New Jersey Kayaking

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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.

If the water is low, things can get very tight in here. There is something primordial about this area, right in the middle of East Brunswick, a stone’s throw from the mall. Deer, Blue Herons, Kingfishers, and other wildlife. It’s not a long trip, but it can take a while with all the obstacles. If that’s not enough for you, you can do a quick trip around the other side of the launch, up to the bridges.

Or just go downstream to the right. It is easy going around the bend to the bridges, then it gets tricky. Either portage over the top, or drop your seatback and scoot under, but it is tight. From there, you can go all the way to the Raritan River. The banks are mostly tall marsh grass, with the odd duck stand and abandoned boat. Very little boat traffic, not many places to land.

The South River is brackish water, dirty-looking, but I don’t think it is terribly polluted. I wouldn’t wear white. The launch site is pretty muddy at low tide, try to hit this spot when there is plenty of water.

If you scroll the map way downstream to the north, you’ll come to another potential launch site on the South River, almost where it meets the Raritan River. I’ve never actually used this spot. The beach is dirty, and the water looks icky, especially at low tide. I’ve also seen too many Jet-Skis for my liking. If I did use this place, I would definitely head south / upsteam, away from the Raritan, which is pretty polluted this far downstream.

To the west of that, Google Earth shows a park with a boat ramp on a small creek. I’ve never even looked at it.

If you want to look at this thing yourself, use the nearby launch in South River. I would not recommend boarding it – first, it is illegal, and second – MOLD. The river is much cleaner upstream, the closer you get to the Raritan, the more polluted it gets.

Duhernal Lake is co-owned by the DuPont company, Ashland Inc., and the Borough of Sayreville. DuPont, together with the Hercules and National Lead corporations, created the lake in the 1930s by partially damming the South River.