, -74.29408 )
Rahway River - Nomahegan Lake ( 40.66832, -74.31741 )
Rahway River - Park ( 40.62040, -74.28944 )
Rahway River - Rahway ( 40.59952, -74.26856 )
Rahway River - South Branch (E) ( 40.60010, -74.27397 )
Rahway River - South Branch (W) ( 40.57998, -74.30463 )
Rahway River - South Mountain ( 40.73112, -74.30704 )
Rahway River - Springfield ( 40.70824, -74.30186 )
Robinson's Branch - Rahway River ( 40.61839, -74.30495 )

The Rahway River rises in Essex County as two separate branches. The West Branch begins at spring-fed Crystal Lake in West Orange and flows south through the South Mountain Reservation in the valley between first and second ridges of the Watchung Mountains. It runs directly through downtown Millburn. The East Branch rises as a surface stream in West Orange and forms part of the boundary between West Orange and Orange, then travels through the towns of South Orange and Maplewood.

The two branches meet at Hobart Gap near Interstate 78, continuing south through the Union County communities of Springfield, Union, Cranford and Clark. In Rahway the river receives the Robinson's Branch and South Branch, which are approximately 10 miles long. The South Branch starts in Roosevelt Park in Edison behind the Menlo Park Mall, and flows through Edison, Iselin, and Rahway. The river's mouth is at the Arthur Kill between Carteret (on the south) and Linden (on the north), opposite Port Mobil on Staten Island.

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