Favorite Launch Sites

Lehigh River at Treichlers

There’s lots of parking and a paved ramp, right next to the Route 145 bridge over the river. To find it, look for the D&L Trail Cove Road Trailhead sign on the east side of 145 at the north end of Laury’s Station. This is a good takeout, but the water is usually very shallow at the ramp. If you launch here, be aware that the Northampton dam is 4.25 miles downstream and extremely dangerous. No facilities at the launch area.

Lehigh River – Allentown Canal Park

This is a good place to do an easy loop, drifting down to Bethlehem and then paddling back on the canal. Or with a shuttle, you can run all the way to the Route 33 take-out. If you use the canal, you’ll have to portage in Bethlehem to switch from river to canal, and again to get around the remains of a canal lock about halfway back. Expect poison ivy in the summer. Mid summer the river can be low scrapy in some spots. There are bathrooms in Canal Park.

When you enter the park area, turn left and then keep to the right. There is an old concrete ramp into the river at the far end of the lower parking area.

Lehigh River – Bethlehem Sand Island

This is the most popular place to launch for an easy drift down to the Route 33 take-out. When you cross the bridge onto Sand Island, turn right and drive under the Hill-to-Hill Bridge and then the low railroad bridge. Just after the second bridge you’ll see the boat ramp on the left, and just past it, an open parking area on the right. No facilities.

Lehigh River – Route 33

This is a river put-in, but there is no whitewater. The Route 33 ramp dips into the Lehigh behind the Chain Dam, so the water is very slow moving. It’s easy to paddle back to the ramp. You can usually paddle about three miles upstream and always one mile downstream to the dam. The approach to the dam is clearly marked — stay well away from the edge. But without danger you can paddle all the way around the big island that stretches downstream from just below the ramp. Look carefully, and you’ll find a small inlet at the north east end of the island. This narrow waterway leads into the “lagoon,” a big marshy pond in the middle of the island. There used to be an amusement park here, now it’s all grown over. There is a porta-potti by the parking lot.

The Google directions work, but you’ll have to trust them. As you drive down Hope Road look for a gravel turnout on the left. There’s a very beat-up sign pointing to the boat ramp. Follow this dirt road to the parking lot.

Little Lehigh

The Little Lehigh in the Allentown Parkway is a fun play spot that can be paddled almost any time of the year. It’s also where the club holds the Larry March Slalom every September. This is the best place for paddlers new to moving water to practice what they’ve learned in the winter pool classes. The water is shallow, although there is one spot deep enough to practice rolling.

Study the map carefully, because there is no signage to get you to the parking lot, and the roads around the Allentown Parkway can be confusing. Access is at the end of Park Drive off S. 24th Street/Oxford Drive. Follow the narrow lane as far as you can down the hill. Once there, it’s best to walk your boat upstream about 100 yards and gradually work your way back down and past the parking area. A series of gabions maintained by the club creates some short chutes and eddies. Depending on the water level, the paddler and the boat, this stretch can sometimes be paddled upstream. There are park bathrooms a short walk in either direction from the parking lot.

Delaware River at Phillipsburg

This is a long-time favorite — a very gentle run down to Riegelsville. There are a couple of spots where you may get splashed, but this section is easily done in rec and touring boats. The take-out is across the river from Riegelsville, the ramp at Milford just beyond the Riegelsville bridge.

The address is 2 Riverside Drive, Phillipsburg, NJ. The launch ramp is down a drive below the parking lot that runs behind the businesses along Main Street. You can enter the lot on the left just after you cross the bridge from Easton. There’s room to drop off gear, turn around and bring your vehicle back up to the parking lot. Porta-potty on site, numerous eateries in the neighborhood.

Delaware River at Milford

This is a relatively new river access, with a paved ramp and a floating dock. Kayaks and canoes can also be launched and retrieved on the beachy area just upstream from the ramp, and carried directly to the parking area on a short but steep path.

This launch ramp can be tricky to find. The address is 2 Old River Road, Milford, NJ. If you are traveling south on Reigelsville Milford Road, look for the right turn onto Old River Road just after the bridge over the Musconetcong River — which itself looks more like a creek. Old River Road passes under a railroad bridge. The entrance to the parking area is on the right just beyond the bridge. Porta-potty on site.

Delaware River at Lambertville (Wing Dam)

The launch is on a very slow pool of water that runs about a quarter mile downstream to the wing dam. The area by the ramp, between Lambertville on the New Jersey side and New Hope on the Pennsylvania side, can be handled in any boat. But as soon as the river cuts through the opening at the center of the dam, it becomes a complex whitewater play area. This is a great place to develop skills, but the first-timer should go with someone who knows the area. Full whitewater gear is required. It is possible to attain back up to the back of the dam, haul your boat over it, and paddle back to the launch. The level of difficulty varies with the river level.

To find the launch ramp, enter the parking lot for the Lambertville Station Inn, right next to the bridge to New Hope. Drive through the lot and around the left side of the building at the back of the lot. Follow the road that starts here to the parking area by the ramp. The address is 3 Station Court, Lambertville, NJ. Flush toilets and running water on site.

Delaware River at Scudders

The attraction at Scudders is one wave that’s almost always running strongly enough to play on. Like the Wing Dam, it’s also a play spot that doesn’t require a shuttle. You can walk your boat back to the parking area. Full whitewater gear required. There is a huge eddy next to the wave that usually makes recovery easy, but if equipment gets away from you, it can be lost.

The address is 3 Bernard Drive, Ewing Township, N.J. The entrance to Scudders is a narrow bridge over the Delaware and Raritan Canal. If traveling south on Route 29, keep right where the road splits as you approach the I-95 intersection. Just after the split, turn right onto the bridge. There is a parking area just across the canal, but for river access, follow the drive down the hill to the right until the road widens into the lower parking lot. Launch next to the parking lot and paddle along the shoreline 500 feet downstream and you’ll drop into the wave. Porta-potty at the upper parking lot.

Mongaup takeout

Flow in the Mongaup is limited to releases from the Rio Dam just upstream from the put-in. But when it runs, the creek offers a great ride that ends too soon, where the stream empties into the Delaware River. It’s a good drive from the Lehigh Valley, but worth the miles. Class II+ rapids. Read the American Whitewater write-up here. Full whitewater equipment required. This is not a run for beginners, and intermediate paddlers should go with someone who is familiar with the run.

The put-in area is very tight and has few parking spots, so the club always meets here, at the take-out and leaves most of the cars in this lot.

Mongaup put-in

Use this map to find the put-in for the Mongaup. Either drop off your equipment here and take your car back to the take-out lot, or meet others at the take-out and put as many boats and people in each vehicle as is possible to limit traffic at the top of the run, where space is tight. See “Mongaup, takeout” above for information on the paddling.

The address is 274 Rio Dam Road, Glen Spey, N.Y. But as you drive up Rio Dam Road, look for Crane Springs Road and Power House Road, both dirt roads that start together on the right. Turn off Rio Dam Road and then immediately turn left to get onto Power House Road. There is a sign. Follow the road until it ends at the parking lot. Drive very slowly, there are a few houses along the way. You may also encounter a Rio Dam employee. Stop and let him know how many are paddling with you. He’ll hand you the sign-in sheet. If you do not see him, then fill out the sheet on the stand just beyond the far end of the parking lot.

Beltzville, Preachers Camp

Beltzville can get busy with power boats, but the eastern end of the lake features two long arms that are fascinating to explore, and the whole area is a no-wake zone. In the spring and fall it is usually very quiet. If you follow the northern or Wild Creek arm as far as you possilby can and then walk a bit you’ll find a footbridge over the stream, and a bit farther up a series of waterfalls.

Launch ramp and dock, gravel beach for kayak and canoe launching. Bathrooms on site. Special parking near water for the handicapped.

Beltzville, main boat launch

This launch ramp provides access to the west end of Beltzville lake. It’s a busy place in the summer, with unlimited horsepower out on the water. But in spring and fall or even on summer weekdays, it’s a good place to paddle. The beach is nearby.

Enter the lot and keep right to take the access to the boat ramp. Just past the ramp there’s a gravel beach you can drive onto to unload gear. Bathrooms, snack bar over at the beach in season.

Beltzville, south kayak launch

This out-of-the-way access is great when the two boat launch sites at Beltzville are busy. You can park right next to the water. The lake bottom here is gravely and slopes out gently – excellent for rolling and other exercises. There are no facilities.

Head down Evergreen Drive off Route 209 and you’ll see the gate for the dirt park road. There is no sign. Follow the road down the hill to the parking lot.