The marker in the lower-center of the map is a super-easy put-in on Whale Creek. The other markers are a longer slog over the beach. All have convenient free parking (don't leave your vehicle in the launching area, that's a dick move!)
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The Delaware & Raritan, or D&R, Canal, is a basically 40-mile-long pond. The water flows very slowly from west to east; it is essentially still. Access points generally coincide with bridges or locks.
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This is the biggest of the lakes and ponds created by damming the Lawrence Brook. The map is centered on the northernmost launch site, which is the most central on the lake. There are two more access points to the south, which can be useful if you want to explore up the Lawrence Brook.
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Lake Carnegie is a reservoir that straddles the borders of the towns of Princeton, West Windsor, Plainsboro and South Brunswick in Mercer and Middlesex counties in central New Jersey. The lake was created by construction of a dam along the Millstone River, though the lower portion of the lake actually follows the valley of its largest tributary, the Stony Brook, while the Millstone River crossed under the D&R Canal to the south. The lake is about three miles long, but only about 800 feet wide.
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Lake Lefferts is a man-made lake, the result of the construction in 1928 of Lake Lefferts Dam, which captures and stores the flow of Matawan Creek. This is the nicest spot in northern Monmouth County. The lake is in three parts:
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This is about the smallest body of water I would consider - more of a pond than a lake. But it is a nice place. Access could not be easier, the parking lot goes right down to the water. If you live nearby, it is a good place for a quick 'dip'. To go a little farther, you can hop over the railroad tracks and get into the far section and a little ways up the byzantine creek that fills the lake.
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This is a difficult area to even gain access to, for a number of reasons:
Almost the entire waterfront in Old Bridge township is now fenced-off. This is because not that many years ago, the jetties and seawalls were constructed not from rock, but from slag from a lead foundry in Perth Amboy. The slag was later determined to be toxic - what a surprise! Supposedly, much of it has been cleaned up, but the whole area remains 'off-limits'. Since the poisons leach into the water and are carried off by the currents, you really have to wonder about the entire bay.
The map above shows a nice put-in in northern Piscataway. This spot has floating dock, and is convenient to Route 287. The river is tidal at this point, and the flow will depend on that, and the season. If you go upstream from here, you may quickly run out of water! I made it to Bound Brook one day, but only by hiking through the ankle-deep riffles, towing the boat behind me. ( Which is why you should always have a piece of rope with you. Ahem - line! )
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The launch point is on the river behind the little strip mall off Route 527 / Old Matawan Rd. I have never had a problem parking here, although I don't think this would be a good place for a large group to show up. Entry can be messy if the water is low.
The river is tidal and brackish at this point. If the tide is high, you can go upstream to the left, under the highway. Pick your way around all the fallen trees and have fun avoiding all the dead-ends, and you can go all the way to the Duhernal Lake dam. The lake itself is off limits.
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Westons Mill Pond is the northernmost of several lakes created by damming the Lawrence Brook, which flows from south to north, and into the Raritan River. This access point is the road that led up to the old bridge, which is gone. There is always enough parking and it is an easy launch, just a few yards to the water.
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