water to the highest elevation of the canal,
the feeder became a cargo route in its own
right. At first, mule teams pulled the canal
boats and barges. Steam-powered ships
took over the job around 1843.
Between the 1850s and 1870s, the
canal was used mainly
to transport coal to feed
New York’s industrial
boom and to power
the thriving railroads.
As railroad transport
became more efficient,
the Belvidere-Delaware
Railroad laid track along
the feeder north from
Trenton to Belvidere on
the New Jersey side of a
tight river bend. The last
train ran in November
1978,
though a portion of the line is still
active on weekends when the Black River
&
Western Railroad runs excursions
between Lambertville and Flemington.
The 70-mile-long D & R Canal State
Park utilizes both canal towpath and rail
corridor.
After my run, I meet up with my
friend Fred Hoth, 49, an avid cyclist
fromMiddlesex who waxes poetic about
his favorite trail to ride. “If I had to sum
up the D & R Canal towpath, I’d call it
the perfect, family-friendly place to ride.
Limited road crossings for safety, no hills,
a well-maintained path, many historical
markers and sites to stop, talk and snack,
several access points with plentiful parking,
abundant wildlife—birds, deer, turtles,
fish, squirrels, chipmunks—and historic
towns that offer food, rest, lodging and
shopping.”
Tell me how you really feel, Fred.
Fred has just biked 11 miles, following
the Delaware River through historic towns
such as Washington Crossing, Stockton
and Lambertville. The beauty of the feeder
canal is that the towpath runs on both the
New Jersey and Pennsylvania sides of the
Delaware River, so he can walk his bike
over the bridge in Stockton and ride the 11
miles back with new scenery on the Bucks
County, Pa., side. This is one of his favorite
rides, because it
travels through
Lambertville and
New Hope, Pa.,
towns famous
for eclectic
shops, galleries,
fine restaurants
and bed-and-
breakfasts that
have retained their 18th- and 19th-century
flavor. Fred recommends the River Horse
Brewing Co. just off the towpath in
Ewing, where “a quick tour and tasting
will re-energize even the most tired cyclist.”
The area is also rich in Revolutionary
War history. On Christmas Day in 1776,
General George Washington led his troops
through a blizzard across the ice-choked
Delaware River from what is today called
Washington Crossing, Pa., and on to
victory against the Hessians in Trenton.
Every year on Christmas Day, dedicated
re-enactors relive Washington’s crossing
at the park, rowing large, Durham boats
across the river. Earlier in December, they
do a dress rehearsal that I’ve attended with
my family. It’s an inspiring day filled with
hands-on activities and live demonstra-
tions, including cannon and musket firing.
And if you can’t make it in December, the
park and village are an ideal stopping-off
point from the D & R Canal towpath any
time of year.
When Fred gets back on his bike, I
take his recommendation to visit the main
canal, which passes the charming and
historic villages of Kingston, Griggstown
and Blackwells Mills, ending up in New
Brunswick. In contrast to the touristy
Stockton-Lambertville area, this peaceful
section is the road less traveled. Plaques
and historical markers line the path. They
depict canal life, show how locks work,
explain what the spillways do and more. At
Blackwells Mills in Franklin Township, I
stop at a beautiful stone building called the
Canal House where generations of bridge
tenders lived and worked. It was their job
to open the swing bridge when canal boats
came through. The Canal House now
hosts special events, nature walks and flea
markets, and offers a museum and library
of canal history.
Further south, I stop near Rocky Hill.
I walk along the wooded path, flanked
by trees on one side and the meandering
canal on the other. Just past the Rocky Hill
Bridge, logs and rocks provide natural seat-
ing where I watch the water flow and listen
to the cars clacking across the wooden
bridge.
Weary after a day of running, walk-
ing and exploring, I drive south to the
Princeton area. Considered one of the
most scenic parts of the park, the towpath
section runs between the canal and Lake
Carnegie. On sunny weekends, this section
attracts visitors from miles away. I park
briefly to see if I can catch a glimpse of
the Princeton crew team practicing out on
the lake. No luck today. But I know I’ll be
back soon to explore more of this towpath-
turned-natural playground.
As Fred says of his bike rides on the D
&
R Canal towpath, “As soon as my tires
hit the gravel of the path, my body and
mind relax, and the rat race melts away.”
Shannon Entin, a travel writer based in
Bloomsbury, N.J., chronicles her adventures
at
100routesacrossamerica.com.
An avid
ru
nner, she seeks out rail-trails w
herever her
travels take her.
CHUCK WHITMORE
SHANNON ENTIN
DANIELLE MARKS
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