Note: New Jersey law requires the wearing of a PFD from November 1 through May 1.

Places (4/6)

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Navesink River
( 40.36582, -74.04753 )

  1. Navesink River - Claypit Creek ( 40.39367, -74.02062 )
  2. Navesink River - Fair Haven ( 40.36647, -74.04204 )
  3. Navesink River - Red Bank ( 40.35212, -74.06980 )
  4. Navesink River - Rumson (E) ( 40.37649, -73.99990 )
  5. Navesink River - Rumson (W) ( 40.37650, -74.01310 )
  6. Shadow Lake - Middletown ( 40.34698, -74.10476 )
  7. Swimming River - Middletown ( 40.34831, -74.08318 )
  8. Swimming River - Red Bank ( 40.33838, -74.08815 )

The Navesink River is more like a big brackish lake, except where it narrows-down and connects to Raritan Bay. While it is tidal, most of the river has negligible current, although it is wide enough to get choppy if the wind is strong. The water is generally clean, unlike the nearby Swimming River. Boat traffic is not too bad either.


Paddlin' in the Pines
( 39.70208, -74.42738 )

  1. Batsto Lake - Batsto ( 39.64682, -74.65327 )
  2. Batsto River - Wharton State Forest ( 39.71014, -74.66747 )
  3. Cedar Creek - Berkeley ( 39.90248, -74.24513 )
  4. Cedar Creek - Lanoka Harbor ( 39.86936, -74.17065 )
  5. Great Egg Harbor River - Penny Pot ( 39.57547, -74.82239 )
  6. Great Egg Harbor River - Weymouth ( 39.51339, -74.77889 )

This map shows the three trips described in this article

by Andrée Jannette

New Jersey Outdoors
Spring 1998
$4.25

If you don't know how to turn your canoe on a dime when you put in at your first Pinelands river, you will by the time you finish. These are narrow, winding rivers, full of sweeping curves and sharply angled switchbacks. Yet these twists and turns are very much a part of the mystique and the delight of paddling in New Jersey's Pinelands.


Passaic River
( 40.80476, -74.31517 )

  1. Newark Bay - Bayonne ( 40.66284, -74.13305 )
  2. Newark Bay - Rutkowski Park ( 40.68882, -74.11216 )
  3. Passaic River - Basking Ridge ( 40.69503, -74.51600 )
  4. Passaic River - Chatham ( 40.73795, -74.37159 )
  5. Passaic River - Chatham ( 40.72583, -74.38948 )
  6. Passaic River - Dead River ( 40.65005, -74.52464 )
  7. Passaic River - East Hanover (N) ( 40.82749, -74.33529 )
  8. Passaic River - East Hanover (S) ( 40.82581, -74.33332 )
  9. Passaic River - Elmwood Park ( 40.90965, -74.13188 )
  10. Passaic River - Fairfield ( 40.89775, -74.27988 )
  11. Passaic River - Hawthorne ( 40.93992, -74.15224 )
  12. Passaic River - Kearny ( 40.76313, -74.15933 )
  13. Passaic River - Livingston ( 40.77879, -74.36862 )
  14. Passaic River - Memorial Park ( 40.92865, -74.14193 )
  15. Passaic River - Newark ( 40.73326, -74.15206 )
  16. Passaic River - Nutley ( 40.81175, -74.13909 )
  17. Passaic River - Passaic ( 40.86506, -74.11144 )
  18. Passaic River - Riverside County Park (N) ( 40.81865, -74.13348 )
  19. Passaic River - Riverside County Park (S) ( 40.80182, -74.13801 )
  20. Passaic River - Rutherford ( 40.82349, -74.12280 )
  21. Passaic River - Veteran's Park ( 40.85042, -74.11898 )
  22. Passaic River - Warren ( 40.67078, -74.46441 )

The lower Passaic River is extremely polluted. I wouldn't go anywhere near it.


Paulins Kill
( 41.02287, -74.92877 )

  1. Paulins Kill - access ( 41.07478, -74.78607 )
  2. Paulins Kill - Blairstown ( 40.97758, -74.94390 )
  3. Paulins Kill - Brugler Road ( 40.93581, -75.07082 )
  4. Paulins Kill - Columbia ( 40.92181, -75.08838 )
  5. Paulins Kill - Footbridge Park ( 40.98121, -74.95964 )
  6. Paulins Kill - Stillwater ( 41.03284, -74.87420 )
  7. Paulins Kill Lake - Newton ( 41.05273, -74.82674 )

Pequest River
( 40.88752, -74.97546 )

  1. Pequest River - Allamuchy ( 40.92160, -74.84089 )
  2. Pequest River - Belvidere (E) ( 40.83055, -75.06737 )
  3. Pequest River - Belvidere (W) ( 40.83097, -75.07068 )
  4. Pequest River - Bridgeville ( 40.83408, -75.02735 )
  5. Pequest River - Hackettstown ( 40.86630, -74.90540 )
  6. Pequest River - Pequest ( 40.83722, -74.95327 )

Prospertown Lake - Jackson
( 40.13370, -74.44958 )

  1. Prospertown Lake - Jackson ( 40.13497, -74.45779 )

This is a nice clean lake that straddles the border between Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The neat thing about it is, if you scroll the map to the upper-right corner, that is not some industrial park, that is Great Adventure! This is the lake that is at the back of the park. At the east end of the lake, you are looking up at all the rides, while to the south is the Safari Park. You can see more water from there, but I wouldn't jump any of the dykes, as that would put you on Great Adventure's property, or maybe in the lion pen. It's not a big lake, but there is plenty of shoreline to inspect. There is a small dam at the western end. No real facilities, just parking.


Ramapo River
( 41.04304, -74.22288 )

  1. Pompton River - Follari Tract ( 40.98011, -74.29032 )
  2. Potash Lake - Ramapo River ( 41.02250, -74.25936 )
  3. Ramapo River - Glen Gray Rd ( 41.05339, -74.22408 )
  4. Ramapo River - Great Oak Park ( 41.01630, -74.26106 )
  5. Ramapo River - Halifax Rd ( 41.08543, -74.18332 )
  6. Ramapo River - Pompton Lake (E) ( 41.00056, -74.27621 )
  7. Ramapo River - Pompton Lake (N) ( 41.00602, -74.27796 )
  8. Ramapo River - Pompton Lake (W) ( 41.00392, -74.28272 )
  9. Ramapo River - Ramapo Reservation ( 41.07835, -74.18937 )
  10. Ramapo River - Stiles Park ( 40.98695, -74.28014 )
  11. Ramapo River - West Mahwah ( 41.10486, -74.15591 )

Rancocas Creek
( 39.98505, -74.79202 )

  1. Little Pine Lake - Pemberton ( 39.98857, -74.57096 )
  2. Mirror Lake - Pemberton (N) ( 39.97209, -74.56941 )
  3. Mirror Lake - Pemberton (S) ( 39.96729, -74.57847 )
  4. Rancocas Creek - Birmingham ( 39.97927, -74.70974 )
  5. Rancocas Creek - Hainesport ( 39.98489, -74.84372 )
  6. Rancocas Creek - Kirby's Mill ( 39.91685, -74.80555 )
  7. Rancocas Creek - Lumberton ( 39.96856, -74.81406 )
  8. Rancocas Creek - Medford Park ( 39.89713, -74.82061 )
  9. Rancocas Creek - Mt Holly (E) ( 39.99028, -74.77972 )
  10. Rancocas Creek - Mt Holly (W) ( 39.98980, -74.78956 )
  11. Rancocas Creek - New Lisbon ( 39.96205, -74.64102 )
  12. Rancocas Creek - Pemberton (E) ( 39.96746, -74.58789 )
  13. Rancocas Creek - Pemberton (W) ( 39.97030, -74.68377 )
  14. Rancocas Creek - Pemberton Heights ( 39.96244, -74.65567 )
  15. Rancocas Creek - Smithville ( 39.98571, -74.75083 )
  16. Rancocas Creek - Willingboro ( 40.02992, -74.92946 )

Raritan Bay
( 40.45615, -74.14226 )

  1. Lake Lefferts - Matawan ( 40.41563, -74.23362 )
  2. Raritan Bay - Atlantic Highlands ( 40.41858, -74.04652 )
  3. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (E) ( 40.45089, -74.22033 )
  4. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (W) ( 40.45216, -74.22269 )
  5. Raritan Bay - Cliffwood (Whale Creek) ( 40.45090, -74.22274 )
  6. Raritan Bay - Highlands (E) ( 40.40340, -73.98494 )
  7. Raritan Bay - Highlands (W) ( 40.41023, -74.00359 )
  8. Raritan Bay - Keyport (E) ( 40.44095, -74.19534 )
  9. Raritan Bay - Keyport (W) ( 40.43921, -74.20160 )
  10. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (E) ( 40.45877, -74.24622 )
  11. Raritan Bay - Laurence Harbor (W) ( 40.46223, -74.25482 )
  12. Raritan Bay - Leonardo ( 40.42375, -74.06122 )
  13. Raritan Bay - Middletown ( 40.44463, -74.11175 )
  14. Raritan Bay - Port Monmouth ( 40.43800, -74.08955 )
  15. Raritan Bay - Sandy Hook ( 40.41555, -73.98161 )
  16. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (N) ( 40.48343, -74.27059 )
  17. Raritan Bay - South Amboy (S) ( 40.47946, -74.26831 )
  18. Raritan Bay - South Amboy Ramp ( 40.48401, -74.27416 )
  19. Raritan Bay - Union Beach (E) ( 40.44787, -74.16598 )
  20. Raritan Bay - Union Beach (W) ( 40.45479, -74.17517 )

The exclusion zone around the Navy pier is strictly enforced. Stay away.


Raritan River
( 40.59399, -74.59918 )

  1. Raritan River - Bound Brook ( 40.55995, -74.52758 )
  2. Raritan River - Branchburg ( 40.55644, -74.68838 )
  3. Raritan River - Duke Island (E) ( 40.56082, -74.64751 )
  4. Raritan River - Duke Island (W) ( 40.55279, -74.68330 )
  5. Raritan River - Edison ( 40.48791, -74.38382 )
  6. Raritan River - Highland Park ( 40.48864, -74.42226 )
  7. Raritan River - New Brunswick ( 40.48760, -74.43280 )
  8. Raritan River - Perth Amboy ( 40.50057, -74.27712 )
  9. Raritan River - Piscataway (N) ( 40.54085, -74.51236 )
  10. Raritan River - Piscataway (S) ( 40.50935, -74.46641 )
  11. Raritan River - Power Canal ( 40.55112, -74.67136 )
  12. Raritan River - Raritan ( 40.56492, -74.63884 )
  13. Raritan River - Sayreville ( 40.47450, -74.35606 )
  14. Raritan River - Somerville (E) ( 40.55798, -74.61520 )
  15. Raritan River - Somerville (W) ( 40.56539, -74.63173 )
  16. Raritan River North Branch ( 40.60018, -74.67447 )
  17. Raritan River North Branch - Far Hills ( 40.68441, -74.64214 )
  18. Raritan River North Branch - Natirar Park ( 40.64761, -74.68024 )
  19. Raritan River North Branch Depot ( 40.58160, -74.68161 )
  20. Raritan River South Branch ( 40.54640, -74.69603 )
  21. Raritan River South Branch - Clinton (N) ( 40.63854, -74.91169 )
  22. Raritan River South Branch - Clinton (S) ( 40.62806, -74.91200 )
  23. Raritan River South Branch - Flemington (C) ( 40.52105, -74.82666 )
  24. Raritan River South Branch - Flemington (E) ( 40.50354, -74.77814 )
  25. Raritan River South Branch - Flemington (N) ( 40.53810, -74.83934 )
  26. Raritan River South Branch - Hamden ( 40.59699, -74.89827 )
  27. Raritan River South Branch - High Bridge (N) ( 40.66394, -74.89742 )
  28. Raritan River South Branch - High Bridge (S) ( 40.66094, -74.90237 )
  29. Raritan River South Branch - Lockwood Gorge (N) ( 40.69682, -74.87171 )
  30. Raritan River South Branch - Lockwood Gorge (S) ( 40.68816, -74.88014 )
  31. Raritan River South Branch - Neshanic (E) ( 40.50873, -74.72776 )
  32. Raritan River South Branch - Neshanic (W) ( 40.50250, -74.74182 )
  33. Raritan River South Branch - Rte 31 ( 40.56315, -74.85544 )
  34. Raritan River South Branch - Stanton ( 40.57219, -74.86834 )
  35. Raritan River South Branch - Sunnyside ( 40.57942, -74.88795 )

The Raritan River is what is left of the outflow of the Hudson River after it broke through the Verrazano Narrows about 6,000 years ago and changed to its present course. The modern Raritan River drains much of central New Jersey, with tributaries threading through the state from Princeton to Morristown. One northern tributary - the Lamington River - reaches almost to Lake Hopatcong. Zoom the map out to see the entire drainage. The thin red line is the "fall line" - the nominal division between uplands and lowlands.


Places

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Store Locations

You'd be surprised where you can get a good kayak nowadays. Like these places:

Dick's and West Marine have good selections of kayaks, parts, and accessories. Walmart and Tractor Supply also have a kayak selection, in-season. I hate to say it, but sometimes you can find good deals at Amazon too. Many Walmarts also have live earthworms for fishing.

It's just a matter of time before they show up at your local supermarket. (Kayaks, not earthworms. Maybe earthworms too, if Bill Gates gets his way. Yum!)